When Disney+ launched, it didn’t have a whole lot of fresh content on it. None of the Marvel shows had launched and the sequel Star Wars trilogy hadn’t done as well as Disney had hoped. So it couldn’t use that as a lure to make sure that people subscribed to the streaming site.
But it had one thing- The Mandalorian. And that was enough to draw in viewers and show that the streaming service offered quality programming. It can be said that this one Star Wars show was powerful enough to make the fledgling streaming site strong enough to challenge the dominance of popular sites like Netflix.
Right now, The Mandalorian is definitely one of the most beloved Star Wars projects. In fact, many Star Wars fans might say that it is the first project since the house of mouse took over Lucasfilm in 2012 that has garnered only positive appreciation from fans and critics alike.
The Mandalorian was set in a time after the original trilogy of Star Wars movies i.e after Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi (1983) when the Galactic Empire was supposed to be destroyed. It brought to fans a likeable anti-hero in the form of Din Djarin and introduced the cutest character in the franchise- Grogu or as he is better known to fans- Baby Yoda.
Pedro Pascals Din Djarin became a fan favorite quickly. But along with him Baby Yoda, as well as others like Cara Dune, Geef Karga, and Moff Gideon were loved by fans in various capacities as well. Din Djarin prides himself on working with the Bounty Hunter Guild.
He never asked questions and instead just did his job. But once The Child arrives, that changes forever. Instead of following his direct orders, Mando’s decisions set him on a galactic quest to reunite Grogu with the people who will take care of him.
Grogu
This leads him to cross paths with Ashoka Tano in the second season of the show, much to the delight of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels fans. But now that Grogu is with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, and Fennec Shand along with Boba Fett is taking over Tatooine so the story seems to be at a crux. And fans are asking- what’s next for Din Djarin?
Mandalorian And Baby Yoda
Now, the wait for season 3 is long. But there are fan theories already about what can happen to Din Djarin in the next season. One theory states that we might see a long forgotten crime syndicate make their Star Wars debut (in canon) in The Mandalorian.
Previously, we saw that Din Djarin was the owner of the Darksaber, and the rightful ruler of Mandalore after winning the duel with Moff Gideon and facing his dark army. But showrunner Jon Favreau didn’t particularly signal any incentive that Din Djarin might have to become Mandalore’s ruler.
Instead, it felt like this was more of a burden than a long-awaited win for Mando. Also, there’s someone else who wants to gain the sword desperately- his ally Bo-Katan Kryze. So right now it looks like Din will be relinquishing the Darksaber so that she can finally rule Mandalore.
So with no Darksaber or Grogu, there seems to be nothing on the horizon for Mando. But it doesn’t seem like Din Djarin will be relaxing anytime soon at all. Fans think that the arrival of Legends Zahn Consortium could give the Mandalorian his next goal.
Zahn Consortium
The Zahn Consortium was first seen in the video game titled Star Wars: Empires of War: Forces of Corruption in 2006. So this belongs to the Legends era. Here’s how Inverse describes The Zahn Consortium:
“The Zann Consortium was named after Tyber Zahn a crime lord, rabble-rouser, and a general bad boy with a vendetta against the Empire because he was expelled from the Imperial academy as a child. He was an equal-opportunity crime lord though and interfered with the Rebellion as well.”
The fan theory says that Zahn’s interests, especially his influence amongst the galactic crime rings in Empire of War: Forces of Corruption, pretty much happens during the same time frame as the one The Mandalorian is set in. So this means that it too is set in the post- Return Of The Jedi era of the Skywalker Saga.
As such, it’s definitely possible that Zahn’s crime gang could be introduced in the next season. To make things more interesting, the theory suggests that the crime gang could solve a sequel trilogy issue as well.
Here’s what the theory essentially states:
The Zahn Consortium works perfectly in the empty period that might succeed the era of the Bounty Hunters Guild. If Mando gets employed there, then we could get to see how the underworld works in the post-Empire galaxy in much more detail. Also, we might get to take a look at Palpatine’s vaults and get to know some Sith lore.
Now, let’s unpack it. Palpatine returned in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), but his entrance into the Star Wars universe actually opened up more questions than it could give answers to. Questions were asked about- what was he doing all this while? What was Exegol? And who was Sith Eternal?
This theory could introduce elements and clues about the Siths and their scramble for survival after the Rebel Alliance seemingly winning against their enemies. Also, introducing Zahn would allow us to see how the shift in the larger power positions affects people under their jurisdiction.
It seems like Dave Filonis’ The Bad Batch is doing something similar. After all, we saw two Clone Wars characters coming back to deal with the events that occurred after the fall of the Republic and the rise of Emperor Palpatine as well as the Empire.
Also, introducing this crime syndicate would free the show of the mission-by-mission structure. After all, it really was fun to see the expanded parts of the galaxy, but this weekly structure would have been a tad bit boring to watch going into the third season. Also, we feel like bringing someone who is relatively unknown into the show would have helped keep the momentum going on the premiere show of Lucasfilms.
We are now two seasons in with a third that will soon go into production. Right now, expectations are high for the third season and so Jon Favreau certainly has a lot to live up to. Also, when The Mandalorian will come back, it will join other Disney+ shows like Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett in the same timeline. So having the Zahn storyline will keep the series fresh and interesting by introducing new characters and angles.
But will it actually happen? Or will season 3 surprise us with something new? That remains to be seen. But right now, it looks like we will have to wait for a long time since it doesn’t look like The Mandalorian season 3 can premiere anytime soon before mid-2022.
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