The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 3: Top takeaways and massive hint for Episode 4

Last week’s The Mandalorian episode was possibly one of the more implicative ones of the series. Despite not having a bombshell moment like the Mythosaur reveal from the previous episode, Chapter 19 laid down strong connections between the show and the larger Star Wars universe.

Here are the top 3 takeaways that you need to catch up with before tomorrow’s episode:

The Empire and the New Republic – Same coin, two sides?

The Mandalorian S3E3 brings back the refreshing political tinge of Andor. Some of the in-office scenes look absolutely the same, even though the two are set in different eras. This could very well be one of the several deliberate attempts to show that the New Republic is not that different from the Empire.

Of course, there are some deviations. People on the street look cheerier. Stormtroopers don’t stand sentinel everywhere. The infringement on personal freedom seems to be less as well. But these differences could be on a surface level. Deep down, there are issues from the Imperial times that the New Republic is yet to fix.

The moments are difficult to pinpoint as they are quite ingeniously assimilated with the flow of the story. There are small things, like giving identification numbers to the Amnesty officers just like the troopers. Then there are bigger things, like using an Imperial torture device with a different name but the same near-fatal features.

At every step, the New Republic repeatedly feels on the verge of committing similar transgressions as the Empire.

Bo-Katan finds a tribe… sort of

Bo-Katan’s fate in Star Wars has robbed her repeatedly of homes and families, blood or chosen. The first two episodes established her disappointment in losing her comrades yet again, being cooped up on the throne of House Kryze in Kalevela.

Now with that too destroyed, Bo-Katan had nowhere to turn to except following Din Djaring to the covert location of the Children of the Watch. After the Armorer confirms the proof Din brought was indeed from the Living Waters, she welcomes both him and Bo-Katan into the Creed.

Bo-Katan hesitantly agrees. Even with her helmet on, Katee Sackhoff did an excellent job of showing the surprise and mild relief her character felt at being accepted as a part of a community of her own people after losing so much.

It was convenient and somewhat implicative, yet again, that Bo-Katan had not taken off her helmet since jumping into the Living Waters after Din to save him. One wonders if coming face-to-face with the Mythosaur had rocked her stern dismissal of the Mandalorian lore and legends and made her question her long-held beliefs.

She happened to be ‘The Convert’ from the title of the episode. Dr. Penn Pershing could be another, as he tried hard to play by the rules of the New Republic but got lured into a bait set by Moff Gideon’s trusted employee Elia Kane.

Could Admiral Thrawn appear on The Mandalorian?

Ever since Ahsoka name-dropped Grand Admiral Thrawn in season 2, fans have been wondering if we will see the remnant Imperial leader on The Mandalorian. This season already made a Rebels connection with Grogu being able to see the purrgils in hyperspace.

The battle strategy with which the TIE interceptors trapped Din Djarin and Bo-Katan at the start of the episode strongly suggested the involvement of Thrawn, as we have seen him pull similar stunts before. Moreover, not everyone in the galaxy will have a fleet that massive at their disposal and would desperately want to hurt Bo-Katan. The Venn diagram really points at Thrawn at this point.

Dave Filoni is joining Jon Favreau to write next week’s episode titled The Foundling. The name suggests the focus of the episode will be Grogu, Filoni’s involvement has made fans assume it will feature a reappearance of Ahsoka. However, the last episode paves the way for possible ties with the Clone Wars series and subsequently to Bo-Katan’s past and Admiral Thrawn.

Enjoy The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 on Disney+ on Wednesday.