With The Mandalorian season 3 trailer showing Din Djarin traveling to a destroyed Mandalore, there may be confusion about how and why he and Grogu are traveling to the shattered world. The Mandalorian season 2 finale showed Grogu going off to be a Jedi with Luke Skywalker after being rescued by Din Djarin and his friends. However, The Book of Boba Fett detailed how Din and Grogu were reunited.
The Mandalorian season 3 promises continuations of a lot of different storylines that were set up in previous seasons and other Star Wars Disney+ shows. The trailer depicts Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin walking through a group of other Mandalorians, all of whom have different colored and shaped helmets, on a rocky terrain. This reunification of the different Mandalorian clans is reminiscent of what Sabine Wren and Bo-Katan Kryze tried to do in Star Wars Rebels with the Darksaber. However, this time Din and his people do not have a home planet to go back to.
Din Djarin Is Banished From His Tribe For Removing His Helmet
The Mandalorian season 2 finale showed Din Djarin removing his helmet for the second time in as many episodes. While saying goodbye to Grogu, Din removed his helmet so he and his quasi-son could lock eyes. Earlier in The Mandalorian season 2, Din Djarin removed his helmet while trying to obtain the location of Moff Gideon, who had captured Grogu. It was a shocking move for a character so rigid in his beliefs, but it was also the longest Pedro Pascal’s face was onscreen. While Imperial officials didn’t realize that Din was a Mandalorian who swore to keep his helmet on, Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr) was aware and stepped in when Din was caught frozen in place.
As explained by the Armorer in The Book of Boba Fett episode 5, because Din Djarin removed his helmet he is no longer considered a Mandalorian. Paz Vizsla even went as far as to call Din an apostate and told him to leave. It was explained by Din in The Mandalorian season 1, episode 8 that being a Mandalorian is not a race, but a creed that is taken very seriously by its people. Even though other clans, like Sabine Wren’s Clan Wren, or Bo-Katan’s Clan Kryze don’t follow the Creed as strictly as Din’s cult, he still must seek forgiveness.
Mando Can Find Redemption In The Living Waters Of Mandalore
Any Mandalorian, if they break their creed, can atone for their wrongdoings. Per the Armorer in The Book of Boba Fett, the only way to be redeemed is by visiting the living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore. The only problem for Din Djarin is that Mandalore has been decimated, along with its mines. This would make it exceedingly more difficult for Din to find the waters and fulfill his atonement.
It’s also worth noting that the Armorer does not specify what happens when Din visits the living waters of Mandalore. It’s unclear if he must swim or bathe in it, or if simply seeing the waters is sufficient in redeeming a Mandalorian who broke their creed. There may be a ritual Din needs to perform in order to reclaim his Mandalorian title, but if there is one, it hasn’t been explained yet. If that needs to happen, The Mandalorian season 3 will provide context for what the ritual does in the eyes of the Mandalorians.
How Else Mandalore Can Fit Into The Mandalorian Season 3’s Story
Because Din Djarin bested Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian season 2, he is the rightful owner of the Darksaber. In Mandalorian culture, the person who wields the Darksaber is the ruler of the Mandalorians. Because Din is in possession of the ancient weapon, he is now their de facto leader, whether he wanted to be or not. Because the Empire decimated Mandalore, the different Mandalorian clans have been spread out across the galaxy and are now few.
The Armorer told the story of Bo Katan Kryze’s ill-fated time as the ruler of Mandalore, and how she brought on a perceived curse because she did not win the Darksaber from Sabine Wren, but was given it. Din, after going to the living waters, may find that the planet is still inhabitable, and that if the different Mandalorian clans unite they can save the planet. While Mandalore was briefly seen in an aerial shot in the trailer, it’s not known what kind of shape Din and Grogu will find the world in, or if other Mandalorians are living there already.
No matter what, for the first time in The Mandalorian, the planet Mandalore will be a major focus. It’s not entirely clear what role Mandalore will play in The Mandalorian season 3, but the full story of its destruction may finally be revealed. There could be other Easter eggs to find from shows like Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars that set the table for the events to come. The Mandalorian season 3 has countless avenues it can pursue for Mandalore, and conflict will be at the center of whatever story is told.