The Entire Mandalorian Timeline Explained

The vast and ever-expanding galaxy of the "Star Wars" franchise is populated by a broad spectrum of heroes, villains, and colorful characters who often blur the lines between good and evil. With 11 theatrical films to carry the "Star Wars" banner and even more comics, books, and video games adding to the lore, the franchise is sure to continue to bear fruit from years to come. After all, Disney didn't spend billions of dollars to merely own the property. The House that Mickey Built fully intends reap the rewards for satiating fans' desires as long as "Star Wars" remains vibrant, and "The Mandalorian" was a step in that direction. As steps go, it was a rather massive one, as it introduced audiences to new characters who rapidly became fan-favorites.

The story of Din Djarin, the Mandalorian (or "Mando" as he is known by his associates), and the loveable little tike at his side, Grogu (originally known simply as "the child") takes many twists and turns. Often danger isn't far behind the pair, as a malevolent force seeks the youngling for sinister purposes. As a loyal follower of the ancient traditions of Mandalore, Mando first seeks to protect Grogu before eventually forming a familial bond with him. After all of their adventures together, how could he not? Speaking of adventures, let's dissect the timeline of events in the series to date and look at the major defining moments of its characters at large.

In "The Mandalorian" Season 3, Episode 4, "The Foundling," we get a look at Grogu's early days in the Jedi temple. Or, rather, we see one particularly bad day — the day of Order 66, when he barely made it off of Coruscant alive after the attack by Darth Vader and his clone army. "Revenge of the Sith" takes place almost 30 years before "The Mandalorian," which would make Grogu around 20 during his escape. He's clearly still an infant, though, and he needs the help of many allies to get away in one piece.

Grogu's flashback shows a squad of Jedi giving their lives to get him out. He's eventually intercepted by Master Kelleran Beq, played by Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best. Kelleran successfully fights off the advancing clones and takes Grogu on a tense speeder chase through Coruscant, arriving at a landing pad where a Naboo ship is docked. A group of Naboo guards helps keep the clone forces at bay while Kelleran and Grogu make their getaway in the shiny ship. Though a few fighters pursue them, they manage to break the atmosphere and enter hyperspace.

While enlightening, this flashback is also packed with mysteries. How did Grogu come to be in the Jedi Temple in the first place? Where was he for the 30 years between his escape and when Din Djarin found him? Did Padmé send the Naboo to help him? And what became of Kelleran Beq? Unfortunately, this is the only glimpse of Grogu's early days that we've received so far.

The Mandalorian is a bounty hunter who is highly skilled in combat and is outfitted with beskar armor shielding his true identity. Long before he was a bounty hunter who honored the old traditions of Mandalore, he was a young boy who lived on the planet of Aq Vetina during the age of the old Galactic Republic, prior to the rise of the shadowy Empire. His real name is Din Djarin, and his home was attacked by combat droids from the Separatist Confederacy. Din's parents hid him in a small bunker, but were killed in the massacre shortly thereafter.

As Din hid inside the bunker, he was eventually discovered by a hostile droid, but was saved as members of the Mandalorian Death Watch descended into the fight. He was then raised by Mandalorians and eventually became a member of the Children of the Watch, a fanatical group who strictly adhere to ancient traditions — unlike other Mandalorians fans have seen in Star Wars lore, including Jango Fett and Bo-Katan. One of the Children of the Watch helped Din out of his hiding space and whisked him to safety away from the battle. Din became a foundling — abandoned or lone children that were saved and adopted by Mandalorians. They would then be returned to their people (if that were still possible) or raised as a Mandalorian, loyal to the cause and always heeding the traditions of the warrior culture.

"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels" detail the gradual decline of Mandalore from a strong galactic power to a desperate Imperial tributary. Ages of civil wars and infighting have led to division and weakness within the once-powerful society, which made it easy for Palpatine and his armies to subjugate. "Rebels" shows how Bo-Katan led her people in resistance, but "The Mandalorian" reveals the sad result of her actions: the so-called Great Purge of Mandalore.

Thanks to details revealed in Season 3, we know that the Night of a Thousand Tears was the initiating event of the purge: a brutal campaign conducted by the Empire that wiped out Mandalorian military units and civilian targets alike. The Mandalorians were badly defeated, and huge swaths of their homeworld were devastated, prompting Bo-Katan to broker peace with Moff Gideon. She relinquished the Darksaber to him — the symbol of ruling power on Mandalore — in exchange for a guarantee of safety for all other cities and Mandalorian citizens. Of course, Gideon went back on the deal and continued his genocidal attacks on the planet. In the end, the Mandalorians were hunted to near-extinction, forcing the few survivors to live in hiding or on the run as mercenaries.

"The Mandalorian" deals heavily with the aftermath of "Return of the Jedi." It shows the early years of New Republic rule and the beginning of the secret Imperial remnant scheming that eventually leads to the rise of the First Order. Most of this happens in the background of the show, but there are moments when we get a better look at what's actually going on in the shadows.

Throughout the first three seasons of "The Mandalorian," Moff Gideon grapples with a secret cloning project that's not fully revealed until the end of Season 3. His efforts begin before the start of Season 1, and he needs Grogu to help with the Force-sensitive part of the project. At the same time, other members of the Imperial Remnant are building strength in other areas. As explored in the "Aftermath" novels, many of Palpatine's most loyal followers retreated to the Unknown Regions after the Battle of Jakku. These ex-pats become the foundation of what eventually calls itself the First Order. And then there's Grand Admiral Thrawn ... but more on him later.

Gideon's secret base on Mandalore is also likely constructed during this time, or even earlier. It's far too complex to have been built entirely after his escape from New Republic custody, but it's unclear how long he stakes out the Great Forge before the "Mandalorian" Season 3 finale.

Five years after the fall of the Empire, on the planet of Nevarro, Mando is now a seasoned bounty hunter, skilled in the tactics of Mandalorian combat. He works for Greef Karga, an agent of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, and accepts targets on a contract basis. Fractured remnants of the defeated Empire still remain throughout parts of the galaxy, and early on, Karga maintains connections with these Imperials, as it seems to be good for business. He even attempts to pay Mando in Imperial currency, but the bounty hunter rejects that form of payment — regardless of any moral qualms, it's a wonder that the currency of a fallen dynasty still held any value at all.

It's Karga who offers Mando the bounty that will change his life forever. After meeting with an Imperial contact, Mando learns his target is to be captured alive or dead, with the latter option garnering a lower fee. It's also revealed that the target is approximately 50 years old. It's a rather mysterious proposition, but one Mando takes on without hesitation.

As Mando arrives on Arvala-7, the planet where his target resides, he is instantly assaulted by its wildlife. He's saved by Kuiil, an Ugnaught who recently gained his freedom after spending his life in servitude. Kuiil takes Mando under his wing, showing him how to ride a monstrous creature known as a blurrg so that Mando can make the trek to the encampment where his target resides. As Mando spies on the encampment, he sees another bounty hunter, the droid IG-11, engage the hostiles on the ground. Mando teams up with the droid to secure the bounty, which turns out to be a near-infant alien child of unknown race. (Jedi Masters Yoda and Yaddle are the only other known members of the species.) Mando is confused by the target's youth, but IG-11 acknowledges that varying alien life-forms age at different rates. IG-11 then aims to collect the bounty, and Mando, in turn, terminates the droid before the child can be harmed.

After gaining Kuiil's help once again to retrieve parts and repair his ship, the Razor Crest, Mando experiences the child's Force abilities for the first time when it saves his life from a wild beast. Regardless, Mando reluctantly offers the child to his Imperial employers. It becomes obvious that the two have developed a bond. With the child's fate weighing heavy on Mando's mind, he resolves to retrieve him and does so (despite Greef Karga's attempt to stop him) with the help of his fellow Mandalorians.

Mando escapes with the child in tow and is determined to flee far away from the grasp of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, knowing full well that they have trackers capable of locating the child. They land on the planet Sorgan, where they meet Cara Dune, an ex-rebel shocktrooper.

Mando learns that the village in which he and the child are resting is being tormented by raiders and accepts an offer to help them in exchange for a temporary roof over his head — he applies their actual payment to hiring Cara Dune to assist. Many of the villagers have lost loved ones to the raiders, and Mando and Dune train them to fight and defend themselves. They successfully repel a raider incursion even though the enemy force is packing an Imperial AT-ST — careful planning and strategy goes a long way. Mando resolves to leave the child at the village to live in peace, but Cara Dune narrowly saves the child's life after she terminates a bounty hunter sniper from the trees. Knowing it is no longer safe on Sorgan, Mando takes the child and leaves.

While traveling in the Razor Crest, another bounty hunter pursues Mando and the child. Mando manages to outmaneuver the bounty hunter and destroy the enemy ship during a dogfighting sequence, but the Razor Crest is damaged. He lands in Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine for repairs. Leaving the child in the care of Peli Motto, the woman managing the repairs, Mando sets off to find work in order to pay for them. He comes across a young and inexperienced bounty hunter by the name of Toro Calican, who is attempting to get into the Bounty Hunters' Guild by accepting a rather tough assignment: hunting down the feared assassin Fennec Shand.

Hoping to split the bounty with Mando, Calican enlists his help to find Shand. After a tense showdown that leads to Shand's capture, Shand tells Calican that the Mandalorian and the child are high-value targets of the guild, and that killing the Mandalorian would bring Calican fame and a legendary status. Calican shoots Shand, and then nabs the child and Motto — only for Mando to arrive and terminate the young bounty hunter, using Calican's money to pay Motto for the repairs. Mando and the child then depart Tatooine.

Shand, meanwhile, hasn't quite shuffled off this mortal coil, and is approached by a mysterious figure.

Seeking more work, Mando contacts an old friend by the name of Ranzar Malk, who provides Mando with a job that requires a team of five. The four other members of the team include an ex-Imperial sharpshooter named Migs Mayfeld, a Devaronian named Burg, the droid Q9-0, and a Twi'lek woman named Xi'an, with whom Mando shares a history. The goal is to spring a prisoner from a New Republic prison. Tensions run high in the group, as Mando distrusts the others and they seem largely contemptuous of him. This dynamic comes to a head when they successfully free the prisoner, who turns out to be Xi'an's brother, Qin, imprisoned as a result of past actions by Mando himself. The others then turn on Mando, locking him in Qin's prison cell to await the coming of New Republic soldiers, who are being drawn to their location by a homing beacon.

Mando, however, escapes the cell and begins hunting down his former teammates one by one. After defeating and imprisoning each of them, he delivers Qin to Malk himself, demanding his payment before taking off. Malk orders his gunship pilots to shoot Mando down, but realizes with horror that Mando had placed the homing beacon on Qin. Three New Republic X-wing fighters arrive and attack Malk's gunships and his station, the Roost, with a swift and surgical strike.

In the penultimate episode of Season 1, Mando receives a message from Greef Karga asking for his assistance in taking down Imperial troops that have seized the city. He proposes that Mando return to Nevarro and assist in wiping the mysterious client, who seeks the child, off the board. In exchange, he'll clear Mando's name with the Guild and Mando can keep the child. Wary of a double-cross, Mando reluctantly accepts in hopes of removing the constant danger of bounty hunters on his trail. Of course, Mando also finds an ally he can trust, recruiting Cara Dune to assist with the operation. Mando and Dune make contact with Kuiil and find that he has restored IG-11, but installed an AI programming within its neural processes that enabled it to learn from its experiences and gain a new, caring personality.

Kuiil suggests that he care for the child alongside IG-11 while Mando and Dune carry out their mission against the Imperials. Mando voices his distrust of IG-11 (he hates droids, a result of his childhood experience on Aq Vetina) but agrees. Mando and Dune set off with Karga, who it turns out had planned to betray Mando, but who drops his plot after the child heals him from a near-fatal wound. Mando hatches a plan to pose as a prisoner of Karga and Dune in order to reach the client. The child is left with Kuiil, but stormtroopers intercept their communications, find and kill Kuiil, and take the child.

Mando's plan might have worked if not for the arrival of Moff Gideon, whose troops kills the client and pin down Mando, Cara Dune, and Greef Karga. Thankfully, IG-11 arrives and takes back the child. He then rides a speeder bike through town eliminating stormtroopers, giving Mando and the others the distraction they need to emerge and start fighting. During the fight, however, Mando is injured. Retreating to the cantina where they'd met the client, Mando tells Karga and Dune to escape through the sewers with Grogu and seek help from the Mandalorians while he stays behind to give them time. Mando refuses to remove his helmet and allow IG-11 to heal him, until the droid reasons that removing the helmet in front of a non-living being doesn't violate the Mandalorian Code of Honor.

Mando and IG-11 follow their friends into the tunnels, only to find that the hidden Mandalorian warriors have fled, leaving behind only the Armorer, who stayed behind to collect their materials. She declares that Mando and the child are now Clan Mudhorn and explains that Mando's new directive is to keep the child as a foundling until he can be returned to his own people.

The crew then flees on a boat down a lava river. IG-11 sacrifices himself to destroy their pursuers, and Mando takes down Moff Gideon's tie-fighter. Having survived the unthinkable, the crew go their separate ways, but Gideon cuts his way out of the wreckage with the fabled Darksaber.

Immediately following the events of the first season, Mando begins searching for other Mandalorians to aid him in his quest to return the child to his own kind. Interrogating a crook who attempted to kill Mando for his armor, Mando learns of a Mandalorian in Mos Pelgo on Tatooine. There, Mando finds Cobb Vanth adorned in a particularly distinctive set of Mandalorian armor — "Star Wars" fans are instantly aware that this armor belongs to Boba Fett. Vanth claims to have purchased it from a group of Jawas. Mando demands the armor back, as it belongs to a true Mandalorian, but before they can fight about it, the town is struck by a krayt dragon that has been feasting on the local livestock. Vanth ultimately agrees to give Mando the armor if they work together to slay the dragon.

The pair meet up with a tribe of Tusken Raiders who also want the krayt dragon dead, and also enlist the assistance of the townsfolk. With this alliance forged, they make a plan to lure out the dragon. Mando eventually tricks the creature into swallowing him and his Bantha, which is packing explosives. He escapes by shocking the creature, flies from the krayt dragon's mouth, and detonates the explosives, saving the town from the creature and winning the armor of Boba Fett.

Mando heads back to Mos Eisley and hopes to find another lead tracking down other Mandalorians. Peli Motto has a contact who can help him find what he's looking for. However, this contact, known as the Frog Lady, requires that Mando take her as passenger to a moon called Trask, along with her eggs. He is also not allowed to use hyperdrive or her eggs will die. While en route, the Razor Crest is surrounded by two New Republic X-wings, who recognize the Razor Crest as the craft as having been involved in the previous season's prison breakout. Mando flees and manages to evade the X-wings, but in the process, crash-lands in an ice canyon on a remote planet.

Mando makes some necessary repairs, but he, the child, and the Frog Lady are swarmed by spider-like creatures. The New Republic X-wing fighters arrive in time to save the day. They recognize that Mando has an arrest warrant for breaking Qin out of prison, but they also note that he detained three others with warrants and risked his life in an attempt to save a New Republic officer. With that knowledge, they let him off with a warning.

After arriving at their destination, the Frog Lady lives up to her part of the bargain and informs Mando of the inn where Mandalorians have been seen. There, a fish-boat captain tells Mando that he knows where the Mandalorians are and can take him there. During the journey, however, the captain attempts to have Mando and the child killed so that he can steal the beskar armor. The Mandalorians arrive and save the duo, but then remove their helmets, which instantly distances Mando. The leader, Bo-Katan, explains that as a Child of the Watch, Mando is a part of a faction of religious fanatics who are trying to re-establish the old ways of Mandalore. She, however, is part of mainstream society born on Mandalore which apparently tolerates helmet removal.

Despite Mando's initial distrust of Bo-Katan, he eventually allies with her team. Bo-Katan agrees to assist Mando if he helps her raid an Imperial freighter. During the operation, she reveals that she is searching for the Darksaber, a blade that she claims belongs to her and that must be retrieved in order for her to rule in Mandalore. After they take the ship, Bo-Katan honors her part of the deal by telling Mando where he can find a Jedi named Ahsoka Tano.

In desperate need of repairs, Mando heads back to Nevarro, where he meets up with old friends Cara Dune and Greef Karga. Dune is now a law enforcer serving as a local marshal, and Karga is a magistrate. While Karga has the child taken care of and arranges for the complete repair of the Razor Crest, he asks Mando to help take out a remaining Imperial base on the planet in an effort to bring peace to all of Nevarro.

After infiltrating the base, the crew learns that it's a research facility. The labs contain cloned bodies, and a recording from Dr. Pershing indicates that during the brief time they had access to the child, the Imperial researchers had been attempting to transfuse its blood into the clones. Furthermore, the recording reveals that Moff Gideon is still alive. Mando, Karga, and Dune arrange for the base's destruction while fleeing enemy forces, ultimately prevailing thanks to a repaired Razor Crest. Mando and the child leave to find Ahsoka, while Dune and Karga deal with New Republic investigators. Moff Gideon, meanwhile, can be seen overlooking a unit of artificial Dark Troopers, and it's revealed that one of Karga's mechanics planted a tracking beacon on the Razor Crest.

Mando makes his way to Corvus to find Ahsoka Tano, as instructed by Bo-Katan. On the forest planet, Ahsoka has given Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth an ultimatum: She must surrender and identify her master's whereabouts, or die. Mando arrives in the magistrate's city of Calodan, meets with her, and is offered a beskar spear if he kills Ahsoka. Mando finds Ahsoka, who ambushes him, but stops attacking when Mando tells her that he was sent by Bo-Katan. Ahsoka is able to communicate with the child and learns that his name is Grogu, and he hails from Coruscant's Jedi Temple. Since the fall of the Galactic Republic, he's hidden his abilities in order to survive the rise of the Empire. Ahsoka tells Mando that she cannot train Grogu due to the child's anger and fear, and his attachment to the Mandalorian.

Mando agrees to help Ahsoka against Elsbeth if Ahsoka can help him obtain training for Grogu. The pair storm Calodan, where Mando kills the magistrate's lieutenant while Ahsoka confronts Elsbeth. The Jedi defeats Elsbeth and demands to know the location of her master, Grand Admiral Thrawn, while Mando claims the beskar spear. After the victory, however, Ahsoka still refuses to train Grogu, instructing Mando to take him to the planet Tython, where he can set Grogu upon a seeing stone within the ruins of the Jedi Temple. He can then reach out with the Force in hopes of attracting a Jedi who is able to train him.

Mando does as Ahsoka instructed and brings Grogu to Tython, but while Grogu communes with the Force, Boba Fett arrives with the assassin Fennec Shand by his side. Fett saved her life after her encounter with Toro Calican, and the two of them have been tracking Mando to obtain the armor that he recovered from Cobb Vanth. Mando agrees to give Fett the armor, but only if he helps Mando protect the child as Imperial forces arrive. Mando, Fett, and Shand all engage the encroaching stormtroopers while Grogu continues to meditate. During the chaos, Fett retrieves his armor and wields it against the enemy.

Just when it seems like victory is in hand, however, Moff Gideon arrives in a cruiser, destroys the Razor Crest, and unleashes the Dark Troopers, who capture the drained Grogu and take him away for further experimentation. Honoring their agreement, Fett and Shand agree to stick with Mando until the child is back in his care and safe.

Mando returns to Nevarro once again and approaches Cara Dune, asking her to use her position as marshal to temporarily release the criminal Migs Mayfeld to help track Moff Gideon. Mayfeld's Imperial clearances will gain him the access he needs to obtain the coordinates of Gideon's ship. After some discussion, Mayfeld reveals that there is a secluded Imperial rhydonium refinery located in the heart of the planet Morak. After arriving on Morak, Mando and Mayfeld disguise themselves as Imperial officers and risk their lives to deliver a shipment of rhydonium to the facility. This marks a turning point for Mando, who willingly removes his helmet in order to keep up the ruse, allowing living creatures to see his face. His bond with Grogu runs so deep that he is willing to forsake the traditions of his forebears.

As the two attempt to retrieve the coordinates from a terminal, they're approached by officer Valin Hess, who forces them into having a drink. During the conversation, the officer disrespects Imperial soldiers who died during Operation: Cinder, a horrific event that Mayfeld experienced personally. Angered by the callousness of his former superior, Mayfeld shoots Hess, forcing he and Mando to fight their way out of the facility while Dune and Shand provide cover fire. As they flee on Fett's ship, Slave I, Mayfeld takes a sniper shot at a cache of explosive rhydonium, destroying the facility. Because of his help and his disdain for the Empire, Dune sets Mayfeld free.

Using Slave I, Mando and Cara Dune manage to board an Imperial ship and take Dr. Pershing hostage. Later, Fett and Mando track down Bo-Katan Kryze and her fellow Mandalorian Koska Reeves, seeking their help in retrieving the child. They manage to secure a partnership, so long as Bo-Katan can kill Moff Gideon and take the Darksaber. The crew finds and boards Gideon's ship, with Bo-Katan, Reeves, Dune, and Fennec Shand fighting off stormtroopers on their way to the bridge. Gideon unleashes the Dark Trooper droids, which are nearly indestructible. However, Mando finds that the beskar spear can pierce their armor. He traps several and ejects them out of an airlock.

Mando confronts Gideon, facing the Imperial leader in a clash between beskar spear and Darksaber. In the end, Mando defeats the moff and brings him to the bridge, along with Grogu. There, Gideon attempts to pit Bo-Katan against Mando, since Mando rightfully earned the Darksaber in combat. Mando tries to give Bo-Katan the Darksaber, but it turns out that the weapon can't be given, only taken. To claim rulership of Mandalore, Bo-Katan must defeat Mando and take the Darksaber by force.

Before all this can come to head, however, the inhuman Dark Troopers who had been blasted out into space return to Gideon's ship and begin to march toward the bridge, ripping apart any obstacles in their path.

All hope seems lost as the Dark Troopers start to batter down the door to the bridge, surely about to slaughter everyone inside. Before they can, however, a single mysterious X-wing arrives and docks on the ship. A unknown Jedi boards the craft and begins eliminating Dark Troopers as though they were nothing. Moff Gideon realizes that there is no longer any way out of his predicament and attempts to kill the child and then himself. However, Mando defends the child, and Cara Dune disables Gideon, rendering him unconscious so that he can be taken alive.

When the doors finally open, all the Dark Troopers have been destroyed, and the Jedi is revealed to be none other than Luke Skywalker. He heard Grogu's call from Tython and has come to offer him the training he needs. Grogu doesn't want to leave his surrogate father, but Mando insists that it's for the best. In an emotional farewell, Mando again goes against ancient Mandalorian tradition, removing his helmet and showing Grogu his face. Luke vows to protect the child, while Mando promises that one day, he and Grogu will see each other again.

The fifth episode of "The Book of Boba Fett" is, surprisingly, entirely about Mando's exploits some time after his climactic clash with Moff Gideon. Seemingly back to his old ways as a bounty hunter, Mando is tracking a new target by the name of Kaba Baiz. When Kaba's goons surround Mando, the bounty hunter gets his first chance to wield the Darksaber on screen, slicing his enemies to bits. He then bisects Baiz and removes his head as proof of the kill. He delivers the bounty in exchange for information — the location of the Mandalorians' new hideout.

After following the instructions given to him, he locates the Armorer, along with Paz Vizsla, whom Mando had briefly scuffled with back in Season 1 of "The Mandalorian." The Armorer inspects the Darksaber and fills Mando in on its history, confirming that winning it in combat grants the wielder leadership over Mandalore. She also asks Mando for the beskar spear so that it can be shaped into armor and explains that by tradition, beskar is meant for armor, not weapons. Mando requests that it be made into armor for Grogu.

Paz Vizsla challenges Mando to a duel in order to win the Darksaber from him, as the blade was forged by Vizsla's ancestor. Mando wins, but when he reveals that he has removed his helmet, the Armorer declares him a Mandalorian no more.

With the Razor Crest a heap of scrap metal thanks to Moff Gideon, Mando sets out to retrieve a new ride so he doesn't have to continually use public galactic transportation. After receiving a message from Peli Motto indicating that she has a replacement for him, Mando heads to Tatooine to see just what Motto has in store. It turns out to be an old N-1 starfighter from Naboo that has clearly seen better days. Reluctantly, Mando agrees to help Motto finish restoring it and add new modifications along the way. 

After a lot of work and elbow grease, Mando has a new ship — a bit more compact than the Razor Crest, but faster and far more capable in combat. As Mando fires her up, he proclaims over the ensuing roar, "That's a lot of engine for a little ship." After a successful flight test in which he learns that his new ship has speed and maneuverability he could have only dreamed of with the Razor Crest, Mando is ready for his next adventure.

In the time since Mando last encountered Boba Fett, Fett and Fennec Shand have taken over the Tatooine criminal empire formerly controlled by Jabba the Hutt. Their rule is shaky, however, and they find themselves up against the mayor of Mos Espa and the Pyke Syndicate. In need of allies, Shand comes to Mando, who agrees to help free of charge — but not before he pays his little green friend a visit to drop off the newly-minted armor Mando has just obtained for him. 

Mando heads to a remote forest planet, where he finds Luke Skywalker's droids constructing a Jedi school. He also finds Ahsoka, who encourages Mando to avoid distracting his former foundling from his Jedi training. Reluctantly, Mando leaves the armor with Ahsoka and departs. Luke, meanwhile, senses that Grogu's heart is not fully invested in his Jedi training. He offers Grogu a choice: receive the armor Mando left for him and return to his former partner, or continue his training and receive a lightsaber.

Back on Tatooine, Mando heads to Mos Pelgo, now known as Freetown and patrolled by none other than Marshal Cobb Vanth, who has taken a stand against the Pyke Syndicate. Mando asks Vanth to consider an alliance. After he leaves, however, Freetown plays host to the live-action debut of Cad Bane, a bounty hunter previously seen in the animated "Clone Wars" series. Bane is working for the Pykes, and shoots Vanth when the marshal refuses to make a deal.

Mando returns to Mos Espa, only to find that the Pyke Syndicate is already closing in. Even worse, the other criminal leaders of Tatooine have turned on Fett and ambushed his allies, despite their promises. Mando and Fett resign themselves to their own deaths in a fight for Mos Espa and its people. 

Suddenly, however, the people of Freetown arrive to help turn the tide — witnessing their marshal being gunned down was enough to spur them into action. After the Pyke send two imposing and nearly indestructible battle droids into combat, Fett's allies scatter for cover. Fett then leaves the battlefield in an attempt to bring in "reinforcements," leaving Mando to distract the massive droids wreaking destruction on the city. It's at this point that Peli Motto arrives, and with her, Grogu, who has returned to Mando via Luke's X-Wing. Mando and Grogu share a brief moment, but then have to focus on the task at hand. Fett returns riding his rancor (a gift from Jabba's twin cousins), which destroys the droids with help from Mando and Grogu. Fett then wins a duel against Cad Bane, ending the battle. Grogu connects with the rampaging rancor through the Force, calming the creature. The Pyke Syndicate has been defeated.

After Shand assassinates the Pyke leadership and their backstabbing allies, she and Fett enjoy a time of peace in Mos Espa. Meanwhile, Mando and Grogu take to the stars, partners once again in their restored N-1 starfighter.

At some point between the end of "The Mandalorian" Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3, Moff Gideon escapes New Republic custody. In Season 3, Carson Teva finds the derelict shuttle that transported him as a prisoner. The vessel is shown blown open from the outside, with remnants of beskar lodged within the hull of the ship. Clearly, Gideon was broken out, but it's unclear by whom.

It's impossible to know exactly when Gideon escaped, but rumors are already circulating by the start of Season 3. One line indicates he never faced trial, which would mean a prison break pretty early on in his detainment. Regardless, Gideon is broken free, and the beskar at the scene of the crime shows that his new breed of stormtrooper is responsible.

After his escape, we see Gideon in a video call meeting with various other Imperial bigwigs. They call themselves the Shadow Council. Grand Admiral Thrawn's impending return is mentioned by Captain Gilad Pellaeon, while Brendol Hux — father of the sequel trilogy's Armitage Hux — alludes to his own cloning experiments. These are likely tied to the Snoke project and the mission to resurrect Palpatine.

After helping Boba Fett fight off the Pike Syndicate on Tatooine and reuniting with Grogu, Din Djarin has only one priority: redeeming himself in the eyes of his people by bathing in the Living Waters beneath Mandalore. Showing his face willingly to others isn't something that just gets forgiven in the Creed. However, the rumors that Mandalore is cursed and toxic make Din's mission anything but simple.

He starts off by returning to Nevarro, which has become a thriving hub of trade and culture in his absence. Under the leadership of High Magistrate Greef Karga, the planet has become a big name in the Outer Rim. Din's there for only one reason, though: recruiting a droid to help him scout Mandalore's atmosphere. Since he's famously prejudiced against any mechanical being, there's only one droid that he trusts. That would be the now-defunct IG-11, who previously helped Din and Grogu on Nevarro back in Season 1.

Despite Din's best efforts, IG can't be restored to his former self. Thankfully, he gets a pinch hitter in the form of R5-D4 (yes, the same one from the original "Star Wars"). Peli Motto lets Din have R5 for a song back in Mos Eisley, and the newly minted trio sets off to explore the supposedly cursed planet of Mandalore.

After two-plus seasons and a spin-off of bumming around the galaxy, Din finally ventures to his people's ancestral homeland. Mandalore has certainly seen better days. The brutal bombing conducted by the Empire left the surface of the planet devastated, and the few major dome cities that existed during the Clone Wars are nothing but rubble. That desolate appearance doesn't discourage Din's zealousness, though. After ascertaining that the air is fine to breathe, he descends into the old capital of Sundari and the Mines of Mandalore below it.

That's where things get a little more complicated. Turns out, the Empire's bombing raids awoke some nasty creatures, and an even more mysterious mechanical foe ends up capturing Din and the Darksaber. Grogu runs for help with R5 and brings Bo-Katan to the rescue. The two Mandalorians seem to mend their former animosity toward one another, and Bo helps Din descend to the Living Waters.

His dip in the pool becomes a hair scary when the waters wind up being much deeper than expected, but Bo is there once again to help Din out. She also catches a glimpse in the depths of what appears to be a mythosaur, the symbol of Mandalore thought to be extinct for ages. There's not much time for reflection and analysis, though. The gang gets out, with both Din and Bo-Katan officially cleansed in the eyes of the Creed.

While Din and the other Mandalorians are off visiting holy sites, evil grows at the heart of the galaxy. Season 3's third episode, "The Convert," spends most of its time on Coruscant with Dr. Penn Pershing. Once the chief cloning scientist for Moff Gideon, Pershing is now a reformed New Republic citizen thanks to the galactic government's new amnesty program. Pershing clearly wants to use his knowledge and skills for good (though his overtly eugenicist views are still pretty despicable). But once again, he falls in with the wrong people.

Elia Kane, another of Gideon's former subordinates, befriends Pershing and convinces him that she, too, is reformed. This is all a ruse, however, and it ultimately leads to Pershing being cyber-lobotomized. This chain of events reveals two things. First, it shows that the Imperial Remnant still has great power and influence in the galactic core. And second, it demonstrates just how ineffectual the New Republic has already become.

The Death Star may have been destroyed, but the galaxy is still in chaos. As shown in a later episode, the New Republic doesn't have enough soldiers or resources to properly patrol the Outer Rim. Even on Coruscant, every major initiative is hindered by pomp, circumstance, and red tape.

Din and Bo-Katan return to Din's old covert after successfully bathing in the Living Waters. To Bo's surprise, they're both welcomed with open arms, as she hasn't removed her helmet since taking a dip in the pool. The freshly strengthened covert bonds during a mission to rescue Paz Vizsla's son Ragnar, who's been abducted by a giant flying beast. Bo-Katan leads the war party and learns more about the Way. By the time she gets back to the others, she's truly become one of them.

The covert doesn't rest on their laurels for long, though. Soon, New Republic Ranger Carson Teva arrives to ask for help. The planet Nevarro has been attacked by pirates who are secretly under orders from Moff Gideon himself. Emboldened by their growing numbers and recent success, and lacking any New Republic backup, the covert agrees. What follows is the first true display of Mandalorian combat competence in the show, with a full deployment arriving on Nevarro to fight off the invaders. No pirate gang is a match for an organized and fully equipped Mandalorian battalion, and the planet is quickly saved.

This is a huge moment for the covert. Finally, they've revealed themselves to the world in broad daylight, and Nevarro embraces them. The whole clan is offered land on the planet where they can build and live in the open — free from the secrecy they've been confined to for so long. And in an even more surprising twist, Bo-Katan is told to remove her helmet and go find her old Mandalorian group. Her vision of the mythosaur marks the end of an age, according to the Armorer, and the clans must be reunited.

After helping to liberate Nevarro, Din, Grogu, and Bo-Katan set off to find more Mandalorians to join them. The ultimate goal is assembling an army capable of reclaiming Mandalore, and Bo knows where to find some battle-hardened recruits. The crew heads to a small world called Plazir-15, where Bo's old mercenary faction is currently serving as private security. Before being granted an audience with the Mandalorians, however, they must first solve a mystery.

That's right: Plazir-15 has been beset by a rash of strange droid malfunctions, and Din and Bo-Katanm are on the case. While Grogu learns how to play space croquet with Jack Black and Lizzo (not even joking), the two Mandalorians venture deep into a wannabe "Blade Runner" set in search of answers. After visiting a droid bar and engaging in surface-level discourse about robot rights (since "Star Wars" refuses to ever really address the topic), the pair sets things right. They earn what appears to be a powerful ally in Plazir-15's wealthy community, and their audience with the other Mandalorians is granted.

Of course, not everyone Bo used to lead is exactly stoked to see her.

By the time Bo-Katan and Din Djarin make contact with her old platoon, they're not exactly honored guests. After she failed to win the Darksaber from Moff Gideon, Bo lost the respect of her followers, and they left with their stolen ships. Axe Woves, once a trusted lieutenant of Bo's, is the new leader of the group. Suffice it to say, he isn't happy to see her.

But these are Mandalorians, which means there's always a way to settle a dispute: fighting. Bo-Katan challenges Axe and kicks off a major duel, with both combatants digging deep into their arsenals. In the end, Bo comes out victorious, but she refuses to kill Axe in the traditional custom. She declares that Mandalorians have spent too much time and energy across history spilling each other's blood. If they are to retake Mandalore, she says, they must finally be united.

The trouble, once again, is that Bo still doesn't hold the Darksaber. And for some old, stodgy Mandalorians, that's a necessity to lead. Enter Din to the rescue! The titular Mandalorian explains that he was defeated by a monster in the old mines of Mandalore, and that Bo-Katan is the one who saved him. As such, the Darksaber would have fallen to his assailant, and then to her. She claims the blade and ignites it in dramatic fashion, once again bringing her old Mandalorian followers under her command.

With Axe, Koska Reeves, and the rest of their Mandalorian faction in tow, Bo-Katan and Din Djarin return to the covert on Nevarro. Grogu gets an upgrade in the form of a pilotable IG shell, and the two very different clans try to find common ground. It's a bit tricky at first, since the Children of the Watch have very specific views on the Creed and the others see them as extremist. But with a rousing speech from Bo and the promise of reclaiming the homeworld, everybody more or less agrees to get along.

The full Mandalorian force journeys to Mandalore, and a small scout party touches down to explore the surface. Their goal is to locate the Great Forge, but the nature of the planet's atmosphere prohibits contact with the ships in orbit. After a bit of a hike, the party finds a staggering surprise: a faction of Mandalorian survivors who've been living on the planet since the Great Purge. They quickly pledge their allegiance to Bo-Katan and help lead the newcomers to their destination.

Along the way, we see just how dangerous the entirety of Mandalore has become. A giant monster (but not a mythosaur) attacks the survivors' land ship at one point, and the general landscape appears inhospitable. Still, they make it to the Great Forge. It's a proud moment, but one that's quickly interrupted.

As it turns out, Bo-Katan's scouting party isn't the first group to set up shop in the old Great Forge of Mandalore. When the party arrives, they're met by an elite squad of beskar-clad stormtroopers. It's quickly revealed that Moff Gideon has a secret base adjacent to the forge itself, and that he's been using the myth of Mandalore being "cursed" as cover to continue his bizarre cloning experiments.

Din is captured, Axe Woves runs for help, and Paz Vizsla sacrifices himself heroically to ensure that the others escape. He ends up being killed by a trio of Praetorian Guards — the same red villains seen in "The Last Jedi." The Mandalorians who'd previously been living on the planet take Bo and co. to a hidden cave hideout, where they show their farming efforts that have been resuscitating Mandalore's natural ecosystem. Meanwhile, Axe gets back to the command ship and orders all the other Mandalorians down to the surface as backup. He continues to pilot the cruiser as a decoy for Gideon's TIE interceptors.

With Grogu's help, Din is able to escape. He tracks down Gideon, who boasts a shiny new beskar suit of armor. Din destroys the clones Gideon was growing of himself to build a Force-sensitive super army, and the two engage in battle. With help from Bo-Katan, Din and Grogu defeat Gideon and the Praetorian Guards, who all burn when Axe crashes the Mandalorian cruiser directly into the base and blows it up. Using his growing Force powers, Grogu protects our heroes from the blast.

With Moff Gideon finally defeated and his base on Mandalore destroyed, the planet returns to its rightful inhabitants. Bo-Katan lights the Great Forge to a roar of support, and the Armorer begins baptizing younger Mandalorians in the Living Waters beneath Sundari. Between the resurrection of old cultural customs and the return of Mandalore's natural ecosystem, things look bright for the planet. But of course, Din and Grogu don't stay for long.

In order to allow for Grogu to rise from foundling to Mandalorian apprentice, Din decides to officially adopt him as his son. The little green guy is dubbed Din Grogu, and his new dad vows to take him on adventures befitting an apprentice. Back on Nevarro, Greef Karga offers Din a cute house outside of town where he and Grogu can live and rest between missions. IG-11 is resurrected as the new marshal of Nevarro, and Din becomes a New Republic contractor instead of just an ordinary bounty hunter.

While the duo's saga is far from over at this point, they've definitely reached the end of an era. Mandalore has been retaken, Grogu is no longer a foundling, and Din has been officially recognized as a force for good in the galaxy.