The Star Wars hit series The Mandalorian finally returns after almost three years since the end of Season 2. Yes, it’s really been that long, but we’ve had several other Star Wars shows to fill in the blanks since then, such as The Book Of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and Star Wars The Bad Batch. How is the return of arguably the best Star Wars live-action series? Well, read on to find out in this spoiler-free review. Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar, we were given access to the first two episodes of The Mandalorian Season 3.

Redemption Quest

The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal, third from left) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

The beginning of The Mandalorian Season 3 might be confusing for those who haven’t been keeping up with other Star Wars shows, specifically The Book Of Boba Fett. There were two episodes in The Book Of Boba Fett that featured both Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (Baby Yoda), showing us what happened after the end of Season 2. However, don’t worry, since this season is essentially the beginning of a new quest arc for the both of them, as they are now looking to redeem Din Djarin’s identity as a Mandalorian. To do that, they’re going to the planet Mandalore, the former home planet of the Mandalorians.

All of that is great news for Star Wars fans, as we will finally fully receive proper canon Mandalorian lore. Previous seasons have only scratched the surface of Mandalorian lore since the focus of those seasons was on Grogu and the remainder of the Imperial forces. Now, the series can focus entirely on what many fans have been clamouring for a long time, and that’s what we get even in the first two episodes of the third season.

(L-R): Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

The first two episodes of The Mandalorian Season 3 have good pacing; not too slow and not too fast. We revisit old friends and places in the first episode in order for viewers to re-acclimatize to the series but the second episode already sees Din Djarin striving to fulfil his new objective without dallying around doing odd jobs on random planets. So, in that way, viewers can rest assured that there’s no filler content in these first two episodes, which I hope will continue for the rest of the season’s remaining six episodes.

I won’t spoil what’s in the first two episodes, but there are easter eggs in there that will make fans of the franchise giddy with excitement (check out my breakdown of the first episode here if you’ve watched it). However, another highlight is that Katee Sackhoff returns as Bo-Katan Kryze and has a lot more to do this time around. She’s more than just a cameo and for good reason. Like I previously mentioned, this season will go hard on expanding the franchise’s Mandalorian lore and who better to do that than another prominent Mandalorian character with ties to previous eras of Star Wars (she first appeared in Star W

Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

ars The Clone Wars animated series, which means that she has survived through not only the Prequel Trilogy but also the whole Original Trilogy).

A Good Sign Of What’s To Come

With these two episodes, we can probably expect more great content in the coming weeks. With other series like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book Of Boba Fett proving to be more divisive than satisfying, The Mandalorian Season 3 needs to prove that the new Star Wars TV content isn’t a one-trick pony and that Lucasfilm is capable of producing quality Star Wars content for fans. This is even more crucial now, considering that we still don’t have news of any new Star Wars movies in the near future.

The Mandalorian is basically carrying the entire franchise right now (and Andor too, don’t sleep on that).

FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We received screeners of the first two episodes of The Mandalorian Season 3 courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar. The first episode of The Mandalorian Season 3 is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, with new episodes every Wednesday at 4pm GMT+8.