Latest Star Wars News: Fans rejoice as ‘The Mandalorian’ returns, but what’s going on with the space whales?

It’s a banner day for Star Wars fans. Din Djarin and Grogu have returned to Disney Plus for the first time since 2021’s The Book of Boba Fett for The Mandalorian season three. Even better, those years away haven’t slowed them down one bit. The season three premiere opened with a fun bait-and-switch involving a giant crocodile monster, we got introduced to a whole bunch of old ‘Mandoverse’ friends, and may have even gotten a super subtle tease as to what’s coming down the line in future shows.

So, let’s get stuck into the hows, whys, and what-the-hell-is-that’s of the episode.

The Mandalorian quickly says goodbye to Cara Dune

Prior to season three, many fans were wondering how the show was going to deal with Gina Carano getting fired by Disney and Lucasfilm. The Cara Dune actor kicked up an almighty stink soon after the second season aired by filling her Twitter with anti-vax conspiracy theories, Trumpy election fearmongering, and saying being a Republican is like being Jewish during the Holocaust.

We already knew that the creative team still considered Dune part of the universe, though for obvious reasons her screen time is over. The Mandalorian neatly addressed her absence early in the episode, where Din Djarin tells Greef Karga he thinks she’d make a great law keeper for his town.

Unfortunately, she’s not available to take the gig as, in his words: “After she brought in Moff Gideon, she was recruited by special forces.”

That’s probably the last we’ll hear of Cara Dune. If Carano had shown even a modicum of restraint on social media this line would have teased her own solo Disney Plus show Rangers of the New Republic. That project is now firmly canceled and Carano is stuck making mini-budgeted Z-movies for Ben Shapiro’s Daily Dot, which, let’s face it, is probably punishment in and of itself.

Are the space whales teasing the next big Star Wars hero?

One of the most interesting moments in the episode came during Din and Grogu’s trip through hyperspace. Here Grogu spotted mysterious and gigantic whale-like creatures traveling alongside them. These are called Purrgil, space whales so rare they’re generally considered a legend even by experienced pilots. Din didn’t seem to notice them, but we think Grogu’s Force sensitivity allowed him to spot their presence.

But these may not just have been an Easter Egg for die-hard fans. Purrgil made their debut in Star Wars Rebels, where Jedi padawan Ezra Bridger communicated with them and attacked Grand Admiral Thrawn’s fleet. Deadline has reported that Eman Esfandi is lined up to play Bridger in Ahsoka later this year, so many fans have taken the appearance of Purrgil as a sign that Bridger may return in this series of The Mandalorian.

Dave Filoni isn’t shy about crossing over the live-action Star Wars shows with the animated ones, so anyone looking to keep up with the wider story may want to catch up on Rebels fairly soon so they can get a handle on Ezra Bridger before he pops up here.

Fans left baffled by Jon Favreau’s Grogu timeline explanation

In The Book of Boba Fett, we saw Din and Grogu’s reunion, with those episodes apparently indicating that the pint-sized Force-user’s tutelage under Luke Skywalker was very brief. But comments from Jon Favreau have thrown the fanbase into confusion, as he claims that Grogu spent two long years lifting rocks alongside the iconic Jedi Master.

Many were quick to note a two-year gap doesn’t fit with what we’ve seen in the shows, so Favreau has attempted to clarify things.

“It’s probably about the real-time that we’ve experienced it. So, it was the end of season two when they say goodbye, we checked in, in The Book of Boba Fett about a year ago, when they parted company again, and then he rejoined the Mandalorian.” 

This still doesn’t make much sense, particularly as it didn’t look like Din Djarin had spent so much time journeying around the galaxy on his own. Oh well, the silver lining is that if Grogu received more Force training than we previously thought, he’ll be more capable in battle later in the season.

Exactly how that’s going to pan out is anyone’s guess, though we suspect Din and Grogu will find more than they’re expecting when they head deep into the Mines of Mandalore.

The Mandalorian airs Wednesdays on Disney Plus