Disney has debuted the first footage from The Mandalorian season 3. After season 2 bowed in 2020, anticipation has been high for the return of Disney+'s flagship Star Wars show. While the now-iconic pair of Din and Grogu hasn't appeared in their own show in almost two years, their cameos in The Book of Boba Fett served to expand their story ahead of their long-awaited return to screens. Din and Grogu left Tatooine together after the latter decided to continue with his companion rather than train with Luke to be a Jedi. Now, they are both set to return in The Mandalorian season 3.
Filming on The Mandalorian season 3 wrapped in March 2022, setting up the show to return at some point later this year. The show is just one of many on Star Wars' streaming slate, including a spinoff show for Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano, Andor, The Acolyte, and several more. Still, it's The Mandalorian that has captured the hearts of audiences and when the show returns, it is expected to dive even deeper into the mythology around the titular people and their home planet, Mandalore. This is due, in part, to the fact that Din now wields the Darksaber, giving him the right to rule over Mandalore and the Mandalorian people. How that will play out, though, remains to be seen.
Now, Disney has debuted the first The Mandalorian season 3 footage at Star Wars Celebration 2022, giving audiences an idea of what to expect for the next chapter of Din and Grogu's journey. The footage shows the Armorer talking with Grogu and Din, telling the Mandalorian that redemption is no longer possible. Still, Din wants to go to Mandalore to be forgiven for his transgressions. What follows is an action-packed montage teasing a tense interaction between Bo-Katan and Din, a space battle, and Bo-Katan positioned as the leader of Mandalore. Finally, Bo-Katan asks Grogu, "Did you think your dad was the only Mandalorian?"
It has long been suspected that The Mandalorian season 3 will dive deeper into the mythology around Mandalore and the Darksaber, but this footage is the first official confirmation that Din will be returning to the home planet of his people. The revelation is certainly exciting as it opens up plenty of avenues of conflict as not only will Din have to atone for his aforementioned transgressions, but his wielding of the Darksaber is likely to cause much conflict.
Unfortunately, until Disney and Lucasfilm officially release the Mandalorian season 3 footage, it's hard to tell what else is in store for the show. It was also announced at Star Wars Celebration that The Mandalorian season 3 release date is in 2023, a disappointing revelation for those hoping to see the return of Din and Grogu before the end of year. Regardless, Star Wars is offering up plenty of content throughout the end of 2022, so even though The Mandalorian season 3 is some time away, a return to the galaxy far, far away is not.
