Get your Grogu plush toys and plastic Darksabers ready, because come this March, Disney and Lucasfilm invite you to return to the Star Wars galaxy for The Mandalorian (2019-) Season 3. The flagship series for the Disney+ streaming platform became an instant success following the premiere of the first live-action Star Wars series, introducing fans to a plethora of new beloved characters. In a frequently divided fanbase, that division makes the universal praise that The Mandalorian received even more impressive, with Star Wars enthusiasts everywhere falling in love with the titular helmeted bounty hunter and his little green friend. Season 2 of the acclaimed series took things a step further, not only expanding upon the various characters introduced in Season 1, but also bringing in fan-favorite figures from the mainline films and the animated shows, such as the outcast mercenary Boba Fett (Temura Morrison) and the Gray Jedi Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). Now, a third season is on the horizon, and will most likely be the titular hero's most ambitious expedition yet, taking himself and audiences to the planet of Mandalore for the first time in live-action.
However, the Mandalorian will certainly also be visiting a variety of different planets and meeting a variety of different characters both old and new. Be it returning favorites or surprising new faces, The Mandalorian continues to deliver with its incredible casting decisions for these larger-than-life icons. To find out who will be joining Mando and Grogu on their next adventure in a galaxy far, far away, here is a comprehensive cast and character guide for The Mandalorian Season 3.
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin
Once again playing the starring role of The Mandalorian and the best father figure in the galaxy is Pedro Pascal, who also very recently put those rough and gruff parental skills to use as Joel in HBO's The Last of Us (2023) series. Before becoming The Mandalorian, the fearless mercenary with a heart of gold was known as Din Djarin, an orphan of the Empire who was taken in by a Mandalorian sect called The Children of the Watch and raised as their own, being taught the customs and creeds of the Mandalorian religion (even though The Children of the Watch are far more orthodox and strict than most Mandalorians). Now an adult, Din is known to most outside The Children of the Watch as The Mandalorian, or "Mando" for short - a fierce, professional bounty hunter whose staunch devotion to his clan is unparalleled. Mando's reputation quickly precedes him, as he's eventually contacted by members of the now-crumbling Galactic Empire and hired to retrieve a very important asset.
That asset turns out to be a little green infant later to be known as Grogu - a force-sensitive child that's clearly the same species as the great Jedi Master Yoda. Mando quickly realizes that the defenseless infant is far too innocent and important to hand over to the Imperial Remnant and their maniacal leader, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Thus, Mando finds himself charged with the quest to find any remaining Jedi still out there in the galaxy so Grogu can be with his own kind. Their journey is packed to the brim with twists and turns, meeting a wealth of characters before having a duel with Moff Gideon himself, where Mando disarms him and claims the fabled Darksaber for himself, which is an ancient lightsaber that once belonged to the ruler of the Mandalorian homeworld. Eventually, Mando and Grogu come face to face with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) himself, who offers to take Grogu and train him in the ways of the Jedi. After a multitude of galactic adventures, Mando says goodbyes to Grogu by breaking one of his clan's most sacred tenets and removing his helmet, showing his face to the child he raised for the first, and maybe the last, time.
However, following their tearful farewell, Mando and Grogu would ultimately meet again, as we see in The Book of Boba Fett (2021). In what could easily be considered Season 2.5, Mando's surprisingly large role in The Book of Boba Fett sees him back in the bounty hunter game before reuniting with The Armorer - the matriarch of his now dying clan. Mando is cast out by The Armorer after revealing he removed his helmet, with the clan leader telling Mando that the only way to restore his honor is to travel to Mandalore. That quest will have to wait for Season 3 as Mando is hired by his ally Boba Fett to take on the Pike crime family, and he's soon joined by Grogu, who left his Jedi training behind to be with the man he considers his father. Now reunited with Grogu and armed with a legendary weapon and a fancy new N-1 Starfighter, Mando is more than ready for the next step of his journey.
Grogu
Grogu (sometimes more affectionately known to the fans as "Baby Yoda") doesn't say much, but we would be remiss not to mention the breakout star of The Mandalorian. Though he looks like an infant and still certainly acts like a child with a lot to learn, Grogu is technically older than Mando at about fifty years old. All we know about Grogu's origins is that he was once cared for at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant prior to the now-infamous Order 66 purge. Grogu was somehow able to escape the genocide, as did a number of other significant Jedi, and years later eventually found himself in the custody of some bandits before being rescued by Mando. Grogu, being the same species as Master Yoda, is extremely strong in the force, yet still lacks the training to properly control it. This causes the Imperial Remnant to track down the would-be-Jedi, but now Grogu has a powerful guardian to keep those who would do him harm at bay.
Upon meeting Luke Skywalker, Grogu's training quickly began. Though he's far from the rank of master, Grogu is still far more adept in the Force than he was before, now a bit more capable of defending himself. Still, the Jedi way of avoiding attachment doesn't really suit Grogu, as he finds himself greatly missing Mando. Luke senses this apprehension in his pupil and offers him a choice; either cut off any and all contact with Mando and continue his training or return to Mando and cease his training. Grogu ultimately chooses the latter and reunites with Mando during a battle with the Pikes on Tatooine. Now reunited with his surrogate dad, Grogu probably can't wait to see what's in store for the next leg of their journey. However, even though their enemy Moff Gideon is in custody, the threat of the Empire's return is still quite real.
Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon
Giancarlo Esposito has become one of the most recognizable and prolific actors in television, particularly for his glorious villain roles in Breaking Bad (2008-2013) and The Boys (2019-). Following his fancy entrance in the climactic episodes of Season 1, Esposito officially brought his charm to the Star Wars universe. With the Empire in shambles following the death of the Emperor in Return of the Jedi (1983), the nefarious organization needed strong leadership if they hoped to survive. Though there's likely a variety of shadowy figures behind the Imperial Remnant's rise, one such leader came in the form of Moff Gideon, best known in the Empire for The Siege of Mandalore. Known to the Mandalorians for The Night of a Thousand Tears, Gideon led an Order 66-like purge that massacred thousands upon thousands of the Mandalorian people, essentially turning the planet of Mandalore into a barren, ruined landscape. During this time, Gideon also secured what is quite possibly the Mandalorian people's most sacred artifact: the Darksaber.
In addition to rebuilding the Empire, partly through the use of the ultra-deadly droid Stormtroopers known as Dark Troopers, Gideon has also set his sights on young Grogu. The genocidal Moff sees the young force-sensitive creature as the key to many opportunities for the new Empire, but his plans are dashed when the stubborn Mando ultimately defeats him. Upon the arrival of Luke Skywalker, Gideon is stricken with fear and even tries to kill Grogu and then himself, but is knocked out and handed into New Republic custody alive. That's the last we saw of Gideon and while we don't know if and how he'll escape the clutches of the New Republic, he almost certainly desires vengeance on Mando and Grogu.
Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze
Katee Sackhoff, best known for her role as Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009), returns to play the fierce warrior Bo-Katan Kryze, a role she's played since Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020). Bo-Katan was first introduced as a lieutenant for the terrorist organization Death Watch, who sought to overthrow the peaceful Mandalorian government on the home planet and go back to their culture's warrior roots. However, Bo-Katan is no ordinary henchman, as she is a member of House Kryze and a sibling to Duchess Satine, the leader of Mandalore whom her organization sought to overthrow. She remained loyal to Death Watch's leader and Darksaber bearer, Pre Vizsla (Jon Favreau), in a cause they deemed justified, but all that changed when they formed a tepid alliance with Darth Maul (Sam Witwer). Maul eventually challenged Vizsla for control of Death Watch and won, leading Bo-Katan and a select few others to rebel against the Sith Lord. Thus, Bo-Katan formed an alliance with the Mandalorians and their Jedi allies and defeated Maul's forces, even though her sister Satine was killed in the process. The Mandalorian infighting continued in Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018), where Bo-Katan faced off against a sect of Mandalorians, ultimately gaining control of the Darksaber and declaring herself ruler of Mandalore.
That rule was short-lived as The Night of a Thousand Tears ruined her home, and Bo-Katan presumably lost the Darksaber to Moff Gideon. With only a few followers left, Bo-Katan spent the following days tracking down Gideon, so she could exact revenge and reclaim the Darksaber. Her quest for vengeance ultimately leads her to meet Mando, who proves to be her best chance and bringing Gideon down. This plan succeeds, but not in the way Bo-Katan hoped. Mando defeated and disarmed Gideon in combat, thus making the Darksaber his by Mandalorian tradition. Bo-Katan is grateful that Gideon will face justice but knows that the only way to take the Darksaber for herself is to defeat her ally in combat. Whether Mando and Bo-Katan will remain allies or become bitter enemies will no doubt be explored in Season 3.
Carl Weathers as Greef Karga
The Rocky (1976) and Predator (1987) action star returns, with Carl Weathers once again playing Greef Karga. Greef was Mando's employer on the planet Navarro, a desolate and brutal place located in the Outer Rim. Once upon a time, Greef cared about one thing and one thing only: credits. His greed even led him and his bounty hunter guild to try and kill their peer when Mando refused to hand over Grogu, a mere child, to the Imperials. Greef was ready to cash in on the hefty bounty on Grogu, but the child would ultimately save his life through force healing, dramatically changing his worldview. After helping Mando and Grogu escape Gideon's forces, Greef decides to use his money and influence to make Navarro a better place, investing in productive school systems among other necessities. We get a brief glimpse at Navarro in Season 3, and it's progressed even further, becoming a lucrative paradise that is unrecognizable compared to the desolate volcanic landscape it was before.
Emily Swallow as The Armorer
Certainly one of the most mysterious figures of The Mandalorian is Emily Swallow (Castlevania) as The Armorer, the leader of the Children of the Watch. The Armorer is something of a shaman to the Mandalorian sect that Mando is a part of, serving as the clan's spiritual guide of sorts. In addition to religious guidance, The Armorer stays true to her name and fashions various armor and upgrades to her peers, all through the mineral of Beskar - a metal so strong that it can even deflect lightsabers. Many of her peers were killed when Gideon sent his forces to Navarro, but she still stays true to the orthodox Mandalorian religion. Even though she has officially cast out Mando from their group, she will hopefully still help where she can when season 3 arrives.
Amy Sedaris as Peli Motto
Though Mando might not be able to have The Armorer's help any longer, he at least has another gearhead's help with Amy Sedaris' (Elf) Peli Motto. With the help of her handy Pit Droids and BD unit, Peli can fix almost anything in her hanger on Tatooine, particularly ships. She first met Mando on his first trip to Tatooine, even teaching him a thing or two about parenting while she fixed his ship. When that ship was destroyed, Peli came through yet again when she showed him a Naboo Starfighter. The Clone Wars relic needed some repairs, but once Mando took it for a test drive, the only word that could describe the ship was "Wizard". Peli seems to be continuing to help Mando in Season 3, giving him his own astromech droid that looks remarkably similar to the one that blew up on Luke's farm in A New Hope (1977).
Christopher Lloyd as TBD
Back in March 2022, it was announced that Back to the Future trilogy star Christopher Lloyd would be joining the cast, but his role has yet to be revealed. It is anyone's guess as to who the man behind Doc Brown is playing, be it a hero, villain, Jedi, Sith, and so on. Whoever or whatever Lloyd winds up playing, his entrance into the Star Wars franchise is certainly long overdue.
Other Characters Who Could Appear in Season 3
Season 2 of The Mandalorian brought in a ton of cameos, including Boba Fett, Bo-Katan, Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker, and more. The Book of Boba Fett continued this trend, bringing back various characters from The Mandalorian along with the live-action debuts of established Star Wars figures like Black Krrsantan and Cad Bane. Suffice it to say, the prospects of The Mandalorian's next season packing in some surprise appearances are pretty high. We already know that the fan-favorite engineer from The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Babu Frik, will be returning. So who knows? Maybe we'll get a third appearance from Bill Burr as Mayfield this time around.