Mandalorian S3 Theory: Din's IG-11 Quest Could Free Him Of The Watch

The following article contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian" Season 3, Episode 1 — "Chapter 17."

A new episode of "The Mandalorian" is here. The series last left off viewers with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) handing off Grogu to Luke Skywalker so that he can learn the ways of the Jedi. Of course, you needed to at least check out the back half of "The Book of Boba Fett" to see where Din and Grogu are now. Din was excommunicated from the Mandalorian religion for admitting that he had removed his helmet. Meanwhile, Grogu stepped away from Luke's Jedi Temple to be with his Mandalorian daddy. 

When "Chapter 17" picks up, Din and Grogu are on a mission to redeem Din in the eyes of his Mandalorian brethren. And partway through the episode, Din takes it upon himself to resurrect IG-11, which gave its life to protect its newfound friends in the Season 1 finale. Din manages to power the droid back up, but it reverts to its original programming, which involves terminating Baby Yoda. Ultimately, Din learns that to bring IG-11 back, he needs to acquire a specific part to restore its AI, and one fan has an intriguing theory of how this side quest could factor into the larger themes of the season.

Din Djarin loves himself a side quest, and it would appear that while he's trying to get back into Mandalore's good graces, he'll also try to get his droid buddy back up and running. It may seem like a superfluous plotline, and in some ways, it kind of negates IG-11's noble sacrifice if they can just bring it back on a whim. But some fans are hoping the storyline pays off in terms of Din's own arc. 

On a Reddit thread discussing the latest episode, u/dkc485 wrote, "I'm hoping the IG11 storyline is going to be about teaching Mando a lesson. Just cause you can put the droid back together, with the memory circuits destroyed he's not going to be the same IG that Din and Grogu knew. The same can be said about Din. Getting 'redeemed' doesn't change the experiences he's had and the good reasons he had to do what he's done. It's not all going to go back to what it was before."

Din Djarin has been through a lot, even recognizing that following the Mandalorian creed to the letter isn't always practical or wise. Removing his helmet has proven to be essential several times throughout his journey, and honestly, he should have nothing to apologize for. Din has changed significantly from before he met Grogu, and hopefully, he will learn that it's okay to reassess priorities as life goes on. Fans will have to see if this arc plays out when new episodes of "The Mandalorian" air on Wednesdays on Disney+.