Ahead of The Mandalorian Season 3's March debut, a new report revealed that a familiar villainous from Star Wars: The Last Jedi will appear.
After a more-than-two-year gap between seasons for Star Wars' premiere Disney+ series, Din Djarin and Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) finally return in just a few weeks.
The upcoming third season will seemingly act as a "culmination" of the series thus far, tackling what it means "to be a real Mandalorian."
While a couple of familiar faces from Mandalorian seasons passed will pop up, Season 3 will provide ample opportunity to bring in even more from across the Star Wars canon.
One instance of this Lucaisn connective tissue will come in the shape of a familiar scarlet soldier set to appear in Mandalorian Season 3.
From Star Wars Sequel Trilogy to Streaming Series
After first being reported back in March 2022, fans got a first look at the Praetorian Guards as they will appear in The Mandalorian Season 3.
MakingStarWars exclusively revealed a first look at the crimson red villain guards, who fans may remember from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
This take on the Guards looks similar to those that pop up in The Last Jedi, with some minor differences in the helmet and armor. The look feels a bit more akin to a heavy Storm Trooper armor, featuring a more tactical look than the samurai-esque Sequel take, but the bright red armor is a dead giveaway that these are Praetorian.
These armored figures served as protectors of Supreme Leader Snoke in Episode VIII and will now serve series villain Moff Gideon (played by Giancarlo Esposito).
It has been reported that Gideon will sport new black and red Mandalorian armor in the upcoming third season, which when paired with the Praetorian Guards will harken back to Darth Vader and the Emperor's Royal Guard in the Original Trilogy.
A Praetorian Guard Origin Story for The Mandalorian
As this Mandalorian take on the Praetorian Guards will sit right between their appearance in The Last Jedi and the original trilogy (where it is assumed their visual inspiration comes from), this could possibly mean that audiences are about to see the origins of this villainous imperial guard.
If not a full deep dive into their history, this could be the opportunity for Jon Favreau and co. to at least tie the Praetorians with the Emperor's Royal Guard.
The Mandalorian has done a fantastic job at playing in the space between Episode VI and VII, and this has the possibility to create even more ties from one saga to another, just like they have done with characters like Bo Katan and Luke Skywalker.
And surely seeing these bright red warriors standing alongside the dastardly Moff Gideon will up his perceived level of threat for viewers, bringing about visions of the series' ultimate villain, Darth Vader.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is set to begin its Disney+ run on March 1.
