Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 6.
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 6 "Guns For Hire" surprised fans by featuring Jack Black and Lizzo, with each character's story building off the wider Star Wars timeline. In addition to the main plot with Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze, The Mandalorian season 3 has spent a good portion of its runtime on supporting characters, both for developing long-term story threads and for exploring the state of the galaxy after Return of the Jedi. The Mandalorian season 3, episode 6's new characters do a bit of both, and while the episode may have spent too much time on this tangent, Black and Lizzo give memorable performances and have good chemistry.
The episode's world-building has potentially huge implications for the Star Wars franchise, demonstrating that even fun celebrity cameos can introduce characters and information that could be relevant later. While the rest of The Mandalorian season 3 will focus on reclaiming Mandalore, and the fight against the Imperial Remnant will likely carry into season 4, there's no telling what stories will be expanded in future seasons. The Mandalorian season 4 is the middle chapter of a much larger story, so any of the hints from Black and Lizzo's characters could be relevant later, making it important to understand their place in the wider Star Wars franchise.
Lizzo's Star Wars Character Explained - The Duchess Of Plazir-15
Lizzo's Duchess of Plazir-15 may be a new character in The Mandalorian season 3, but her struggle resembles other Star Wars figures who have come before. One example is Padmé Amidala, who held the title of Queen when she led Naboo despite being democratically elected. The Duchess was also royalty but is now an elected leader, continuing the galaxy's trend of transitioning to democracy. The people of Plazir-15 took this idea to another level by implementing direct democracy, increasing prosperity but also encouraging complacency, which builds off another idea that has been explored in The Mandalorian season 3.
The current state of the New Republic is clearly designed to foreshadow the rise of the First Order, showing how the galaxy allowed danger to grow in the shadows. The Duchess' struggle on Plazir-15 mirrors this idea on a smaller scale, where their regulations against a militia won't let them solve a problem in their own city, much like how the New Republic demilitarized after the fall of the Empire. It's fitting that Lizzo's character is called "The Duchess," which harkens back to Bo-Katan's sister, Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore, who tried to create a peaceful, pacifist society, but ended up being killed while her world was consumed by war.
Jack Black's Star Wars Character Explained - Captain Bombardier
Jack Black's character, Captain Bombardier, also ties into the problems with the New Republic and former Imperials. Bombardier seems harmless and silly, and it appears that he does mean well, but he and the Duchess are so caught up in their lifestyle that they don't pay enough attention to the problems in their society. Christopher Lloyd appears as Separatist sympathizer Commissioner Helgait, and while he may have been wrong to sabotage the city's droids, he rightly pointed out that Plazir-15 had become too dependent on them. Bombardier's willingness to downplay certain issues is similar to the behavior of certain New Republic politicians in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 "The Convert."
Bombardier also plays into another potential arc that could be developed further in future seasons of The Mandalorian. Officer Elia Kane mind-flayed Dr. Pershing to take control of his cloning research, and her appearance in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 shows how she's using her position to undermine the New Republic from within. Even if Bombardier is sincere in his efforts, the Imperial Remnant could be placing agents into the rehabilitation program to serve as incompetent New Republic leaders. Future episodes of The Mandalorian are sure to continue exploring these ideas and feature more stars like Jack Black and Lizzo.
New episodes of The Mandalorian stream Wednesdays on Disney+.