The Mandalorian Movie’s Footage Proves Star Wars Has Fixed Season 3’s Biggest Mistakes

Following Star Wars’ stumbles with The Mandalorian season 3, The Mandalorian & Grogu has been tasked with fixing Din Djarin and Grogu’s story, and the movie’s already proven that it’s going to achieve just that. As some of Star Wars’ best characters in recent years, Din and Grogu’s story means a lot to Star Wars enthusiasts, especially those who were either introduced to the galaxy through The Mandalorian or those who consider it to be their favorite Star Wars project. After The Mandalorian season 2, however, Star Wars began to stumble, and big mistakes were made.

It partially began in The Mandalorian season 2 finale itself, when Din Djarin earned the Darksaber from Moff Gideon in combat. While this was a highly revered choice at the time, it looped Din into a greater conflict that wasn’t fitting for his character. Din was then drawn into another conflict for a time, causing him to infamously take over the latter half of Boba Fett’s spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett, which saw him reunited with Grogu far too quickly. All of this culminated in The Mandalorian season 3, which failed to give Din and Grogu the narrative they needed.

Star Wars Tried To Tell Mandalore’s Story With Din Djarin

Mandalore Was the Focus Instead of the Titular Mandalorian

Star Wars’ biggest mistake with The Mandalorian season 3 was focusing on Mandalore rather than its titular Mandalorian. Though the vagueness of The Mandalorian‘s title has been debated for years, it’s clear that it refers to Din Djarin himself, given the fact this character is still often advertised as just “the Mandalorian.” This was reflected in the narrative of The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2, which followed Din and Grogu’s episodic adventures specifically while building up to a loose overarching story. The narrative was character-driven, which is what made the show and these characters so appealing.

The Mandalorian season 3 lost sight of this, instead focusing on Mandalore rather than “the Mandalorian” – which, with a character like Din Djarin, simply didn’t work. Ever since The Mandalorian‘s inception, Din has been marketed as a lone gunslinger, adapting the most beloved aspects of the Western genre while also folding in Grogu and the Star Wars connotations that naturally come with a “Baby Yoda” character. The show made it clear that Din had no true connection to Mandalore, establishing several times that it’s not a race but a Creed, yet they tried to tell the planet’s story through him.

The Mandalorian

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The Mandalorian is set after the Empire’s fall and before the First Order’s emergence in the ever-growing Star Wars universe. The series follows the travails of a lone gunfighter named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. Acting as the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian has become incredibly popular on Disney+, partly due to Mando’s relationship with Grogu, which the internet dubbed “Baby Yoda” upon his introduction in season 1.

Release Date

November 12, 2019

Seasons

3

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

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Mandalore’s Story Needed To Be Told In A Different Way

Ironically, The Mandalorian Wasn’t the Right Show for this Story

Despite its title, The Mandalorian simply wasn’t the place to tell Mandalore’s story, and Star Wars should have told it in a different way. Bo-Katan Kryze was always the clear, leading figure in Mandalore’s story, a role she had taken ever since Star Wars: The Clone Wars over a decade ago, and there was never any reason to try to put Din Djarin alongside her in that role. Had Star Wars opted for making another spin-off show that focused primarily on Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians liberating Mandalore, many of season 3’s mistakes could have been avoided.

It’s not like Star Wars is opposed to creating more spin-offs from The Mandalorian; both The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka have spun directly out of their first live-action TV show. They even had another series, Rangers of the New Republic, in the works, until behind-the-scenes issues quickly prevented that series from ever being made. The energy going into Rangers of the New Republic could have been diverted towards making a Mandalore-specific series, one that would have let Bo-Katan take her rightful place without having to face the heat of disappointed The Mandalorian viewers.

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The Focus On Mandalore Hurt Din Djarin & Grogu’s Own Story

Their Character-Driven Narrative Vanished in Season 3

Unfortunately, the focus on Mandalore doomed Din Djarin and Grogu’s story in The Mandalorian season 3 before it even began. While the first mistake was technically giving Din Djarin the Darksaber, permanently tying him to the conflict on Mandalore until he could get rid of it, Din and Grogu’s appearances in The Book of Boba Fett sealed the deal. “Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalore” is exactly what The Mandalorian season 3’s premiere should have been, as it utilized the show’s character-driven narrative and built directly off of the season 2 finale.

That was the narrative Din Djarin and Grogu needed in season 3. Focusing on the reclamation of Mandalore went too far beyond these two characters, the relationship that has always been the core foundation of the show. What was especially problematic about it was that Din and Grogu clearly had no place in the fight for Mandalore, something that’s proven by the fact the pair had no desire to live on the Mandalorian homeworld even after they helped to save it. This pair has always been destined for their own adventures, and The Mandalorian season 3 seemed to forget that.

The Mandalorian & Grogu Is Finally Returning To This Story’s Heart

While this damage can’t be undone, Din Djarin and Grogu’s story can at least be improved from here on out, and that’s exactly what The Mandalorian & Grogu movie is achieving already. In exclusive footage shown at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, it’s clear that Din and Grogu have yet again taken charge of their own narrative. Though filming has only been going for a few weeks and thus a limited amount of footage was shown, all likely stemming from one mission, it’s very clear to see that Din and Grogu’s episodic adventures are coming to the big screen.

What’s shown are clips highly reminiscent of The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2, from the literal return of the Razor Crest (or, at least, a newer version of it) to Din and Grogu completing a bounty hunting mission together. Of course, a few natural things have changed, such as the dynamic between Din and Grogu as mentor and apprentice rather than just protector and child, but much of it feels very much like what audiences first got years ago. Din is taking command on his own, and Grogu is working in his own way to help him as his partner-in-crime.

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The Mandalorian & Grogu will evidently be making use of an overarching narrative to keep this movie from feeling aimless, but it’s taking a more character-driven approach to accomplish it – which is exactly what viewers have been missing ever since The Mandalorian season 2. The title of the movie alone has long since been promising this, but the new footage makes it even more clear that Star Wars truly understands it. The Mandalorian & Grogu is already fixing The Mandalorian season 3’s biggest mistakes, and that is exciting news for any Star Wars or The Mandalorian enthusiast.

The Mandalorian & Grogu

The Mandalorian & Grogu is a Star Wars movie directed by Jon Favreau that continues Disney+’s immensely popular TV Show, The Mandalorian. The film will replace The Mandalorian season 4 to bring the franchise back to the big screen and follow Din Djarin and his adventures with Grogu. The Mandalorian & Grogu is the first Star Wars film to be released since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.

Release Date

May 22, 2026

Writers

Dave Filoni

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