Can you believe we’ve now spent 24 chapters with everyone’s favorite bounty hunter, Din Djarin, and his sidekick, Grogu? It’s been a long ride but with this week’s Mandalorian season three finale, “The Return,” another piece of their adventure came to a close. This one, like the others, left room for the story to continue—but also, much of the story that’s been told still has us scratching our heads. Here are 20 of the lingering questions we still have after The Mandalorian season three.
Right off the bat, here’s the biggest question: is there more Mandalorian to come? While it has yet to be officially announced, showrunner Jon Favreau has confirmed that he’s already written a fourth season of the show, so we can say with a high degree of certainty that yes, there will be.
As much as we love all his “ahhs” and “coos,” on numerous occasions this season, we were teased that Grogu may finally talk. In fact, his lack of speech has actually become a deterrent to his growth as a Mandalorian—so we are guessing at some point it will happen. It’s being built up so much, though, you have to imagine the series’ creators are waiting for the exact right moment.
This season’s penultimate episode, Chapter 23, was called “The Spies,” which created unspoken tension that someone was going to betray the Mandalorians who went down to scout the surface of their former planet. That didn’t happen. In the finale, there were moments where we thought maybe a betrayal was coming—and again, nothing.
So, who were “The Spies?” Well, we think the term “Spies” isn’t being used in a typical James Bond context. The term also has a biblical context that basically means a group of people who go out looking for information—which is what Bo-Katan and her team were doing in that episode. So, we think, there weren’t any “spy” spies, the whole group was the “spies” because they were looking at the planet. Which is confusing and annoying but that’s the most likely answer.
When Moff Gideon revealed the Darksaber at the end of season one, a whole other world of storytelling opened up. When Mando acquired it in season two, it seemed as if a rivalry with Bo-Katan had been established. And yet, this season, Mando merely handed the saber to Bo-Katan—and in “The Return,” Moff Gideon destroyed it. Very little, if any drama, surrounded this formerly very important relic. So we’re left wondering if anyone even cares anymore... and we don’t even mean the Mandalorians, we mean the people making the show. It just became nothing.
Remember back in Chapter 20, “The Foundling,” when the Mandalorians killed a huge raptor and brought its chicks back to the beach to train as Mandalorians? That was super weird, right? When the group left that planet we didn’t see them again, so we’re just wondering what happened.
The finale certainly made it look like Moff Gideon had been burnt to a crisp. But last season certainly made it look like he’d been securely captured, didn’t it? As he’s been the main villain for the past three seasons, we hope Mando and Grogu have finally defeated him, but there is one big loophole that could bring him back...
We also learned in “The Return” that Moff Gideon’s master plan was to make clones of himself that were able to use the Force. And while it seemed like Mando killed a lot of them, there’s no guarantee he didn’t have another crop somewhere else, right?
Since last year’s The Book of Boba Fett, much has been made about the mythosaur, the legendary creature that the Mandalorians get their symbol from. Then, this season, Bo-Katan spotted one—so we assumed she would ride it to unite Mandalore, as the songs said, right? Well, apparently not. While the creature did make a brief appearance in the finale, all we know of the creature is that it’s there, on Mandalore, staying hidden. We’d imagine it comes to the forefront eventually but we’ll have to wait.
Chapter 20, “The Foundling,” had that excellent flashback revealing that Ahmed Best’s Jedi character, Kelleran Beq, is the one who saved Grogu during Order 66. The pair flew away from Coruscant safely and that’s where the scene ended. Where did they go? What happened to Beq? How did Grogu end up captured? We’re still curious about all of this.
The biggest revelation in The Mandalorian season three is that Mandalore is back. Bo-Katan teamed up with the Armorer, Axe Woves, and more to return her people to their planet. But this opens up about a billion other questions. Will other clans return? Will they adopt the peace Bo-Katan has created? How does the New Republic feel about it? Will they recognize the planet? Will Bo-Katan try to join them? Will there be elected officials? So many questions, so few answers. Maybe it’ll all be addressed in Mando season four.
Then there’s this: if Mandalore has, indeed, been restored, that means it and its people were around and united during the events of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. There were some Mandalorian-type ships barely visible in the battle at Exegol scenes but, at this point, that was more a coincidence than preplanning. Beyond that, we know that the people who help bring the First Order to power, the Shadow Council, are aware of Mandalore—did they wipe them out already? Did they just choose not to engage in the conflict? Again, so many questions.
In Chapter 23, “The Spies,” Commandant Brendol Hux briefly mentions something called “Project Necromancer” as one of the options on the table to help bring back the Empire. That’s not something we’ve ever heard before in Star Wars so it wasn’t added lightly. Also, “necromancy” is the act of communicating with the dead. So. Yeah. We don’t know. But it sounds creepy and dangerous.
After being outgunned in the season premiere, the pirate Vane comes back in Chapter 21, “The Pirate,” only to see all of his friends, and his boss Gorian Shard, wiped out. We then see him fly away. So, where is he? Do we even care? We can’t answer that second question but the first one, it seems, will be answered. He was briefly seen in the Star Wars Celebration footage of Skeleton Crew.
The introduction of IG-12, a droid puppet for Grogu to use, was a potential game changer. Finally, we might get to see Grogu get in the mix. And while he did a little bit, the droid was destroyed in the finale. So what was the point? Just a few laughs? Well, yes, but also you know those toys are coming and, on some level, Star Wars is very much about making toys.
So season three begins with a child, Ragner Vizsla, being inducted into the Mandalorian way. He’s the son of Paz Vizsla, one of the season’s breakout stars, who is given a heroic death in “The Spies.” Obviously, a lot happens in the minutes after Paz’s death, but once they get back to Mandalore, we see Ragner taking the same oath, again, with no mention or acknowledgment of Paz’s sacrifice. It just seems a little weird on both accounts, right? Especially considering it’s a family with a long history. Oh, speaking of that...
Notice how I called Ragner “Ragner Vizsla,” not Paz Ragner. Jango Fett’s son? Boba Fett. Bo-Katan Kryze’s sister? Satine Kryze. With all these examples and others, you think that the last name is the family name in Mandalorian culture.
So, when Din Djarin adopts Grogu, you’d expect his name to be Grogu Djarin, mouthful as that may be. But no, he’s Din Grogu. And we’re like, what the heck? How does that work beside it obviously being easier to say?
Mando and Grogu spent the bulk of this season doing whatever they could to first visit, and then restore, the planet of Mandalore. And yet, once Bo-Katan and everyone finally relights the Great Forge, marking the return of Mandalore, the pair leave and get a new home on Nevarro. Didn’t Mando pledge unending allegiance to Bo-Katan? Sure, the Armorer tasked him with going on adventures with Grogu—but couldn’t they make their home base Mandalore to do that? Just another weird choice that doesn’t quite fit with the arc of the season.
Remember her? We spent an entire episode with the character, setting up her allegiance to Moff Gideon, and then circled back to that a few episodes later. But does she know Moff Gideon has been defeated? Who is her allegiance with next? It feels odd to have such a crucial character whose fate is just left so wide open.
Revealed at the start of “The Spies,” we know there’s a council of former Imperials who regularly meet to try and figure out ways to bring the Empire back. And some of them believe they should be led by Grand Admiral Thrawn. Well, Thrawn hasn’t shown himself yet, and now de facto leader Moff Gideon is likely gone too. What’s next? We don’t know the specifics—but we do know that eventually it succeeds, and the First Order is created.
Normally you’d think the answer is The Mandalorian season four, but last year’s Book of Boba Fett proved that might not be the case. That show treated these Disney+ shows more like one big volume that can jump around instead of a selection of single shows, so it seems plausible that Mando and Grogu could show up on Ahsoka next, or Skeleton Crew after that. But, they’ve also been very busy, so maybe they’ll get to chill on the porch until their next season.