We are now on the cusp of The Mandalorian‘s third season and anticipation has reached fever pitch amongst Star Wars fans. The season premiere will hit Disney Plus tomorrow at 3am ET (12am PT), meaning many die-hard fans will be brewing up a late-night jug of coffee or throwing down energy drinks to be there the moment it releases.
Perhaps the only fly in the ointment is that this premiere is going to be a fairly brief experience. Reports suggest it’ll clock in at a scanty 35 minutes and 16 seconds, making this the shortest season premiere the show has ever seen. After you take away the credits and any opening recap, the amount of new footage will be around 30 minutes. That’s a little disappointing given that the season one premiere was 39 minutes and season two debuted with a lengthy 54 minutes.
We’re sure they’re going to squeeze as much in as they can, though with other episodes also apparently coming in on the shorter side, we expect to hear wails of disappointment from fans if this really is a brief n’ breezy season.
Pedro Pascal promises more surprise guest characters
Previous seasons of the show have generated hype by including beloved characters from across the franchise’s history, perhaps none more prominent than Luke Skywalker. The original trilogy hero left fans’ jaws on the ground when he flew in to save the day in the season two finale, with Luke returning for a more lengthy performance in The Book of Boba Fett in 2021.
In an interview with Digital Spy, Pascal teased that we should expect more of the same. When asked if there’d be more guest stars or fan-pleasing cameos he laughed and said:
“The answer to that is YES, period.”
Pascal also teased that this is going to be the most epic arc for Din Djarin yet. When comparing season three to the prior seasons, he said:
“So much of it has changed over the years, including the execution of the show, which is kind of amazing. The way that John Favreau and Dave Filoni started with season one, went into all of the surprises of season two, bridged season two and season three with the Book of Boba Fett, and continued to expand on the world. And in a way, they improvised their approach each time. I remember checking in with them and just asking, ‘Are you guys, okay?’ because season three is so epic that you’ve got to wonder how overworked they are.”
If they’re gearing up for a surprise appearance along the lines of Luke, then the pool of available characters is fairly shallow. Carrie Fisher’s Leia is almost certainly a no-go as bringing her back from the dead with the miracles of CGI would be ghoulish. However, many have noted that with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Lucasfilm has an incredible ‘young Harrison Ford’ model. So, could Han Solo be popping up for an adventure?
StarWars.com posts a timely ‘The Mandalorian’ catch-up guide for audiences
Season two of The Mandalorian aired way back in December 2020 and season three will pick up on those dangling plot threads, so it’s no surprise that starwars.com has released a useful guide for audiences wanting to refresh themselves on all things Din Djarin and Grogu related.
This summarizes every important event so far in the show, including the characters’ appearances in The Book of Boba Fett. Audiences who skipped that show (and we can’t blame them, it wasn’t great) might be confused as to why Grogu is back with Din Djarin after having departed with Luke at the end of season two.
In retrospect, putting such an important The Mandalorian plot development in a completely different show may not have been the smartest move, but at least this way, some fans will know what’s going on when we kick things off tomorrow.
‘The Mandalorian executive producer addresses Cara Dune being M.I.A. in season three
One particularly rough hurdle season three will have to clear is explaining what happened to Gina Carano’s Cara Dune. Carano’s character was one of Din Djarin’s closest allies in the first two seasons, though Dune was quickly given the boot by Disney after posting a series of bizarre far-right conspiracy theories, transphobia, and a dollop of anti-semitism on Twitter.
Carano has since found a home making zero-budget flops with Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire, with her first effort Terror on the Prairie scoring a pitiful $804 during its theatrical run. Anyhow, she’s very definitely persona non grata on the Lucasfilm lot.
Now, The Mandalorian‘s executive producer Rick Famuyiwa has discussed Dune’s in-universe fate. Speaking with Deadline, he says that she’s still a “part of the world,” but seems confident we won’t miss her:
“Cara was a big part and continues as a character to be part of the world. It had to be addressed in the creative and Jon (Favreau) took the time to think about that. It was something that was discussed as we knew it was going to have impact on the show, but at the same time, what has been at the heart of the show are the two characters — Din Djarin and Grogu– so ultimately it felt like a servicing of that, and around the Mandalorians.”
Famuyiwa went on to admit that Dune is “a great character” and was “vital to Din Djarin’s beginnings,” but it’s clear that they’re ready to move on and we don’t know if the upcoming episodes will even mention her by name. We’d like some resolution to her story, even if it’s something as simple as writing her off-screen death.
We’re staying up late for the premiere tonight and can’t wait to see what Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have been cooking up. After the incredible Andor, this newest Disney Plus Star Wars story has some huge boots to fill, but while The Mandalorian probably won’t be serving up a broadside against fascism this season, it does at least still have Grogu.