By George Bate & Josh Bate
The highly anticipated third season of The Mandalorian is just around the corner. As the show continues to expand and add new characters, connections to other Star Wars stories become increasingly relevant. Here is a breakdown of some of the episodes, comics, and books to check out heading into the Season 3 premiere of The Mandalorian on March 1.
The Clone Wars – Season 2, Episodes 12-14
This three-part arc from The Clone Wars’ second season gave us our first look at Mandalore in canon. It introduces Death Watch, the Mandalorian clan led by Pre Vizsla that is related to the Children of the Watch group that Din Djarin and The Armorer are a part of. These episodes all introduce Duchess Satine Kryze, later revealed to be Bo-Katan’s sister. And, perhaps most importantly, the Darksaber is revealed for the first time.
The Clone Wars – Season 4, Episode 15: “A Friend in Need”
Bo-Katan, seemingly the main villain of The Mandalorian’s new season, made her debut in this episode of The Clone Wars.
The Clone Wars – Season 5, Episodes 14-16
Maul features heavily in this three-part arc from The Clone Wars’ fifth season. These episodes position the Darksaber front and center, and provide plenty of interesting backstory about the planet Mandalore as it fell into the hands of Maul.
Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir
This comic series adapts unproduced scripts of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and continues Maul’s story from the animated show. The comic features all sorts of interesting connections to other Star Wars projects and fills in some important gaps about the Darksaber and the control of Mandalore.
The Clone Wars – Season 7, Episodes 9-12
The Siege of Mandalore arc is one of the best stories in Star Wars animation. Set during the events of Revenge of the Sith, this arc shows Ahsoka and Bo-Katan team up to liberate Mandalore from the villainous Maul.
The Bad Batch – Season 1, Episodes 15-16: “Return to Kamino” and “Kamino Lost”
The two-part finale of The Bad Batch’s first season has subtle, yet seemingly important connections to The Mandalorian. The Bad Batch explores how the Empire dealt with the Kaminoan cloning program after the end of the Clone Wars. As The Mandalorian has hinted at all sorts of insidious Imperial research with Grogu and Doctor Pershing (who wears a Kaminoan cloning uniform), The Bad Batch hints at what the Imperial Remnant could be up to with their experiments on Grogu.
Rebels – Season 3, Episode 5: “Trials of the Darksaber”
The Darksaber will seemingly play an integral role in the new season of The Mandalorian, with the Season 2 finale pitting Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze against one another for the legendary weapon. The Star Wars Rebels episode “Trials of the Darksaber” provides essential backstory on the Darksaber and the original Mandalorian Jedi Tarre Vizla,
Rebels – Season 3, Episode 16: “Legacy of Mandalore”
The Mandalore arc in Star Wars Rebels is one of the series’ most interesting narratives, and “Legacy of Mandalore” proves why. This episode features substantial developments to the character Sabine Wren, who will play a role in the upcoming Ahsoka series and possibly The Mandalorian Season 3. “Legacy of Mandalore” also adds significantly to Mandalore culture, and shows Sabine bringing the Darksaber back to her home planet.
Rebels – Season 4, Episodes 1-2: “Heroes of Mandalore”
Perhaps the most important episodes of animated television to watch before The Mandalorian Season 3 premieres, “Heroes of Mandalore” sees Sabine and other Mandalorians fight for freedom from the tyrannical Empire. The two-part premiere of Rebels’ fourth season features Bo-Katan prominently, and shows Sabine passing the Darksaber onto Bo-Katan. Given what has been established about needing to win the Darksaber through combat in The Mandalorian Season 2 and The Book of Boba Fett, “Heroes of Mandalore” will likely need to be re-addressed in the new season of The Mandalorian.
The Book of Boba Fett – Chapters 5-7
For many Star Wars fans this goes without saying, but the latter half of The Book of Boba Fett is necessary viewing heading into The Mandalorian Season 3. In many ways, Chapters 5-7 act as The Mandalorian Season 2.5 with major character developments for Din Djarin, Grogu, The Armorer, and Luke Skywalker.
Star Wars (1977) #68
Last but not least is this comic book from 1982. Although no longer considered canon, this comic holds importance as it marks the first appearance of the planet Mandalore.