The Mandalorian Shot Itself in the Leg With Just One Scene
The first episode of the third season made some fans furious with its controversial decision.
After more than two years of anticipation, the third season of The Mandalorian has finally arrived.
The season's first episode was warmly received by critics and audiences alike, earning an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.2 out of 10 on Metacritic.
However, not everything is as smooth as it seems. The episode's opening scene left some Star Wars fans wondering if Disney 's vision of the Mandalorian culture would live up to its Legends roots.
Star Wars Legends, formerly known as the Expanded Universe, encompasses all of the licensed and background stories of the Star Wars universe outside of the original six Star Wars films produced by George Lucas and certain other material, such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, created before April 25, 2014.
It is derived from and includes most official Star Wars books, comic books, video games, spin-off films, television series, toys, and other media created before Lucasfilm Ltd. rebranded the entire franchise in preparation for the upcoming sequel trilogy.
So how does the opening scene of The Mandalorian season 3 depart from the previously established Mandalorian culture?
It shows us an initiation ceremony on an unspecified planet that is interrupted by an aquatic beast that attacks the participants.
Given that the Mandalorians have always been portrayed as fierce warriors who often hunt some of the most dangerous creatures in the galaxy for sport, holding a ceremony involving their youngest members without first exploring the local fauna seems extremely incongruous with their culture.
In Legends, they even had a stronghold on Dxun, a jungle moon notorious for its predatory wildlife, which they managed to keep in relatively good shape due to their superior survival skills.
They also made hunting trips to the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk, a dark underground layer of the planet's forests teeming with ferocious beasts.
To add insult to injury, the show's version of the Mandalorians foolishly continue to fight the aforementioned aquatic creature when it's absolutely clear they don't have enough firepower to even wound it.
This contrasts sharply with the first episode of the second season, in which Din Djarin works with the natives of Tatooine to trick the fearsome Krayt dragon, rather than defeating it with pure brute force.
According to fans, this scene serves no practical purpose except as a cheap excuse to add some action right out of the gate.
Moreover, it only damages the image of a fan-favorite warrior culture, and fans hope that it is not a sign of a possible decline in the show's quality.
New episode of The Mandalorian premieres on March 8 on Disney Plus.