The Mandalorian just wrapped up Season 3, but there are still a few questions…

One of the hallmarks of The Mandalorian has been that of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, tying together all three eras of the Skywalker Saga. There are characters from the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy, and there are the building blocks falling into place to construct the Sequel Trilogy. Generally speaking, these are handled well and believably, but this one may have given Star Wars fans cause to pause.

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The finale of The Mandalorian Season 3 was nothing if not action-packed. The entire episode brought together all remaining known Mandalorians and saw them combat the Empire to retake their homeworld. Fans also watched as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Baby Yoda/Grogu (himself), and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) banded together to defeat Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) once and for all…hopefully.

That wasn’t all fans saw, however. In a scene eerily similar to one from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Din Djarin (Pascal) fights his way through red forcefields, pausing between each one to eliminate the guards between each. He’s able to combat these foes on his terms, thanks to the help of Rebel Alliance veteran R5, who opens the gates strategically. While not exactly the same, Prequel fans know exactly where the inspiration for this scene came from.

In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) engage in what is appropriately dubbed, The Duel of the Fates against Darth Maul (Ray Park). Underscored by arguably one of John Williams’ best, or at least most iconic pieces, the duel rages across an underground facility on Naboo. After several minutes, the trio is separated by red laser gates, or forcefields, forcing them to pause their duel.

It’s these very gates that separate Obi-Wan (McGregor) from Qui-Gon (Neeson) and Maul (Park), and ultimately what causes Qui-Gon’s (Neeson) death at the hands of the Sith. Having seen the finale of The Mandalorian Season 3, prequel fans now can’t help but think if only R2-D2 hadn’t gone with Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), maybe he could have changed the outcome of that duel, just as R5 did for Mando (Pascal).

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Though it may seem silly, it obviously worked for Mando (Pascal), and fans know that R2, for better or worse, has had bigger effects on the Star Wars Galaxy. The little droid delivered the message that brought Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness) out of hiding; he stopped the trash compactor on the Death Star, saving everyone inside; he’s saved royalty, Jedi, politicians, droids, and more in the way that only R2 can, but unfortunately not that particular Jedi. Who knows how different the Galaxy would have turned out had Qui-Gon (Neeson) been saved by the little astromech?
What did you think of the finale? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!