The Mandalorian may the be the best Star Wars series. The first two seasons seemed to follow more episodic plotlines heading up to a showdown between Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) who has become the main villain of the series. And then Luke Skywalker showed up to help save the day and take Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, aka “The Child”, away to be trained as a Jedi.
That was 2020 when Covid was still a bigger threat and Donald Trump had lost the 2020 election. Din, aka Mando, appeared in the latter half of the 2022 series The Book of Boba Fett in which we see Grogu decide the Jedi life isn’t for him and they help Fett and his crew on Tattoine. The third season which premiered new episodes each Wednesday on Disney-Plus in March and April had Mando and Grogu helping the rest of the Mandalorians reclaim their home land on Mandalore.
Because of statements Gina Carano about Covid and the vaccine online, she was let go from her role as Cara Dune on the series. I think this was a good move as it allowed fan favorite Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) to be featured more on the show as she works with Mando to reclaim the Darksaber she lost and unite the Mandalorians. The more devout Mandalorians have been living and training while the others (who take off their helmets in the presence of others) have been scattered throughout the galaxy.
While the series had its normal use of space swashbucklers subplots, I think it helped the direction of the series by focusing more on a coherent plot rather than the episodic first two seasons. Despite an episode that centered mostly on Coruscant and seemed more appropriate on Andor, it was an impressive season, despite what some critics would have you believe. At this point, it’s hard to watch anything that is Star Wars without a lot of criticism for its mere existence. It’s become the one franchise everyone loves to hate for no reason whatsoever. Some people criticized the use of Grogu who is shown training to be a Mandolorian himself, but I think the dynamic between him and Din is stronger. Their bond has always been the heart of the episode and I like the way it gives Din some more depth.
I also liked how Bo-Katan become more of a centralized character to the series. I’m not going to lie but Carano had the acting abilities of a high schooler having to read Shakespeare in an English class right after lunch period. Sackhoff is a better actress and her character is better written. I don’t know what Jon Favreau (who wrote or co-wrote every episode of the third season) had in mind with Dune but if she were to be a love interest, her and Pascal had no chemistry together. This might be why they brought Bo-Katan into the second season with Sackhoff reprising the role in live-action that she voiced in The Clone Wars animated series.
That’s not saying I think her and Din should be a couple. There’s just a better chemistry between Pascal and Sackhoff. Of course, Carl Weathers returns as Greef Karga who is now High Magistrate of Nevarro. Weathers also directs an episode as does Bryce Dallas Howard. Both hve proven to be great directors. Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), a captain of the New Republic Starfighters Corps, as well as Mos Eisley mechanic Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), also return in recurring roles.
One of the questionable casting was Jack Black and Lizzo as Captain Bombardier and The Duchess of Plazir-15 respectively. But I think the direction of the episode (helmed by Howard) was a more lighter tone leading into the more darker and thrilling latter two episodes of the seaons. Not to reveal much of what happens but fans of Star Wars and the series should be satisfied with the third season. Haters be damned. Favreau has said that he already has written the fourth season. I just hope we don’t have to wait another two or three years to see it.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 