What Will The Mandalorian’s Path Be In The New 3rd Season?

The Illuminerdi breaks down the different paths The Mandalorian could follow in the highly anticipated third season.

**Spoiler Warning For The Mandalorian’s first two seasons and The Book Of Boba Fett**

The Mandalorian is coming back for the highly anticipated third season at the end of this year or early next year and it has potentially set up an entirely new adventure for the bounty hunter. The second season ended with Mando completing his quest and finding a Jedi to take Grogu which seemed to set the series on a new course. However, the second half of The Book Of Boba Fett marked another major change for Din Djarin as well as Grogu.

In The Book Of Boba Fett , Mando decided to check on Grogu while he was training with Luke Skywalker leaving the young Force wielder a beskar chain mail shirt. Luke Skywalker then gave Grogu an ultimatum, continue his Jedi training thus leaving behind the Mandalorian who had saved him or follow the path of a Mandalorian foundling abandoning his Jedi training. Grogu chose the path of Mandalorian foundling leaving behind the ways of the Jedi, specifically the possibility of never seeing Din Djarin again. Grogu returned to Mando wearing the beskar shirt, cementing his decision, but after training with Luke he is also a more powerful Force wielder as well.

Grogu reuniting with the man who adopted him is a major change from where the second season ended, but it isn’t the only change that fans will see going into season three. The third season will also see Mando grappling with the fact that he is in possession of the Darksaber and likely question what kind of Mandalorian he actually wants to be.

WHAT WILL DIN DJARIN’S PATH BE IN SEASON THREE OF THE MANDALORIAN?

Mando defeated Moff Gideon in combat and with that won the Darksaber at the end of the second season. By winning the Darksaber in combat Din technically has a right to rule Mandalore. Something that Bo-Katan, former leader of Mandalore, was hoping to take back from Moff Gideon. Bo-Katan and her followers saw the Darksaber as a way to reunite Mandalorians and take back their home planet.

In The Book Of Boba Fett Mando was no longer tied to Bo-Katan and was instead attempting to learn how to wield the Darksaber from the Armorer, but this led to a revelation that caused another major shift for Mando. The Armorer asked Mando if he had removed his helmet, thus breaking the creed of their Mandalorian sect. When he confessed, she declared him no longer a Mandalorian. When Mando begged for a way to fix this and earn the title back The Armorer only offered his absolution through the “living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore.”

Mando’s quest for the first two seasons of The Mandalorian has been centered around returning Grogu to his people. Now, it looks like that will change. Mando’s quest will no longer be focused on Grogu and doing what is best for his foundling, but instead on what is best as a Mandalorian. Din Djarin could feel as if he is being pulled in two different directions, one being reclaiming the title of Mandalorian in the eyes of the Children of the Watch, the other being the possibility of claiming the throne and reuniting Mandalorians to take back their once home planet. Either way, it all seems to circle back to Mandalore.

And while the Darksaber does give Mando power and status, it also puts a target on his back. A different Mandalorian of The Children of the Watch already attempted to take it from him, but Mando prevailed. Bo-Katan could be another potential threat wanting to take back Mandalore even if it means going against a once ally. There is of course a third possibility for the Mandalorian, forging his own path. Mando could instead go in an entirely new direction continuing to build upon his network of allies which includes Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Greef Karga, and many others. With the Darksaber he could decide the future not only for himself but potentially Mandalore as a whole.

What happened to Mandalore after The Clone Wars and Rebels is still largely a mystery although it seems the Empire decimated the planet before the events of the original trilogy. The third season of The Mandalorian seems primed to further explore the history and culture of this planet with Mando’s future being tied to the planet no matter what path he takes.

The Mandalorian will return for a third season later this year or early 2023. What do you think Mando will do? Are you excited to see more of Mando and Grogu’s adventure? What do you think will happen with the Darksaber? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more Star Wars and The Mandalorian.