At the end of The Mandalorian Season 3, Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) each find their happy ending. Bo-Katan takes her place as the new leader of Mandalore and begins spearheading her people’s efforts to rebuild their long-destroyed homeworld, while Mando sets off for a new life of carefree bounty-hunting with his adopted son, Grogu.
As endings go, Season 3 simultaneously wraps up many of the show’s lingering storylines and leaves its future uncertain. Will Season 4 mostly follow Din and Grogu as they explore the gig economy? Will it examine the reconstruction of Mandalore? Or will the series continue to split its focus between both stories?
Each possibility seems possible, but it would be in the best interest of The Mandalorian to leave Bo-Katan and Mandalore in the rearview mirror.
For a while, it looked like Din Djarin was going to lead the reclamation of Mandalore, but that responsibility was placed on Bo-Katan’s shoulders. Mando is no savior, which clears the path for him to return to his old bounty-hunting ways.
If The Mandalorian isn’t interested in giving Din a major role in the future of Mandalore, then it needs to actually stick to that direction whenever it returns. Regardless of your opinion on the latest season, there’s no denying the show’s increased focus on Bo-Katan and the fate of Mandalore ended up hurting its depiction of Din and his relationship with Grogu.
For most of Season 3, Grogu and Din felt like background players in the show that used to belong to them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if the season’s purpose was to find a way to avoid saddling Grogu and Din with too many galactic responsibilities. Now that The Mandalorian has done that, however, it shouldn’t continue trying to split its focus between Bo-Katan and Din. It just leaves both characters undercooked.
The Inverse Analysis — The Mandalorian Season 3 doesn’t just wrap up another chapter of Bo-Katan and Din Djarin’s stories; it opens the door for a spin-off centered around Bo-Katan and Mandalore. Whether that’s something Lucasfilm is even considering is impossible to say, but it certainly seems worth pursuing. There’s still plenty of fan interest in Bo-Katan’s story, and you don’t rebuild a planet without hitting a few speedbumps.
A spin-off would also allow The Mandalorian to stop trying to be two different shows at once. Din Djarin and Grogu’s relationship has always been the most appealing aspect of The Mandalorian, and it would be in the show’s best interest to stop shifting its focus away from its core duo.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is streaming now on Disney+.
