The creator of The Mandalorian has gone on record discussing how the upcoming third season is connected to The Book of Boba Fett.
The iconic bounty hunter's solo series wasn’t received all too well—in fact, many thought it was easily Star Wars' worst Disney+ show.
Despite that, there are two key episodes most fans love anyhow: “Return of the Mandalorian” and “From the Desert Comes a Stranger”.
Basically, they were unofficial episodes of The Mandalorian, completely focusing on Mando and Grogu as their separate paths eventually converged once again, something that will be the basis of the upcoming Season 3.
How The Mandalorian Season 3 Ties to Book of Boba Fett
In an interview with Empire Magazine, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau discussed the connections between The Book of Boba Fett and Din Dijarin's next set of episodes.
Favreau pointed out that Boba's series allowed audiences to see what "Mando was like without Baby Yoda" and what "Grogu was like without the Mandalorian:"
“... It's going to be interesting to see how this unfolds for people who may not have seen 'The Book Of Boba Fett'. But I think 'The Book Of Boba Fett' offered time to pass. You saw what Mando was like without Baby Yoda and we saw what Grogu was like without the Mandalorian and neither of them was doing too good. So them coming back together was a really good plot point that allows us to jump back into Season 3, while maintaining the central relationship.”
While there's been a long stretch of time since audiences have followed Mando's story, to him, he "[hasn't] set this story down," while also pointing out that The Book of Boba Fett "helped set the table for [The Mandalorian Season 3]:"
“I don’t know that it really feels like a break. It doesn’t feel like I’ve set this story down. I think that what happened in 'The Book Of Boba Fett', with the two characters [Mando and Grogu] being reunited, helped set the table for this season. In that way, I think that was very helpful, because the core relationship in the show is that central relationship, and the end of Season 2 left us in a very different place. So the time passage allowed us to bring the characters back together in a way that was organic to the situation.”
To Favreau, Star Wars is "one big, expansive galaxy and timeframe," one that they never stop exploring:
“Star Wars, I think of as one big, expansive galaxy and timeframe. So we’re able to look at things across a very broad spectrum. The time in-between, it wasn’t time spent away because we were making Boba Fett, and that story was affecting the stories we were telling in Mandalorian. It’s just one big, long timeline that we keep exploring different areas of.”
Could Boba Fett's Return Be Just Around the Corner?
There are signs that Boba Fett will make an appearance in Mando’s upcoming third season.
For one, the titular character can be seen returning to Tatooine in one of the trailers. Given the history between the two, it wouldn’t be surprising if Din Djarin is there to see Boba Fett specifically.
Then there’s the storyline of Cobb Vanth, who was miraculously saved at the end of Book of Boba Fett. With the character having debuted in live-action during The Mandalorian, resolving that storyline on the mothership show makes perfect sense.
That's not to mention the cover of Empire Magazine, which featured Boba's helmet front and center.
Maybe this new batch of episodes could even go back and check on Cad Bane—the bounty hunter who many believe died after his brawl with Boba.
Additionally, based on previous footage, Din Dijarin is recruiting help. Boba Fett would be of the people who he calls first.
The Mandalorian's third season premieres on Disney+ on March 1, while The Book of Boba Fett is now streaming on the service.
