The Mandalorian season 3: Everything you need to know
It's time to return to a galaxy far, far away…
The galaxy's premier father figure has returned for more adventures on Disney Plus.
That's right: The Mandalorian season 3 has now landed on Disney Plus, bringing Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (AKA Baby Yoda) back onto our screens for another adventure as the pair travel to Djarin’s home planet where he seeks redemption for his transgressions.
They're joined by a bunch of familiar faces including Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze, who's likely to have her sights set on the Darksaber with the weapon now in Djarin's hands, Carl Weathers as Greef Karga and Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon – although Gina Carano won't be returning as ex-Rebel bruiser and Republic Marshal Cara Dune, with Lucasfilm revealing she won’t be back after controversial social media posts from the actor.
Excitement among Star Wars fans for the return of The Mandalorian has been palpable and it certainly looks like there's plenty to look forward to, with one of the top directors behind season 3, Rick Famuyiwa, having recently described the new episodes as a "culmination" of the story so far.
He told RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview: "I hope that, in continuing this story of these two characters that met under very unlikely circumstances, that that story continues to grow and the culmination of that feels right for the fans.
"I think that, in many ways, everything that’s happened in both seasons of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett has led us to this season."
He continued: "So, in many ways, this is the zenith – the mountaintop – of all of that, and we’re going to be bringing some things to resolution."
An official full clip (below) was released earlier this month, giving fans a glimpse at Djarin meeting up with Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), who is offering him a parcel of land.
Mando declines, before explaining his situation – he is now back with Grogu, AKA Baby Yoda, and his quest was completed, but he now wants to rectify his wrong of removing his helmet, which has left him "an apostate".
You can watch the full clip right here now.
It's not unreasonable for Karga to question Mando's situation: he was actually reunited with Grogu on another Disney Plus series entirely, The Book of Boba Fett, and the pair are now continuing their adventures.
Pascal, the new king of sci-fi, who's fresh from starring in HBO's The Last of Us, recently teased what's to come and it seems we'll finally learn more about Mandalore and the Mandalorians.
He told Empire: "What I love most about season 3 is how much the world opens up in terms of Mandalore and Mandalorians. That means so many different facets of culture, politics, and rules and discoveries. Delicious doors are flying wide open."
And with spin-offs such as Ahsoka, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte on the way also, star Pascal has hinted that there could be more crossovers going forward.
He told IndieWire: "They are in the expansion of this world, where there are so many unexpected surprises and timelines that are going to be dealt with.
"If the character were to cross over into these worlds, it will be utilised in a way that isn’t meant to be expected. I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise of whether or not characters from the show we already know are crossing over."
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For now, read on for everything you need to know about The Mandalorian season 3.
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The Mandalorian season 3 release date
The Mandalorian season 3 landed on Disney Plus on 1st March 2023.
The episodes will be released weekly and the date was confirmed at the Brazil Comic-Con 2022.
Season 1 of The Mandalorian premiered in November 2019 and season 2 at the end of October 2020, with both seasons concluding their runs in December.
Filming for the new season began in October 2021 and wrapped in late March 2022.
The third season of The Mandalorian comes after Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) made an appearance in The Book of Boba Fett. We caught up with Djarin's life since The Mandalorian season 2, so the spin-off prepares us for the return of the central series.
Carl Weathers, who portrays Greef Karga, later confirmed that he had begun work on the Disney Plus series on 13th October 2021.
If you're keen to catch up on past seasons, then you'll need a subscription to the streaming service.
Creator Jon Favreau previously confirmed that a fourth season of the show has already been written, saying: "I was writing it during post-production. All of it has to feel like a continuation and one full story.”
What will the plot be for The Mandalorian season 3?
The Mandalorian season 3 was set up following the end of The Book of Boba Fett.
Despite parting ways with Din Djarin in the second season finale, the spin-off series saw The Mandalorian reunited with Grogu after the child chose his attachment to Djarin over the chance to be a Jedi training under Luke Skywalker.
The pair were back together again and last seen blasting into hyperspace in an N-1 Starfighter in the final episode of The Book of Boba Fett.
Where will they head next?
One person Djarin will reunite with is potential Mandalorian leader Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff).
In the season 2 finale, he bested Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in combat and takes the Darksaber - a legendary Mandalorian weapon held by the ruler of the planet Mandalore - to give to Bo-Katan, who had been hunting it for a while.
Unfortunately, as Moff Gideon gleefully revealed she needed to win the Darksaber in a battle to claim it, with Bo-Katan unable to take it from Din despite his entreaties unless she fought him first. This tension was quickly punctured by the arrival of more Dark Troopers and Luke, but we're betting we haven't seen the last of the Darksaber tussle in The Mandalorian.
We are also finally set to visit Mandalore itself, which has as of yet not appeared in the Disney Plus series.
"Did you think your dad was the only Mandalorian?" Bo-Katan asks Grogu in the first teaser-trailer.
And there's at least one more thread left dangling after Moff Gideon reveals that he already took Baby Yoda's Force-friendly blood prior to the team's arrival. Where did the blood go? If not Moff Gideon, who's using it, and for what? Is it linked to Snoke and the return of the Emperor in The last Skywalker, or is there some other insidious purpose? Dr Pershing will be back so perhaps answers are on the way!
Somehow, we think The Mandalorian season 3 will lead us to find out.
Who stars in The Mandalorian season 3?
The following individuals will appear in the The Mandalorian season 3.
- Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian/Din Djarin
- Grogu
- Carl Weathers as Greef Karga
- Emily Swallow as The Armorer
- Omid Abtahi as Dr Pershing
- Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon
- Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze
- Amy Sedaris as Peli Motto
- Christopher Lloyd as TBC
- Tim Meadows as TBC
Pedro Pascal will reprise his role as the lead character The Mandalorian/Din Djarin in the third season.
However, fans should catch Djarin in his appearance in The Book of Boba Fett too which also saw him reunited at last with Grogu and set him on his course for the third season of The Mandalorian.
Considering the ending of The Book of Boba Fett, expect to see Din and Grogu on a brand new adventure.
Meanwhile, Carl Weathers will return as Greef Karga, a leader of the Bounty Hunters' Guild and the Magistrate of the planet Nevarro, who has been a long-time ally to Din Djarin.
Greef tries to persuade Din and Grogu to remain on Nevarro and make a life for themselves, but Din has intentions to return to Mandalore.
Elsewhere, Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito will reprise his role as the evil Moff Gideon, Djarin's arch-nemesis, last seen in the custody of the New Republic.
When season 2 was released, Esposito teased to Entertainment Weekly: "...I have a feeling you'll see more of me next season. More than likely you're going to see a lot of Moff Gideon. I can't be sure of that, but it seems as though this iconic journey that they want you to feel it. I think you're going to start to see other storylines start to creep in. When we start to realize there's such a deep connection [between the show's storylines and] the rest of the galaxy and what's really happening. Maybe you'll get an inkling of what he wants."
We will also see more from Mandalorian leader Bo-Katan Kryze, played by Katee Sackhoff, who was introduced in season 2 after the character's previous animated series appearances.
The character wishes to once again obtain the Darksaber in the possession of Djarin after he obtained it from Moff Gideon. The weapon is believed to belong to the legendary Mandalore who will rule their culture's homeworld.
Will Bo-Katan and Din remain friends or could they become foes?
Sackhoff recently said that she's asked for input on the character of Bo-Katan, who she remains the only person to portray.
She told Empire: "One of the things that Jon [Favreau, showrunner] and I focus on is where she is in the moment, what peppers her experience. Jon and Rick [Famuyiwa, director], every single day, defer to me, which is a crazy experience, to have these masters asking me what I feel"
It is unknown if Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen will reprise their roles as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, respectively, after The Book of Boba Fett, but considering how Mando and Grogu served as supporting characters there we would not be surprised if they returned in The Mandalorian season 3.
When asked about a potential return to The Mandalorian in season 3 by Digital Spy, Wen said she was unsure about Fennec's status on the show.
"I don't know. You'll probably find out before I do," she said. "I mean, come on, I didn't even know I was shooting The Book of Boba Fett, so you're asking the wrong person."
The same can be said for Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano, who debuted as a guest star in The Mandalorian season 2 to universal acclaim from fans and critics, before her own solo show was quickly given the green light. The character also has a much-praised appearance in The Book of Boba Fett.
Elsewhere, Amy Sedaris will also make a comeback as a friend of Djarin and Grogu, Pelli Motto.
Meanwhile, we would not rule out another appearance from the CGI version of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker since we have yet to see the character's reaction to Grogu choosing to be a Mandalorian over a Jedi.
Marshal Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) could also put in an appearance after the post-credits scene to The Book of Boba Fett.
Finally, while we don’t know exactly who will be returning we do know one actor who won’t be – recurring guest star Gina Carano, whose character Cara Dune will not be returning to the Star Wars universe following controversial posts Carano made on social media.
“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” a Lucasfilm representative said in February 2021.
“Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
The Mandalorian season 3 trailer
The latest trailer for The Mandalorian season 3 was released on 17th Januar 2023, and teases a long-awaited return to Mandalore as well as Grogu showing more of his powers than ever before.
After being reunited with Grogu, Djarin isn't letting him out of his sight as he prepares for a trip to Mandalore to be forgiven for his "transgressions".
However, things were never going to be that easy, as they look set to encounter a fair few old enemies along the way.
Watch the promo above to see how the pair's journey is going to continue.
The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney+ now for £7.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.
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