The Mandalorian season 3 premier dropped today and boy, did it pack a lot into it less-than-30-minute run time. The episode touched on plenty of established lore and themes that have appeared in other Star Wars media, but one artifact stood out — a pivotal piece of season 3’s plot in the form of a shard of debris from the surface of Mandalore.
Where did it come from?
This is the first appearance of the glass, so we only know what Din told the Armorer. He retrieved the shard from some Jawas, who in turn had obtained it from a traveler. The inscriptions on the stone are Mandalorian, but the more interesting aspect of the artifact is the Armorer’s assertion that its existence proves that Mandalore has been crystalized by fusion rays.
What happened to Mandalore?
The crystallization is the byproduct of the Empire’s last ditch effort to curb the Mandalorian threat. After the Mandalorian Civil Wars, there was a brief period of respite for the inhabitants of the warrior planet. Bo Katan Kryze was anointed queen after deposing Gar Saxon of Clan Saxon before the fall of the Galactic Republic. After Order 66, the Republic forces initially stationed on Mandalore became the first wave of the Empire’s assault on the planet.
Many Mandalorian’s were reluctant to bow, and Bo Katan outright refused the new regime. In a bid to finish the reformation started by Clan Saxon, the Empire dispatched Moff Gideon. Gideon took a fleet of Star Destroyers and bombed the surface of the planet. The fusion rays from the blasts crystalized the planet and left it uninhabitable.
The artifact changes things; Mando now has enough evidence to prove (at least to himself) that the surface of Mandalore isn’t as inhospitable as once assumed. With his desire to lose his apostate status, Din and Grogu are destined to breach the atmosphere of Mandalore this season. Without the help of IG-11, they may have some problems navigating the toxic air on their way to the supposedly-dead planet. One thing is for sure, if the nameless traveler that sold the glass to the Jawas could survive the Mandalorian home world, then Din and Grogu can too.
