This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season three premiere
For most characters, violently exploding would be their end, but not so in The Mandalorian. Din Djarin’s mission, as established in The Book of Boba Fett and in early scenes of the latest episode, is to journey to the Mines of Mandalore and redeem himself for removing his helmet and breaking the Mandalorian code.
Unfortunately for Din, the planet is said to be an inhospitable poisoned wasteland, so he’s on the hunt for a droid to accompany him, and who better than his old pal IG-11? The killer droid was last seen in the season one finale, activating his self-destruct sequence to save Din and Grogu from a squad of Stormtroopers.
Now he’s been memorialized in a statue on Nevarro constructed using whatever parts they could recover, but Din still sees some potential, and sets to work bringing him back. Unfortunately, it seems IG-11 reverted to his old “Kill Grogu” programming, and in a riff on The Terminator, dragged his torso across the floor while attempting to murder everyone’s favorite pint-sized Force user.
Din isn’t giving up, though, and is apparently on the hunt for a new memory core to at least make him less homicidal, even if it seems he won’t ever be the droid he was.
Taika Waititi returned to voice IG-11, and indications are that he’s going to continue to play a role in the show once he’s repaired. Having a droid like this on a mission to a poisoned planet is a smart move, as he’ll be immune from any radiation or toxic elements in the atmosphere, to say nothing of his combat abilities.
Even so, you’d think that the fact he’s a killing machine bent on tearing Grogu limb from limb would give Din Djarin some hesitation to power him on again. We guess answers are coming next week.
The Mandalorian airs Wednesdays on Disney Plus.
Published: Mar 1, 2023 03:59 am