As Star Wars prepares to release The Mandalorian season 3, a comment from showrunner Jon Favreau has proved the need for more Force-users in the show beyond the child Grogu. The Mandalorian and its associated spinoffs are set several years after the events of Return of the Jedi, but they are tied to an ancient culture known as the Mandalorians. The trailer for The Mandalorian season 3 strongly hints the show is about to explore the rich history of Mandalore, an exciting possibility.
In an interview with Empire, showrunner Jon Favreau pointed to the canonical history of the Mandalorian people and what that means for the present: “Historically, Mandalorians developed all of those tools and armor and weapons to be able to counteract the Force abilities of Jedi. So as a storyteller this offers tremendous opportunity”. This does suggest that The Mandalorian may be getting an influx of Force-users in the near future. However, given the timeline where the Jedi are virtually extinct and Luke Skywalker has only just begun to build his new Jedi Order, those Force-users will likely be enemies of the dark side.
The Mandalorians Were Created As The Ultimate Anti-Jedi Warriors
In the ancient canonical history of Star Wars, the Mandalorians were once as numerous as the Jedi, and the two groups were often at war in a series of various skirmishes. Although the Jedi were the ultimate victors in the aptly named Mandalorian-Jedi War, the warriors proved themselves to be incredibly worthy opponents, having built their armor and defenses specifically to counteract the tools of the Jedi such as their lightsabers. The aforementioned war is also why much of the planet Mandalore became a desolate wasteland.
The design of the Mandalorians’ beskar armor was an intentional reaction to the Jedi, given it is impervious to lightsabers. What’s more, non-canon stories now known as Legends revealed that many Mandalorians also used “slugthrowers” which fired non-energy projectiles, making them an effective weapon against the Jedi who were unable to deflect them. More than any other race of non-Force sensitive, the Mandalorians forged themselves into the ultimate anti-Jedi warriors.
Viewers Are Going To Want To See Mandalorians & Force-Users Go Head-To-Head
Although the power of the Force still gave the Jedi a unique advantage, the Mandalorians’ evolving technology made them extremely capable. As such, it’s understandable many viewers would want to see someone like Din Djarin or his fellow Mandalorians face off with a Force-user such as a Jedi. However, the only Jedi alive during this time are Luke Skywalker and the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, both of whom are essentially allies and non-threats to Djarin and his people.
Favreau’s comment about the opportunity of Mandalorians fighting Force-users needs to be paid off. A narrative as exciting and action-packed as that can’t be wasted. As such, if it isn’t Jedi the Mandalorians can face off with, some other group of Force-users will need to be introduced as threats to the Mandalorian people during this era. Having Moff Gideon and the Imperial Remnant as the only major threat in The Mandalorian won’t be enough.
How Can The Mandoverse Give Viewers The Fight They’ll Want?
During this era only a few years after the Empire’s end and the deaths of Palpatine and Darth Vader, there aren’t very many known Force-users for Din Djarin and his people to fight. However, a Force-powered threat could come in one of two ways. Firstly, it’s possible Djarin could come into contact with the Knights of Ren. Prior to being led by Ben Solo, the Knights were active in the galaxy and adhered to the ways of “the Shadow,” their name for the dark side. Star Wars canon confirms they’d been employed by Crimson Dawn just before the events of Return of the Jedi.
Another option is that the Mandalorian encounters the Sith Eternal cultists of Palpatine who helped resurrect him as seen in the sequel trilogy. There have been hints that Grogu and his midichlorians could be the key to how the Emperor was brought back, so perhaps his acolytes were sent out to retrieve the child. Either way, Force-users could and should be introduced at some point in The Mandalorian, its connected shows, or even in the culminating crossover event that may be happening at some point for all the Star Wars shows set during this era.