Fans of The Mandalorian rejoiced on Saturday when the trailer for the Disney+ series' third season debuted during the Lucasfilm/Marvel Studios/20th Century Studios panel at the D23 Expo. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal/Brendan Wayne) had recently reappeared in The Book of Boba Fett, helping the titular bounty hunter turned crime lord (Temuera Morrison) to hold onto his seat of power. The Fett finale also saw Djarin reunited with his surrogate son Grogu, who turned from the ways of the Jedi to live with his armored father figure. Now, the Season 3 trailer shows the two traveling the galaxy once again, encountering familiar faces as Djarin learns more about his Mandalorian heritage.
The trailer for Season 3 of The Mandalorian opens with a series of flashbacks covering the first two seasons, particularly the bond between Djarin and Grogu. Key scenes include the two's first meeting, as well as Djarin handing Grogu the silver ball from the lever of his old ship the Razorcrest. The voice of the Mandalorian Armorer (Emily Swallow) is heard over these scenes: "This is the one that you saved?" You are as its father... a clan of two." The scene then shifts to Djarin's new silver N1 starfighter landing on a planet with numerous mountains and buildings carved from stone. Another scene features the two walking through a cave as Djarin draws his blaster.
More scenes feature the N1 navigating a rainy storm, as well as Djarin walking through a desert (don't worry Star Wars fans, it isn't Tatooine) before coming face to face with the Armorer. "But you have you removed your helmet," she continues. "Then you are a Mandalorian no more." Djarin belongs to a sect of Mandalorians that forbids removing their helmets in the presence of a living thing; he has only taken it off twice — once for the droid IG-11 (Taika Waititi) to treat his head wound and once to bid Grogu farewell before the Force-sensitive child departed with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill/Max Lloyd Jones). When he revealed this to the Armorer in the Fett episode titled "Return of the Mandalorian," she said that the only way for him to regain his status as a Mandalorian would be to return to Mandalore and seek the "living water" in the mines under the planet.
One problem: Mandalore was razed by the Empire during the "Night of a Thousand Tears", forcing the Mandalorians to scatter all across the galaxy. And the full scale of the destruction is on display as Djarin flies through a dark and stormy raincloud to view the ruins of a city. Those who watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars will also recognize a hallway that Djarin walks through as the Sundari Royal Palace, where the ruler of Mandalore resides. Ironically, Djarin happens to be said ruler as he won the Darksaber from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) during the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. This didn't sit well with his fellow Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryse (Katee Sackhoff), who previously wielded the Darksaber and wanted it back. And judging from her interactions with Djarin, there's more than a royal title that's fueling the bad blood between the two. "Your cult decimated our people," she snarls. "Where were you then?"
More footage reveals Djarin encountering other Mandalorians — with one group even colorful armor similar to the one Sabine Wren wore in Star Wars Rebels. Said Mandalorians are just as skilled as he is, flying through the air and opening fire on a ruined city. The presence of other Mandalorians also seems to be a surprise to Grogu. "Did you think your dad was the only Mandalorian?" Bo-Katan asks the child. Judging from that footage, it seems that Season 3 will explore more of Mandalorian culture and how Djarin interacts with other Mandalorians - especially if it's true that his sect was responsible for the fracturing of the once proud Mandalorian race.
There will also be more familiar faces appearing throughout Season 3, including Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) and Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris). Karga is shown reuniting with Djarin and surrounded by a group of bounty hunters, all the while sporting even more elaborate robes. And that isn't the only surprise. Doctor Pershing (Omid Abtahi) is shown walking through a hallway, having exchanged his Imperial garb for a more rugged look. Season 2 revealed that Pershing had attempted to conduct experiments on Grogu for an unrevealed purpose; perhaps that purpose will be revealed in future episodes. And there are plenty of Star Wars critters, including a tree full of Kowlakian monkey-lizards and a creature who looks to be of the same species as Babu Frik, the diminutive droid repairsmith from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — if not Babu Frik himself.
The trailer ends with Djarin blasting off from a fireworks-filled city in his N1, with Grogu staring in awe at the fireworks. "Hang on, kid," Djarin says. "You ready for another adventure?" The N1 then barrels into hyperspace, blue and white energy swirling around it. Fans will have to wait until next spring to see what kind of adventures are in store for the armored bounty hunter and his Force-sensitive charge — such as who Christopher Lloyd is playing — but what was shown in the trailer looks extremely promising.
The Mandalorian Season 3 hits Disney+ in February 2023.