Credit: LucasfilmThey are not done with the galaxy just yet.
When The Mandalorian wrapped its third season, it didn’t just deliver another round of blaster fights and creature encounters—it quietly repositioned the center of gravity. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) reunited with Grogu, now formally Din Grogu, but the emotional and political weight of the season increasingly shifted to Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze.
Once stripped of the Darksaber and living in isolation after losing Mandalore, Bo-Katan emerged as a unifying force. By the finale, she had reclaimed the legendary weapon and, with the Armorer (Emily Swallow) offering her blessing, stood poised to lead a fractured people into a new era.
Pascal may still be the face of the series, but Season 3 underscored how fluid that dynamic has become. The actor has openly acknowledged that much of his recent contribution has been voice work, with Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder physically inhabiting the armor on set.
As Pascal’s career expands—anchored by HBO’s The Last of Us, whose second season wrapped last year, and his debut as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—questions about his long-term availability in the Mando-centric corner of Star Wars still feel increasingly relevant.
Lucasfilm appeared to be thinking along similar lines. Executive producer and director Rick Famuyiwa pointedly asked during Season 3’s run, “Who is the Mandalorian at this point?” It felt more like a statement than a tease.
Despite Bo-Katan’s expanded role, Sackhoff has not been officially announced for Jon Favreau’s theatrical continuation, The Mandalorian and Grogu, slated for 2026. The project, unveiled in January 2024, stars Pascal as Din Djarin, with Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt and Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward. Of course, Din Grogu (AKA The Child and “Baby Yoda”) is also back in the Razor Crest, too.
The most recent trailer–released after the divisive Super Bowl LX TV spot–showed a much more cinematic vision of the Mando-Verse, offering fans new looks at the main cast, including Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios (Steven Blum). The Lasat was part of the main Ghost crew in Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Rebels animated series, alongside heroes like Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, and Ezra Bridger.
It is unlikely that the aforementioned trio–played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, and Eman Esfandi in live-action, respectively–will appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu due to their own exploits facing off against Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) in Ahsoka.
But where does that leave Bo-Katan? Her continued prominence comes at a time when Lucasfilm’s Disney+ slate has dramatically broadened the Star Wars timeline. Since The Mandalorian Season 3 concluded, audiences have traveled from the New Republic era in Ahsoka to the High Republic-set The Acolyte and the youthful adventure of Skeleton Crew.
Like The Book of Boba Fett before them, both Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew strengthened the interconnected narrative tapestry of the post-Imperial period, the New Republic era. Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano pressed forward in her hunt for Ezra Bridger (Esfandi) and Grand Admiral Thrawn (Mikkelsen), a villain first teased in live action during Ahsoka’s debut in The Mandalorian Season 2.
Back in 2023, Sackhoff was asked about potentially appearing in Dave Filoni’s planned crossover feature. Her response was measured but revealing: “If my phone rings, great; if not, they know how much we all want to be a part of it.”
Now, three years later, Sackhoff has once again weighed in on her Star Wars future, alluding to her journey not being over. Per The Direct, Sackhoff addressed her role moving forward at Fan Expo Vancouver, saying there is always a possibility for her return to the franchise.
“Always! She’s not dead. She ain’t going anywhere,” the actress said. “She can’t, because she’s based off Dave Filoni’s wife. So I have job security forever. Anne [Convery] would be so pissed.”
Despite this, it’s hard to see where or when Bo-Katan could reappear in live-action, especially given how Lucasfilm’s priorities have seemingly shifted in recent months.
The Mando-Verse crossover remains one of several theatrical projects in development following Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s announcements at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is attached to direct a “New Jedi Order” film centered on Daisy Ridley’s Rey, while Filoni’s own movie is expected to draw together threads from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew—with Thrawn positioned as a likely overarching adversary.
That said, with Kennedy stepping down (she will be replaced by Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan as co-CEOs), and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter being fast-tracked for a 2027 release, the slate is in flux. Some reports have even claimed that the Mando-Verse is being wound down, with The Mandalorian and Grogu and Ahsoka Season 2 serving as the finale for the New Republic initiative.
Insiders suggest that Filoni’s Mando-Verse movie will be scrapped, or, if anything, be repurposed as a limited series on Disney+. Looking further, the “New Jedi Order” movie with Daisy Ridley looks to have also been sidelined, and may even be absorbed into Simon Kinberg’s new Star Wars trilogy.
Before any of that materializes (or not), Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu will arrive first this May.
In retrospect, Season 3 of The Mandalorian already played like a transition. Din Djarin completed a more intimate arc—finding a sense of family and purpose with Grogu—while Bo-Katan stepped into a broader leadership role. With the Darksaber once again in her grasp and Mandalore reclaimed, she appeared ready to define the future of her people.
If Lucasfilm does proceed with more Mandalorian content and Pascal’s schedule continues to tighten, Lucasfilm has effectively built a runway for Sackhoff to assume a more central position. Between her expanded role on Disney+ and her confirmed presence in Star Wars Zero Company, Bo-Katan Kryze is emerging as one of the franchise’s key anchors in the post-Episode VI era.
Would you be on board with Bo-Katan taking center stage moving forward? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!