Summary
Despite beingStar Wars’biggest success in recent years,The Mandalorianstill has quite a few parts of its story that make no sense. Nearly five years after its debut,The Mandalorianhas since run for three seasons and is now in production for its own movie,The Mandalorian & Grogu.Din DjarinandGroguhave also become staples of the franchise, cementing themselves as two ofStar Wars’best characters. This success has certainly come about for a reason, as its story is well-beloved amongstStar Warsaudiences - though it has still had its stumbles.
While many viewers would point towardsThe Mandalorianseason 3, the series' lowest-rated installment, as the weakest point in the TV show’s story, all three seasons have had their moments that still make no sense. Some are more trivial than others, ranging from a single moment that loses any suspended belief to a core part of the story that’s now utterly nonsensical. Even as some ofStar Wars’very best storytelling, there are 10 glaring things aboutThe Mandalorianthat make no sense.
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10The New Republic Blows Up A Space Station Without Knowing Why
Just Because There Was a Tracking Beacon
The prison ship heist in “Chapter 6: The Prisoner” gives viewers their first real look at something directly related to theNew Republicin the handful of years following the events ofReturn of the Jedi, and while it does successfully prove just how fledgling this new government is, it may have gone to an extreme. After being betrayed byRanzar Malk’s gang, Din Djarin makes it a key part of his plan to take the activated tracking beacon and send it back with Qin. Din’s plan is a success, and Ranzar’s Roost space station is destroyed.
Given that Migs Mayfeld says in this very episode that tracking beacons will cause New Republic attack teams to “blow us all to hell,” this isn’t a huge surprise, but it still feels like a very extreme move - especially considering the fact thatthese X-wing pilots don’t even know why they’re destroying this space station. All it takes is their sensors picking up on a launching gunship inside the space station for them to fire relentlessly. This makes the New Republic seem unnecessarily aggressive, especially in an era where they were hesitant to use their military and navy whatsoever.
9Din & Grogu Fly Across The Galaxy Just To See Bo-Katan
They Go Back-and-Forth Just For a Droid & a Tune-Up
Space travel isn’t always clear inStar Warsin terms of how far apart things are or how long it takes to reach different planets, but additional resources such as sourcebooks andStar Warsgalaxy mapshave helped to chart these distances - which has created one glaring issue inThe Mandalorianseason 3. At the end of the season premiere, Din and Grogu go from Nevarro to Kalevala, the latter of which resides in the Mandalore system. These two planets are all the way across the galaxy from one another.
It would make sense if Din went to Mandalore right after this pit stop to check in with Bo-Katan, but he didn’t. Instead,Din takes them all the way back to Tatooine, which is just another sector or so over from Nevarro. The purpose of this trip is simply to get refueled and to try to find a part for IG-11 at Peli Motto’s hangar, though Din ends up with R5-D4 instead. Afterward, Din goes right back to where they started: the Mandalore system. This seems like a waste of both time and fuel for Din.
8The Mandalorians Gave Up Too Easily On Saving Their Homeworld
Bo-Katan Losing the Darksaber Ended Their Own Dedication
Bo-Katan’s quest for theDarksaberends aburuptly inThe Mandalorianseason 2 finale, when Din Djarin accidentally earns the revered Mandalorian weapon for himself by dueling Moff Gideon. Because it must be earned in combat, Bo-Katan refuses to accept it from Din, who attempts to yield and pass it off to her. Not having the Darksaber means Bo-Katan cannot rule in the eyes of her people, and this causes her to step away from the effort altogether - but not just her.
While it’s true that Din had no interest in retaking Mandalore at the time, it’s still hard to believe that these Mandalorians who had long since been seeking to reclaim their homeworld would simply give that all up just because of the Darksaber.
Axe Woves, Koska Reeves, and Bo-Katan’s other allies all give up when she does, too, refusing to follow Din Djarin as their leader. Not only that, but they also give up on their homeworld altogether, seeing the Darksaber’s transfer over to Din Djarin - a fellow Mandalorian - as a stopping point. While it’s true that Din had no interest in retaking Mandalore at the time, it’s still hard to believe that these Mandalorians who had long since been seeking to reclaim their homeworld would simply give that all up just because of the Darksaber.
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7Din Djarin’s Helmet Can Be Pressurized, But He Still Drowns
How Come He Drowns, But Bo-Katan & Others Don’t?
“Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore” sees Din Djarin pressurizing his helmet for the very first time when he steps out into Mandalore’s atmosphere to find R5-D4. This prevents him from breathing in any potential toxins in the air that he hasn’t yet had a chance to test, and it makes a sound akin to Darth Vader’s respirator. It’s a fascinating new development to his iconic helmet, and while it certainly serves the story in this moment, it also affects two different scenes ofThe Mandalorianin a confusing way.
Din nearly drowns twice inThe Mandalorian, both when he and Bo-Katan first meet inThe Mandalorianseason 2 and later on in this same season 3 episode. Now that it’s been confirmed he can pressurize his helmet, it makes little sense that he’s somehow managed to nearly drown in his full suit of armor on two different occasions. In season 3, it can at least be explained that he had no time to pressurize his helmet before he fell, butin season 2, he voluntarily dove into the water - and could have pressurized his helmetas he did that.
6The Armorer Lets Bo-Katan Remove Her Helmet, But Not Din Djarin
Her Acceptance Seems to be Conditional (For Now)
Part of the reason why Din Djarin removing his helmet twice inThe Mandalorianseason 2 and breaking his Creed for Grogu has so much impact is because audiences know he’s sacrificing the favor of his covert, and of his Creed, for this child. This makes it no surprise that he’s excommunicated from his Mandalorian tribe by theArmorer, but what follows is certainly a bit shocking. Din goes to great lengths to get his redemption in theLiving Watersbeneath the mines of Mandalore, risking his life multiple times to do so, and he ultimately succeeds.
Then, not long after, it’s the Armorer who tells Bo-Katan to remove her helmet, as she “walks both worlds.” It’s clear that becoming allies with Bo-Katan has made the Armorer more accepting of those who follow a different way, and that this story choice was intentional, but it also makes Din’s struggle for redemption seem somewhat meaningless.If the Armorer was going to accept those who don’t always wear their helmets anyway, then why did Din have to nearly die multiple times just to be considered a Mandalorian again- and why wasn’t he the one to change her mind?
5Ahsoka Saw Grogu’s Attachments, But Luke Didn’t
She Let Him Find Training Despite the Supposed Danger
Ahsoka Tano’s reasoning for not training Grogu inThe Mandalorianseason 2 makes sense, especially when she indirectly referencesAnakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side, but this isn’t a dealbreaker for her about Grogu receiving training as a whole. Though she’s adamant about letting his abilities fade rather than letting him wield his power,Ahsoka still gives Din Djarin what he’s looking for by offering him another avenue to getting Grogu trained. This is purely transactional, as she needs his help to capture MagistrateMorgan Elsbeth, and that only makes this decision of hers seem worse.
Ahsoka acknowledges the dangers of training someone like Grogu, who’s very attached to Din, but still lets him train anyway. Even more confusing is that onceLuke Skywalker accepts Grogu’s call through the Force, he doesn’t recognize Grogu’s attachment to Din - or if he does, he doesn’t really seem to care about it. While it’s true that, like she says earlier in the episode, Ahsoka cannot control the wants of others and thus doesn’t stop Grogu from being trained if he wants to be, it’s still shocking that she lets Luke attempt to train Grogu when she herself refused to.
This becomes especially confusing knowing that Ahsoka and Luke connected at some point during Grogu’s training, and she could have warned him about Grogu’s attachment to Din Djarin.
4Din Djarin’s Family Name Was Registered On Mandalore
AsThe Mandalorianhas developed, elements of its story have changed over time, and this seems to be especially true of things that were first mentioned in season 1 - including this important detail. When Din Djarin, Cara Dune, and Greef Karga are pinned down inside the Nevarro cantina, Din’s able to identify who their mysterious foe is, based simply upon the fact that Gideon knows Din’s real name. When Greef asks why that matters, Din explains that Gideon was an ISB officer during theGreat Purge, and Din’s name was only recorded in the “registers on Mandalore.”
Unless Din was referring to Concordia as a part of Mandalore, then there’s no explanation as to why his name’s there.
The problem with this is thatDin had never even been to Mandalore prior toThe Mandalorianseason 3. Din was raised onConcordia, Mandalore’s moon, and the fact that he had never been to Mandalore seems to suggest that his covert had already been exiled at that point and also didn’t visit their old homeworld. It makes no sense, then, that Din’s name would be registered on the planet Mandalore itself if he hadn’t even been there before. Unless Din was referring to Concordia as a part of Mandalore, then there’s no explanation as to why his name’s there.
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Or Is “Din” Actually His Last Name?
Easily one of the most controversial decisions inThe Mandalorianto date happens just after Din Djarin formally adopts Grogu as his son. This has been a long-awaited moment ever since audiences first watched the bond between Din and Grogu form over the course ofThe Mandalorianseasons 1 and 2, but the sweetness of it is fairly overshadowed by the Armorer’s next words. Rather than deeming Grogu as “Grogu Djarin,” the Armorer tells Grogu his new name is “Din Grogu” - something that hasn’t happened before in Mandalorian history.
This wouldn’t be as controversial of a decision if it had been explained in the moment, or even in retrospect, but it isn’t. Instead,all it’s done is confuse audiences about what this could mean for Din’s name. It makes it possible that “Din” has actually been Din’s true surname all along, and that his family name conforms to different naming conventions than otherStar Warscharacters.Star Wars, however, seems to still be treating “Din” as the titular character’s first name, which makes it even more confusing that Grogu is named “Din Grogu” instead of “Grogu Djarin.”
2Season 3’s Most Important Setup Happens In Another Show
Din & Grogu’s Loneliness & Their Reunion
One of the reasons whyThe Mandalorianseason 3 is considered the weakest of the TV show’s three seasons is because its most important story setups take place in one of its spin-off shows,The Book of Boba Fett. This is a TV show that many casualThe Mandalorianviewers didn’t watch, seeing as the title refers to Boba Fett and seems to imply that the show will be about him. This is true up until its fifth episode, which sees the return of Din Djarin after the events ofThe Mandalorianseason 2.
This is the start of one ofStar Wars’most confusing and controversial story choices to date. From then on,Din and Grogu essentially drive the show’s narrative, filling viewers in on exactly what they have been up to since their heartbreaking goodbyein the season 2 finale. This leads up to the characters' reunion, which doesn’t get nearly as much of the emotional impact that it deserves - because it doesn’t happen in their own show. Having such important season 3 setup in another show still makes no sense to this day, and it’s certainly hurt the series in retrospect.
1The Mandalorian’s Timeline Is Completely Messed Up
Sourcebooks & the Shows Seem to Contradict Each Other
The most nonsensical thing aboutThe Mandalorianto date is its timeline, which has been severely warped over the last five years. The timeline is easy to follow at first, with the TV show being set in 9 ABY (five years after the events ofReturn of the Jedi), but it gets more complicated after that. Based on in-universe developments such as Nevarro’s revitalization and Grogu’s growth, it seems as if a year or so passes between each season, which would setThe Mandalorianseason 3 around 12 ABY. This, however, isn’t the case.
Comments from showrunner Jon Favreau and official sourcebooks such asStar Wars Timelineshave contradicted one another on several occasions, with the latter insisting thateverything fromThe Mandalorianseason 1 throughThe Book of Boba Fetttakes place within a single year (9 ABY). This seems impossible, given everything Din and Grogu go through during the time - and the fact that Grogu was supposed to be with Luke for a considerable amount of time.The Mandalorianstill has yet to clarify its timeline, which will likely be a difficult task given how nonsensical it is at the moment.
The Mandalorian’s movie,The Mandalorian & Grogu, is set to hit theaters on August 12, 2025.
The Mandalorian
Cast
Released on July 26, 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.
