Summary
Star Warshas been forever changed byThe Mandalorian, but after season 3 was met with mixed reviews, it seems as if many fans have chosen to forget this altogether - and I’m tired of it. The reception ofThe Mandalorianseason 1 could not have been better, and at the time, it was praised as the best workStar Warshad done in many years. It was held up as a golden standard forStar Warscontent even through season 2, especially as it paved the way forStar Warslive-action television as a whole. This, however, has since changed.
WhenThe Mandalorianseason 3 failed to meet many fans' expectations, the entire attitude around the TV show shifted dramatically. Suddenly, it was as if the impact of the show’s first two seasons didn’t matter at all. The show plummeted in fans' rankings, and some even began to claim that the entire show has been ruined - and that its first two seasons were not as revolutionary as the fandom first thought them to be. As someone whose favoriteStar Warsproject ever isThe Mandalorian, this has not only been hurtful to see, but also just downright wrong.
All 3 Seasons Of The Mandalorian, Ranked Worst To Best
As Star Wars' first live-action TV show, The Mandalorian has grown quite a legacy with high praises - & here’s how all 3 seasons of the show rank.
The Mandalorian Seasons 1 & 2 Changed Star Wars Forever
Its Impact Cannot Be Forgotten Nor Disregarded
The worst part about the wayThe Mandalorianis currently treated after season 3 is that the impact of its first two seasons is being completely overlooked. Prior toThe Mandalorianseason 1,live-actionStar WarsTV was essentially nonexistent. Without the success ofThe Mandalorian, TV shows such asAndor,Ahsoka, and more would never have happened.Star WarsneededThe Mandalorianto prove itself first before it could greenlight any other series, and it not only proved that live-actionStar WarsTV could work, but that it could become massive.
Without the success of The Mandalorian, TV shows such as Andor, Ahsoka, and more would never have happened.
The Mandalorianis not nearly as credited for this achievement as it should be, especially in the post-season 3 world. Better yet,it accomplished this feat without any legacy characters, taking place in a part oftheStar Warstimelinethat was completely barren in canon. I will never forget how revolutionary it was at the time, and how compelling I found characters likeDin DjarinandGroguto be on their own, without any association or relation to the Skywalkers. It amazes me how some people have forgotten this, all because of one season.
93%
92%
91%
85%
51%
What gets me the most about this is thatThe Mandalorianis now being dismissed entirely because of one season.The Mandalorianseason 3 is only 8 episodes of a 24-episode-long TV show, 28 episodes if those three in the latter half ofThe Book of Boba Fettare counted. It’s utterly baffling to me, then, that people are willing to dismissThe Mandalorianas a whole just because of one season failing to meet the expectations and standards of what came before. Better yet,The Mandalorianseason 3 isn’t even as bad as many people say.
The biggest problem withThe Mandalorianseason 3 is that it’s vastly different from the first two seasons. This is why there’s such a divide between fans who loved season 3 and those who didn’t;it was still an incredibleStar Warsstory, it just didn’t feel likeThe Mandalorian’s story. To put downThe Mandalorianas a whole for this is simply unfair, especially when its legacy in theStar Warsfranchise is so remarkable. One season cannot change what Din Djarin and Grogu’s story has done forStar Warsin the last five years.
All 24 Episodes Of The Mandalorian, Ranked From Worst To Best
As Star Wars' first live-action TV show, The Mandalorian is both historic and beloved. Here are all 24 of its episodes, ranked from worst to best.
Star Wars TV Seasons Should Be Treated Like Separate Movies
Each Story Is Vastly Different
There’s a simple fix to this mindset that ought to be adopted by theStar Warsfandom as a whole, and that’s treating seasons ofStar WarsTV like we do the movies. As an example, some fans may conclude that of theStar Warsprequel trilogy,Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clonesis the weakest entry. This one movie, however, doesn’t ruin the entire prequel trilogy, especially not whenStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithexists. It almost sounds outlandish to even suggest such a thing.
This is the same mindset shows likeThe Mandaloriandeserve with their different seasons.Each season has its own storyline just as the movies do, with season 1 focusing on Din Djarin and Grogu’s initial bond and fight against Moff Gideon for Grogu’s freedom, season 2 focusing on Din Djarin’s quest to reunite Grogu with his own kind, and season 3 focusing on the reclamation of Mandalore. That makes it entirely possible to separate a season from the show as a whole, and still conclude thatThe Mandalorianas a whole is a greatStar Warsproject.
The Mandalorian Is Still Disney Star Wars' Most Important Project
Its Star Wars Future Is Still Bright
At the end of the day, no matter what fans think ofThe Mandalorianseason 3 or say about this show as a whole, there’s no denying that it’s one of the franchise’s most important projects ever. IfA New Hopepaved the way forStar Warsstorytelling in movies, thenThe Mandaloriandid the same in television. WhileThe Mandaloriancannot truly match up withA New Hopedue to the latter being the origin of theStar Warsfranchise as a whole, it still clearly accomplishes a similar feat in terms of revolutionizing a popular storytelling medium.
If A New Hope paved the way for Star Wars storytelling in movies, then The Mandalorian did the same in television.
This is why I’m done with hearing thatThe Mandalorianis ruined because of season 3. The theme ofStar Warsas a whole is hope, and the fact thatno one or anything is ever too far gone to be saved. It is very much the current trend of theStar Warsfandom to turn on something vehemently if it doesn’t meet expectations, and unfortunately, I’ve now had to watch it happen withThe Mandalorian. What hurts the most is seeing seasons 1 and 2, as remarkable and incredible as they are, be forgotten and mistreated so easily.
Thankfully,The Mandalorianwill be taking matters into its own hands to clear its name. Though the fate ofThe Mandalorianseason 4remains unknown,its characters and story will be the first to takeStar Warsto the movie theater since 2019’sStar Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerwithThe Mandalorian & Grogumovie, which will be directed by Jon Favreau himself. Given that his directorial episode ofThe Mandalorian, “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” is so beloved by fans, I have no doubtThe Mandalorianwill earn its justice in due time.
The Mandalorian
Cast
Released on July 06, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
