The Mandalorian season 3 premiere is one to celebrate. First, for a few weeks, we will have double content from Pedro Pascal, the adoptive father of the moment who lives in a close and involuntary relationship with teenagers in the two series he stars: the Star Wars universe and The Last of Us, on HBO. And also, of course, marks the return of Grogu.

For the initiated, it is worth remembering where we started and where we are.

Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian debuted in 2019 to huge success. The story begins just five years after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983) and the fall of the Galactic Empire.

In a ‘peaceful’ universe, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), is a lone bounty hunter and follower of the Mandalorian line, who can never show their face in public. He hates and distrusts any droid for holding them responsible for the destruction of his family and planet. After finishing a job, he receives from Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) the mission to recover an unknown target from the obscure planet Arvala-7 in exchange for a large reward to be paid by a former follower of the Empire, “The Client” (Warner Herzog). The target, he said, is 50 years old and has a tracking signal. Upon reaching his goal, The Mandalorian discovers that the target – Grogu (whose name is only revealed in season 2) – looks like a child and is a being like the great master Yoda, also with a great connection to the Force. Immediately pained by his likely fate, instead of handing him over to the Empire, he flees to protect him and reunite him with his kind. Of course, it’s just the beginning of a long and dangerous adventure, where they are pursued by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), who wants to use Grogu’s powers with the Force.

In the second season, in 2020, the adventure continues with the Mandalorian on a mission to find other members of Grogu’s species. With that, “father and son” cross paths with several characters, including Boba Fett and other classics from the Star Wars universe such as Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), the rightful queen of Mandalore from the Clone Wars animated series. They soon discover that Grogu’s power is unique to the Jedi. With the help of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), they discover Grogu’s name and origin, determining that he needs to finish his training. However, Moff Gideon manages to kidnap the child and the Mandalorian has a super team of mercenaries to recover ‘his son’ and the Darksaber that is with the villain.

The sword is of personal interest to Bo-Katan because it grants the wielder the right to rule Mandalore. In a breathtaking final episode, the fight is fierce and the Mandalorian ends up taking the Darksaber from Moff Gideon, much to Bo-Katan’s shock because it means he is now the new ruler of Mandalore. When everything seems hopeless and they are surrounded by Darktroopers, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) saves them. He came to rescue Grogu back in Jedi training. That’s when “father and son” have to part and the Mandalorian ends up breaking his oath and removing his helmet so that Grogu can see his face. Grogu leaves with Luke, but the sadness of leaving the Mandalorian breaks everyone’s hearts.

Our story actually picks up after the events of Book of Boba Fett, where the Mandalorian and Grogu reunited (the child chose to stay with his “father”), so in this third season together they seek the Mandalorian’s surrender while the New Republic struggles to pull the Galaxy out of its dark history. On this mission, father and son cross paths with old allies and new enemies.

Now beware of the SPOILERS of the premiere episode, full of battles, but very complicated to follow for those who are not up to date with the Star Wars universe and that’s why it was far from unanimity.

We start with Din Djarin still trying to redeem himself with the “Mandalorians”, with Grogu at his side. The only way for him to be purified of his sins is in the living waters of the mines of the devastated planet Mandalore and to get there there’s a double fight with beings of other species, pirate ships, and so on. Din also needs to repair the android IG-11, who sacrificed himself in Season 1 to save Grogu, but now tilts and tries to kill the child. Still sticking to the model, our heroes must travel the galaxy to find a replacement memory circuit and must get permission from a resentful Bo-Katan who – minus Darksaber – has lost her leadership. Din and Grogu have the support of Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), but, as is already characteristic of the series, the original missions “get lost” with the obstacles that we know in each episode.

With great fight sequences and an infallible Grogu in his cuteness, the first episode introduces the season’s antagonists and recovers the unsuspecting of what happened in the Galaxy in recent years. A dynamic that pays for itself in the end.