Here’s A Recap Of ‘The Mandalorian’ Before You Watch Season 3

Finally the wait is over! The Mandalorian returns for its third season after over a two year hiatus. While we did get some of Mando and Grogu in the second half of The Book Of Boba Fett, we haven’t picked back up the story of the Darksaber and Mandalore since 2020. I’m ready for more.

While most of the live-action Disney Plus Star Wars content since the second season of The Mandalorian has been subpar, at least we got Andor. That show actually raises the bar considerably, and I’m curious to see how Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s space adventure holds up after Tony Gilroy’s extraordinary mic drop of a show. (Andor was one of my top five TV shows of 2022, actually, while Boba Fett and Obi-Wan both made my worst TV shows of 2022 list).

In any case, if you skipped The Book of Boba Fett (and who can blame you?) or simply need a helpful refresher on Seasons 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian after this extended wait, check out the below video from The Man Of Recaps, one of my favorite YouTube recappers. He goes over both seasons and the Boba Fett interlude (which is actually very important!) and should get you back up to speed in no time:

A Very Brief Recap

For those of you who prefer not to watch a video, here’s the short version:

By the end of Boba Fett, Mando (Pedro Pascal) has been exiled by the Armorer for taking off his helmet in front of people because Mando’s Mandalorian sect is run by extremist zealots—so sayeth Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) a member of the more mainstream Mandalorian population. “Then you are a Mandalorian no more,” she tells him when he admits to this grave indecency and violation of the rules. He has to go to the “living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore” in order to atone and rejoin his Covert.

Meanwhile, Baby Yoda—aka Grogu—has returned to Papa Mando after Luke Skywalker gave the little guy a choice between a lightsaber and the little Beskar steel chainmail shirt that Mando gave him as a gift. He could only pick one because, uh, attachments or something. Luke got to learn how to be a pilot and a Jedi but Grogu has to pick one or the other just because and so he goes with his best buddy instead of Luke.;

Oh, and Mando got a new ship at the end of Season 2 after the Razor Crest met its untimely end. He got this from Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) and it appears to be a Naboo N-1 Starfighter, first seen in The Phantom Menace.

In any case, Mando and Bo-Katan are both headed toward Tatooine. Bo-Katan is upset that Mando has the Darksaber since it must be won in battle (if it’s given freely it brings a curse to whoever wields it). Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) is off to face justice in the New Republic so we’ll undoubtedly run into new enemies—though I think they’re saving Thrawn for the Ahsoka Tano show. We shall see.

As per usual, I’ll be reviewing each and every one of The Mandalorian episodes as they drop here on this blog and on my YouTube channel so give me a follow here so you can get those straight to your inbox, and subscribe to my YouTube because, well, it’s the right thing to do. It’s what Obi-Wan Kenobi would do if he were still with us. It’s what Baby Yoda would do if he could.

May the Force be with you, dearest readers. See you in a galaxy far, far away soon enough! The Mandalorian drops its Season 3 premiere March 1st.