Series creator, executive producer, and director Jon Favreau has unveiled details about Mandalore's role in the upcoming The Mandalorian season 3. The third installment of the highly successful Star Wars series arrives in February 2023 to an audience that awaits to see Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (aka "Baby Yoda") back in action again. With The Mandalorian season 2 having wrapped up in December 2020, viewers of the series are excited to watch the clan-of-two's adventures following a heartbreaking separation and joy-filled reunion in The Book of Boba Fett.
Audiences got a fair share of Mandalorian content in The Book of Boba Fett, when Din returned for the last three episodes and fully set his Mandalorian season 3 journey on course. "Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian" saw him not only struggling through the absence of his foundling, but also standing on the receiving end of his consequences for the two instances in which Mando removed his helmet in The Mandalorian season 2. The armored warrior was not only told he was "no longer a Mandalorian," but also was set on an impossible quest for redemption on a planet that had been destroyed many years before: Mandalore itself. Din, however, is as honorable as they come, and with a new ship and Grogu back at his hip, it's clear the Mandalorian will be setting off to achieve the impossible in order to earn his redemption.
Now, Favreau himself has spoken to how Mando's journey in season 3 will tie in with the planet Mandalore. The series creator spoke to Entertainment Weekly (via Star Wars News Net) about Din's experience in The Book of Boba Fett and how Mandalore will be a center point in the upcoming season. Favreau discusses the other Mandalorians audiences have seen in animated series such as The Clone Wars and how their set of rules differs from the group Din himself originates from. Favreau teases that these different Mandalorian groups "are coming together" to the "nexus point for all of those communities," which is their homeworld of Mandalore, saying:
"We established in The Book of Boba Fett that there was an opportunity for the Mandalorian to be redeemed, because he had transgressed against the creed by removing his helmet. And among his group of Mandalorians that is something that is not permitted. Now, we know that there are other groups of Mandalorians that have different sets of rules. In The Clone Wars we saw with Dave and also with a character that I voiced, that Mandalorians are very different there. So these different groups are coming together and we are gonna figure out how they all… The nexus point for all of those communities of course is their homeworld from which they are exiled, which is Mandalore."
Favreau's emphasis on the differences between the Mandalorian tribes, as well as them coming together in relation to Din's struggle with his redemption, seems to hint that these two elements will work together in the character's season 3 journey. Seeing more Mandalorians who can remove their helmets may cause Mando to have doubts over whether he truly wants to return to the "Way of the Mandalore." It has, however, always been a very important part of Din's life, as at several points he's been willing to die over his helmet and his armor. Favreau tying together the Mandalorian's quest for redemption and the "nexus point" of Mandalore still looks to be hinting that the armored warrior's internal battle over his identity isn't over yet, even with a seemingly simple solution of entering the living waters beneath Mandalore.
With Katee Sackhoff returning as Bo-Katan Kryze and Giancarlo Esposito returning as Moff Gideon, it's clear that The Mandalorian season 3 will be much more complex for Din than any one of his journeys yet. Between his own internal conflict and what's undoubtedly to come externally, the Mandalorian will have his hands full. Perhaps, however, the new control Grogu has over his Force abilities will aid his adopted father more than ever. Cast members have been teasing The Mandalorian season 3 as the biggest and most ambitious yet, and Favreau is no exception as he continues to prepare viewers for the Mandalore leg of Din's story.
Source: Entertainment Weekly (via Star Wars News Net)