The Mandalorian season 3’s most controversial episode happened because it repeated one of The Book of Boba Fett’s biggest mistakes. The Mandalorian launched an era of Star Wars that was more interconnected than ever before. As a direct Mandalorian spinoff, The Book of Boba Fett had the difficult job of creating an entirely new story for an iconic yet mysterious legacy character while also pushing the so-called “Mandoverse’s” story forward. Though The Book of Boba Fett had plenty of narrative beats and scenes worthy of praise, it nevertheless faltered under the weight of The Mandalorian’s popularity.
However, despite being the Mandoverse’s flagship show, The Mandalorian also had to contend with Star Wars’ expansion on Disney+, resulting in a third season that tried to cram too many ideas and narrative threads into its 8-episode run. The Mandalorian season 3 was criticized for focusing heavily on Bo-Katan Kryze’s future, often at the expense of Din Djarin and Grogu’s relationship, but one Mandalorian episode, in particular, proved that Star Wars hadn’t learned from The Book of Boba Fett’s most controversial episodes.
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The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 3 Saw Rangers Of The New Republic Take Over
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3, “Chapter 19: The Convert” shifted focus entirely. Rather than continuing Din’s, Grogu’s, and Bo-Katan’s fight with the Imperial Remnant, as the opening scenes suggested, the episode instead abruptly brought a familiar face back to the small screen: Dr. Pershing, a former Imperial scientist who was instrumental in the Imperial Remnant’s cloning research. Dr. Pershing had been captured by the New Republic and entered into a rehabilitation program. The episode followed him and fellow “former” Imperial Elia Kane as they navigated their new shared reality, only bringing the focus back to Din, Grogu, and Bo at the very end.
Audiences were jarred by the lack of Mandalorian-related storytelling. The focus was almost entirely on the New Republic, Pershing’s research, and Kane’s treachery, and it quickly became clear that this episode’s story was originally conceived for another show entirely: Rangers of the New Republic, which was one of Star Wars’ canceled spinoff Disney+ series. Rangers of the New Republic was reportedly set to chart Grand Admiral Thrawn’s and the Imperial Remnant’s rise to power and explore the New Republic’s political reach across the galaxy. The New Republic’s rehabilitation program would undoubtedly have played a part in that show, as well.
The Mandalorian’s Takeover Was An Amusing Case Of Karma
The Mandalorian being taken over by another show was an amusing case of karma for the way The Mandalorian originally took over The Book of Boba Fett. Nearly two whole episodes of Boba Fett’s show became vehicles for the continuation of The Mandalorian’s story. One episode saw Din Djarin attempt to rejoin the covert, fight with the Darksaber, and build a new ship after the loss of the Razor Crest, and another depicted Grogu’s training with Luke Skywalker at length. In the end, Din Djarin and Grogu’s reunion even overshadowed Boba’s climactic battle for Tatooine in the final episode, too.
Audiences loved those episodes as The Mandalorian episodes, but not as The Book of Boba Fett episodes, the same way audiences enjoyed Dr. Pershing’s narrative on its own but not at the expense of The Mandalorian’s storytelling. Though Disney+ has allowed Star Wars to expand its ambitious storytelling to a great extent, and much of it has resulted in some of Star Wars’ most original and innovative storytelling yet, some of its biggest projects have unfortunately suffered, too. Hopefully, as The Mandalorian and its spinoffs continue to develop, Star Wars will learn from its past mistakes.
The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian is set after the Empire’s fall and before the First Order’s emergence in the ever-growing Star Wars universe. The series follows the travails of a lone gunfighter named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. Acting as the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian has become incredibly popular on Disney+, partly due to Mando’s relationship with Grogu, which the internet dubbed “Baby Yoda” upon his introduction in season 1.
- Release Date
- November 12, 2019
- Cast
- Werner Herzog , Emily Swallow , Pedro Pascal , Nick Nolte , Omid Abtahi , Gina Carano , Carl Weathers , Giancarlo Esposito
- Seasons
- 3
- Writers
- Jon Favreau
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
- Directors
- Jon Favreau , Taika Waititi , Bryce Dallas Howard
- Showrunner
- Jon Favreau
