So the word around Bounty Hunter circles is Jon Favreau is more than a little miffed that Disney have crowbarred the return of Baby Yoda into his Star Wars saving epic The Mandalorian.
Surely the Swingers legend must have known the writing was on the wall, when Grogu became a meme icon… come on, Disney gotta cash in right. Baby Yoda figure sales add strength in any tense boardroom pitch.
And do the fans love it? Can you pull it off with aplomb Jon. We are Purple Revolver think you can… you’re the man who helmed a cinema scene stealing Iron Man and have been on point for years.
As The Mandalorian season 3 hits the ever expanding universe today after a lengthy delay (its star had to film a little something you might have heard of called The Last of Us), the direcrtor fears some people may be a bit confused.
Mandalorian season 2 ended with the apparent end of Mando’s quest, turning over Grogu to none other than Luke Skywalker for Jedi training. Huzzah! Mando for the win… ‘This is the way!’
But they’re back together now… What happened? While the show may do a “previously on” segment, just like with any geek cultural lore, they scripted The Book of Boba Fett to be essential viewing for The Mandalorian.
The Disney Star Wars chiefs decided to devote two full episodes to just continuing Mando and Grogu’s story as a really, absurdly important interlude between seasons 2 and 3.
For fans just jumping into Mando season 3, the main points are:
Mando goes to visit Grogu but ultimately doesn’t see him because the Jedi don’t want people forming attachments, of course.
Mando gets a new ship, a refitted Naboo Starfighter.
Mando is told he is no longer a true Mandalorian because he admits to removing his helmet, and must go redeem himself on a specific planet through some sort of trial.
Ultimately Grogu makes the decision to quit Jedi training and return to Mando. Mando and Grogu help Boba Fett after the mess he’s gotten himself on Tatooine.
Now we are talking about redemption, the throne of Mandalore, Grogu’s people, a lot of stuff. Jon Favreau has said he wants the adventures of Mando and Grogu to essentially continue on indefinitely and he has no set end goal for them in mind.
So expect a lot more “crisis of the week” type stuff layered against at least some level of larger Disney world building, as Ahsoka and her hunt for Ezra and Thrawn exist in this same time period, as we’ve already seen the crossover there.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is streaming on Disney +