This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 1.
The Mandalorian season 3, espidode 1 suggests the show will avoid The Book of Boba Fett’s Star Wars nostalgia problem. Boba Fett returned in The Mandalorian season 2, played by Temuera Morrison, and he swiftly wound up starring in his own spin-off TV show. In theory, The Book of Boba Fett was the story of a bounty hunter's journey to become Tatooine's next crime boss. By the end of the show, it had become something of an "All-Star reunion" featuring characters like Din Djarin, Grogu, Ahsoka Tano, and even Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker.
The Book of Boba Fett's cameo problem indicated a major issue with Star Wars; an overdependence on nostalgia. Previously, the Star Wars trilogy had used nostalgia and that same habit is becoming noticeable in the Star Wars Disney+ TV shows as well. There were understandably fears The Mandalorian season 3 would follow suit, potentially sidelining Mando and Grogu in favor of cameos and crossovers.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Isn't Reliant On Star Wars Nostalgia
The end of The Mandalorian season 2 had depended largely on fan-service, with Rosario Dawson's debut as the live-action Ahsoka Tano and the unexpected Luke Skywalker cameo in the finale. The Book of Boba Fett followed the same approach in its final two episodes. Fortunately, The Mandalorian season 3, episode 1, "The Apostate," shows Lucasfilm has learned from this mistake.The episode focuses entirely on Din Djarin and Grogu, setting up their return to Mandalore. There is no mention of Luke or Ahsoka, nor are there any teases of a bigger Imperial resurgence.
Between The Mandalorian season 2’s finale and The Book of Boba Fett, Mando and Grogu risked becoming supporting characters in their own universe. With Grogu and the Mandalorian now interacting with Star Wars icons like Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, Star Wars could have turned The Mandalorian and its spinoffs into a crossover fest combining legacy characters with larger storylines involving elements like Grand Admiral Thrawn or hints of Palpatine’s return. While those storylines can still be part of the Mandoverse, The Mandalorian season 3’s premiere was a tightly-centered, properly self-contained start for what should be a Din Djarin and Grogu story only. Even teases like Star Wars’ space whales were subtle.
Star Wars Doesn't Need Nostalgic Fan Service To Work
The Mandalorian premiered close to the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a movie that, like the rest of the flawed Star Wars sequels, struggled to balance the past and future of the Star Wars franchise. The Star Wars sequels sparked divisive debates regarding elements like Luke’s fate or Palpatine’s complicated return, but The Mandalorian season 1 took things back to basics and offered a story almost entirely separated from the Skywalker saga. Though The Mandalorian was full of references and callbacks to the Star Wars universe, from the movies and the Expanded Universe to Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, it gave audiences something truly unique.
The Mandalorian’s instant success proved there is still room for Star Wars to create a new legacy. The simplicity of a bounty hunter wearing a Mandalorian helmet for most of the show combined with a little green puppet worked better than the big, cinematic events of the sequels. “Baby Yoda” and the Mandalorian quickly became as recognizable as Star Wars legends like Darth Vader or stormtroopers, which is a big thing considering that the saga has been around for almost five decades. Combining Din and Grogu’s journey with other Star Wars stories can be exciting, but The Mandalorian should always have more to offer than just cameos and crossovers.
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 1 is now streaming on Disney+. New episodes release Wednesdays.