The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Brings A Star Wars Planet You've Heard About Into Live-Action
Warning: this post contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian" season 3 premiere.
The long wait is over "Star Wars" fans; "The Mandalorian" season 3 is finally upon us. It has been well over two years since the show's season 2 finale premiered, delivering us one of the most memorable moments in the history of the franchise. But that was a long, long time ago, long enough for Mando and Grogu to be reunited in "The Book of Boba Fett," restoring this show's status quo in time for its new season. Now, Mando is on a quest for redemption, and that quest took him to a pretty important — though little discussed — planet within the galaxy.
Din Djarin is attempting to atone for taking his helmet off and earn back his good standing with his clan. To do that, he must bathe in the waters beneath the mines of Mandalore, a planet thought to be (quite literally) poisoned from the horrors of war with the Empire. Be that as it may, Mando is determined to get back in his clan's good graces, and he pays a visit to Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) before heading to the home planet of their people. So, where is Bo-Katan hanging her helmet these days? A little planet in the Mandalore system called Kalevala, which may sound familiar to fans of "The Clone Wars" animated series.
Kalevala appeared by way of mention in "The Clone Wars" as the place where Bo-Katan and her sister, Duchess Satine Kryze, were born. It is the homeworld of the House of Kryze, which is extremely significant given that Satine was the leader of the New Mandalorians, and because Bo-Katan led the Mandalorians against the Empire when she possessed the Darksaber. In this episode, titled "The Apostate," we finally get to see the planet in the flesh.
From animation to live-action
The vision of Kalevala we actually see in "The Mandalorian" season 3 is not exactly a glimmering, positive one. It is a seemingly desolate, yet sort of beautiful world that has nothing left to offer Bo-Katan. She is toiling away in a castle pretty quietly, only to be bothered to sit up from her throne when Mando arrives. She is bitter and it almost feels like this has become the place where she feels most comfortable throwing in the towel. She failed to get the Darksaber from Moff Gideon, and now it's come to this.
What remains unclear is just how significant a role Kalevala will play as the season rolls on, or as the Mando-verse expands for that matter. What is key to note is that it's yet another example of the show's executive producer Dave Filoni bringing concepts he introduced in animation to live-action. Filoni was the chief creative force behind "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels," and he has used these live-action shows as an excuse to bring many elements from his previous series back. Or, in some cases, expand upon them.
It's also pretty impressive that, for the most part, the locations, characters, and bits of lore Filoni is bringing from animation to live-action both work for fans who are familiar with them, and for newcomers who didn't watch "The Clone Wars" or "Rebels." It's Filoni proving that he understands "Star Wars" perhaps better than anyone, and having him as a major creative force at Lucasfilm only serves to benefit viewers.
"The Mandalorian" season 3 returns with new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.