“The Mandalorian” is back: Season three premieres at a slow pace

Spoilers Ahead.

On March 1 the third season of “The Mandalorian” premiered, bringing Star Wars fans and Disney Plus viewers to where the story left off in “The Book of Boba Fett.”

The premiere episode was slow-paced in comparison to the previous seasons, but still action-packed and set up the plot for the rest of the season.

The focus of this season is on the Mandalorian Din Djarin, played by Pedro Pascal, on a quest for absolution to the Beskar Mines of the planet Mandalore.

Mandalore is the homeworld of the Mandalorians, the warrior group that the Djarin and Boba Fett belong to. Mandalore made its first appearance in the animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” TV series.

The planet was constantly fought between Mandalorian factions up until it was bombarded by the Galactic Empire, as stated in the series.

On his quest he’s accompanied by Grogu, more famously known as Baby Yoda, who rejected his Jedi training to be with Mando.

The first episode, as stated earlier, was a bit slow compared to the previous ones. 

Given the Boba Fett series acted as a bridge between Seasons 2 and 3 instead of becoming its own series, the audience already has an idea of what will transpire, so some of the plots are just a reiteration of what was already stated.

The special effects and world-building are still great, though, as we are given a glimpse into Mandalorian traditions and the state of the Galaxy in the New Republic era.

Speaking of the New Republic, the character Cara Dune, portrayed by Gina Carano, is absent, written off via becoming a Black Ops officer.

The actress was fired from Lucasfilm due to some controversial comments she made online during the second season, which has left a sour impression on her in the industry.

The only recurring cast members are Kreef Braga, Mando’s former employer, and Bo-Katan, the former leader of the Mandalorians.

The fight sequences are on par with the films in terms of dogfights. The space battles introduce us to new starships that echo those seen in previous works.

All that aside, there isn’t much action in terms of moving the plot forward, and the establishment of said plot takes its time. The action fills much of its screentime with only a few glimpses of what will become of the season, with important MacGuffins being left in a state of limbo.

Season 2 ended with the Mandalorian becoming the owner of the Dark Saber, a black lightsaber that belonged to the first Mandalorian leader. The weapon was owned by Bo-Katan until it fell into the hands of Moff Gideon, the antagonist of the previous seasons, up until his defeat by Mando.

He is now its current owner, and by tradition, the de facto leader of all the Mandalorians throughout the galaxy. But here’s the catch: he does not want it.

The saber and its title are only briefly acknowledged at the end of the episode, leaving it up to the rest of the season to elaborate further.

Overall, the season premiere didn’t bring or offer anything new to the series or Star Wars as a whole, but it’s not terrible either. The first episode of season one introduced Grogu, season two brought back Boba Fett, but this one had nothing to put forward.

It’s slow in plot development but it retains strong action scenes, effects, and tone. What it has established is worth watching and anticipating in the upcoming weeks.