The ending of "Chapter 18" of The Mandalorian may have a huge impact on the rest of Season 3.
Star Wars' flagship series on Disney+ is back in full swing as Episode 2 of Season 3 was recently released on the streaming platform.
As always, Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and Grogu continue their adventure as Din aims to cleanse himself of his "transgressions" in the living waters beneath the Mines of Mandalore.
However, the end of the episode included a major revelation that will not only impact the near future but possibly the rest of the entire series when it was revealed that Mandalore holds a secret that has been all but a myth for centuries.
The Importance of The Mandalorian's Mythosaur
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for "Chapter 18" of The Mandalorian.
"Chapter 18" of The Mandalorian revealed that the fabled Mythosaur is actually real and that one still lives beneath the Mines of Mandalore.
As Din cleanses himself in the waters, he's pulled under the surface. When Bo-Katan jetpacks down to retrieve him, she comes face-to-face with the creature on the way up.
Throughout the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, as well as The Book of Boba Fett, it was revealed that the Mythosaur and the ruler of Mandalore go hand-in-hand with each other.
In "Chapter 5" of The Book of Boba Fett, Emily Swallow's the Armorer explained the prophecy of the Mythosaur to Din:
"The songs of eons past foretold of the Mythosaur rising up to herald a new age of Mandalore."
However, she then added that the creature "only exists in legends," meaning that even she doesn't truly believe in all of the Mandalorian stories.
As seen in the latest episode of The Mandalorian, and explained in The Book of Boba Fett, the planet of Mandalore is currently a wasteland and uninhabited by everything aside from some creatures.
The prophecy of the Mythosaur almost perfectly describes the current state of Mandalore - a ravaged and destroyed planet with no ruler.
That being said, the prophecy could be close to being fulfilled.
1.) Mythosaur Lore in Series Premiere
It is also important to note what Nick Nolte's Kuiil revealed about the Mythosaur in Season 1.
When Kuiil was teaching Din to ride the Blurrg in the series premiere, he revealed that the Mandalorians of long ago "rode the great Mythosaur:"
"You are a Mandalorian. Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal."
While this initially seemed to be just a bit of exposition, it may have actually been foreshadowing.
If Din does somehow learn to tame and/or ride the Mythosaur that is currently on Mandalore at some point during Season 3, Kuiil's comments from "Chapter 1" would be paid off.
2.) Din's Rise as the Ruler of Mandalore
Din is currently still in possession of the Darksaber.
Since he won the weapon by defeating Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon in combat, that means that Din is the rightful ruler of Mandalore for the time being.
The Book of Boba Fett also featured the Armorer telling Din about the Darksaber, where she said, "Whoever wields it can lead all of Mandalore."
Perhaps Din's encounter with the Mythosaur wasn't a simple coincidence.
If he can learn to truly wield the Darksaber and master it (maybe with a bit of teaching from Sabine Wren), Din could truly become Mandalore's next ruler and fulfill the prophecy by rising up with the Mythosaur to rebuild Mandalore.
3.) Bo-Katan's Change of Attitude
When it comes to their beliefs about the Mandalorian Creed, Din and Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze couldn't be farther apart.
He is strictly on the side of not removing his helmet, following every rule, and doing things exactly as the Creed says.
She, however, follows everything much more loosely, and it could even be argued that she really doesn't follow traditional Mandalorian beliefs at all.
Bo-Katan made it clear on multiple occasions that she didn't believe that the Living Waters held any type of power, and regarded everything along those lines as children's stories.
However, her reaction in "Chapter 18" of The Mandalorian after coming face-to-face with the Mythosaur proved that it was the last thing she was expecting to see, and it is likely that some of her beliefs will change moving forward.
After being so against Din's way of thinking, Bo-Katan may actually switch sides and start to believe the same way as him, possibly resulting in an unstoppable duo and an unbreakable friendship with Din.
4.) Bo-Katan as Din's Adversary
In Season 2 of The Mandalorian, Bo-Katan made it clear that she wanted the Darksaber more than anything so that she could rule Mandalore.
Even though at the moment she seems to be fine with Din still having it, that could quickly change.
Now that she knows the Mythosaur is real, which will probably mean she'll start to believe the tales and prophecies she regarded as children's stories, she may think that she should be the one to rebuild Mandalore.
After all, her family is royalty, and she has never been one to shy away from anything, so just her seeing the Mythosaur may change the outcome of the entirety of Season 3.
5.) The Mandalorian Clans - United or Divided?
If the other Mandalorian clans learn of the Mythosaur's existence, it can be expected that there will be more than one in pursuit of Din Djarin, the Darksaber, and anyone else that may stand in the way.
Some Mandalorian clans include Clan Mudhorn, which consists of Din and Grogu, and Clan Kryze, which is led by Bo-Katan and formerly consisted of characters such as Koska Reeves and Axe Woves, but at the present time in canon, they may be gone.
The Tribe is also a Clan that could definitely come into play since Paz Vizsla is a part of it, and also the Armorer. Vizsla already displayed his desire for the Darksaber since his ancestor, Tarre Vizsla, created the Darksaber and passed it down the family line.
Another Clan to keep in mind in this entire picture is Clan Wren, which Sabine Wren is a part of. It was confirmed that she will be present in the Ahsoka series, but if all of the other Clans are present, Sabine's live-action introduction may just come in The Mandalorian.
Once news of the Mythosaur spreads, all of the clans in question could end up in all-out warfare.
This conflict could even take place on Mandalore once they learn that the planet isn't poisoned and could in fact be inhabitable.
However, it is also possible that the Mythosaur could unite all of the Clans and finally bring peace among the Mandalorians that they haven't had in many years.
If Din does fulfill the prophecy and restores Mandalore with the Darksaber and the Mythosaur, that could be enough to prove to the Clans that they have found their rightful leader.
In any case, the Mythosaur's appearance in Season 3 will definitely have some sort of effect in the coming episodes, and could possibly even influence the course of the entire series.
The first two chapters of Season 3 of The Mandalorian are available to stream on Disney+, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday.
