It’s Not Too Late For Star Wars To Fix The Mandalorian Season 3’s Many Problems

It’s not too late to fix the flaws of The Mandalorian season 3, and Star Wars can still do so before season 4 even comes out. Though often renowned as one of Star Wars’ and Disney+’s very best original TV shows, The Mandalorian season 3 was lackluster for many viewers compared to seasons 1 and 2. From the overall scope of the story widening massively to the shift of focus away from Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and Grogu onto Bo-Katan Kryze and more Mandalorians, The Mandalorian season 3 was destined to flaws from the very start.

Regardless, it was a story that had to be told, as the cast and crew of The Mandalorian have often reiterated. Mandalore needed to be dealt with, and Bo-Katan’s story had to be fulfilled somehow. Still, the ramifications of this ambitious story on The Mandalorian as a whole have now been felt, and Star Wars will need to do something to rectify it before The Mandalorian season 4 premieres. Thankfully, there’s a simple solution for Star Wars, and it’s one they’ve already been known to use before.

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The Mandalorian Season 3 Has Many Flaws

The flaws of The Mandalorian season 3 go beyond Bo-Katan’s heavy involvement and the reclamation of Mandalore. One major flaw that viewers saw before the season even premiered is the reunion of Din and Grogu, which takes place in The Book of Boba Fett – a separate spin-off TV show. Casual viewers of The Mandalorian who decided against watching the spin-off series, then, were utterly lost right at the beginning of The Mandalorian season 3, as they last saw Din giving Grogu away to Luke Skywalker in the season 2 finale.

Another major flaw many viewers and critics alike point out about The Mandalorian season 3 is its pacing. Din’s quest for redemption on Mandalore seemed to be the main conflict of season 3, but instead, Din earns redemption within the first 3 episodes. This made it feel for many viewers like the beloved character had no arc for the rest of the season, especially as the story grew beyond him. The episodes between this redemptive resolution and the two-episode grand finale also slowed things down for many viewers, making the story that had just been rushing to one that was dragging its feet. Nonetheless, these flaws and more can still be rectified, even after The Mandalorian season 3 has already aired.

Star Wars Has Been Using Adaptations To Improve Its Movies & Shows

For many years, Star Wars has been adapting their live-action stories into other media, from novels to comics. These adaptations often come with major improvements from the source material, taking what viewers may have been displeased about and either explaining it in further depth or omitting it altogether. In some cases, it adds improvements to something that’s already great, such as the details included in the novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

The Mandalorian is not exempt from this treatment. Though a greater novelization doesn’t exist at this time, junior novels for The Mandalorian season 1 and 2 and even The Book of Boba Fett have all been produced by Joe Schreiber, taking the beloved stories and putting them into print with subtle but incredible fixes. The series is also in the middle of being adapted into comics, most of which remain quite faithful to the source material. This has given Star Wars the chance to add and explain any missing details from the show, such as making the relationship between Din and Sorgan farmer Omera more significant in The Mandalorian season 1, episode 4. These subtle changes have enhanced the original source material, which means there’s hope for this flawed Star Wars story.

The Mandalorian Season 3’s Adaptations Can Fix Many Of These Flaws

Seeing as Star Wars will no doubt continue this trend of adapting The Mandalorian into junior novels and comics, the flaws of The Mandalorian season 3 can easily be fixed in new materials. Should the junior novelization truly focus on telling the story from Din’s perspective, his supposed sidelining may not feel as prominent any longer, as it would provide the true context for his thoughts and feelings throughout season 3. Additionally, the way the events are presented could fix the pacing issues, as they could properly adjust which parts of the story to spend time on and which parts to speed up.

While The Mandalorian season 3 certainly wasn’t a failure by any means, it could seriously benefit from a few changes in its adaptations. Should Star Wars choose not to go this route, however, The Mandalorian season 4 itself still has the chance to fix many of these flaws. If the story has a return to the adventures of Din and Grogu and remains focused on the beloved father-son duo, then The Mandalorian and its future will be in a much better place – though rectifying season 3 before then has the potential to make this upcoming season even more of a success in viewers’ eyes.