The Mandalorian Hypocritically Ignores Bo-Katan’s Clone Wars Origin

The first The Mandalorian season 3 trailer strongly suggests that Bo-Katan will be the show’s new antagonist, but it also creates a hypocritical contradiction for Bo-Katan’s story. Bo-Katan made her live-action debut in The Mandalorian season 2, in which she was played by Katee Sackhoff – who had voiced the character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The Mandalorian season 2 ended with Bo-Katan reluctantly telling Mando that he was now the rightful wielder of the Darksaber, setting up a troubled relationship between Din Djarin and Bo-Katan in The Mandalorian season 3.

Despite the show’s title, The Mandalorian was initially not heavily focused on Mandalore as a planet and as a culture – especially in season 1. Outside of the very few Mandalorians protected by The Armorer, Din Djarin did not get to interact with any other Mandalorians – which started to change in The Mandalorian season 2. Din Djarin got to meet the Nite Owls and their leader, Bo-Katan, sister of Duchess Satine of Mandalore. Those who had watched Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels knew of Bo-Katan’s significance to the history of Mandalore, but it took a while for Din Djarin to trust what to him was such a different Mandalorian faction.

The Book of Boba Fett’s final episodes had already teased how complicated things could get for Din Djarin now that he had won the Darksaber in combat and had removed his helmet in front of others, and The Mandalorian’s season 3 trailer reveals that Din Djarin is seen as a problem by other Mandalorians – including Bo-Katan. Bo-Katan accuses the Mandalorian of fracturing their people, which is a contradiction for the character considering that Bo-Katan was part of the Death Watch during the Clone Wars. The Death Watch was a dissident Mandalorian faction that wanted to restore Mandalore’s old ways, that is, they wanted a military planet rather than a pacificist one. Bo-Katan opposed the government of her own sister, Duchess Satine, which eventually led to Darth Maul taking over Mandalore and killing Satine. Darth Maul’s Mandalore takeover and later the Siege of Mandalore were some of the most tragic events in the history of Mandalore, which makes Bo-Katan’s accusation against Mando in The Mandalorian’s season 3 trailer very hypocritical.

Bo-Katan’s Clone Wars Story Is Important To The Mandalorian Season 3

The Mandalorian season 3 seems to be focused on how Din Djarin will deal with the responsibility of leading Mandalore and its people now that he has the Darksaber, which is why Bo-Katan’s Clone Wars story is so important. Bo-Katan is an exceptional fighter, but she has also dealt with Mandalore politics for decades. Clone Wars introduces Bo-Katan as a dissident warrior who was ready to plot against her own sister to do what she and the Death Watch believed to be the best for Mandalore. That proves how far Bo-Katan is willing to go for her planet, a jarring contrast compared to how personal Din Djarin’s story has been so far. Bo-Katan was ready to put family aside for Mandalore, and the same cannot be said regarding Mando and Grogu.

The conflict between Bo-Katan and Din Djarin in The Mandalorian season 3 is already looking very promising. Bo-Katan is not necessarily a villain, but the character has enough nuances to make for an exciting The Mandalorian season 3 antagonist. It remains to be seen if Bo-Katan and Mando will ever find common ground, or if Mandalore will see itself in the middle of yet another civil war.