Disclaimer: spoilers for the episode are included in this review. 

Welcome back to the galaxy far far away, Star Wars fans! The fan-favorite series “The Mandalorian” returned with the debut of its third season on March 1, 2023. 

The first episode of the season, titled “Chapter 17: The Apostate” is handled by a veteran of the series Rick Famuyiwa serving as the director and teamed up with writer and showrunner Jon Favreau. 

The episode, a short one, clocks in at a disappointing 32 minutes and 25 seconds — I wanted more. “Chapter 17” diverges from the recent trend in Star Wars media entries like “The Bad Batch” and “Andor” by starting with a single episode instead of a two-episode release. 

Story continues below trailer.

The Apostate opens with The Armorer, played by Emily Swallow, constructing a helmet for a ‘foundling.’ Foundlings are the children discovered and then adopted by Mandalorians, as dictated by their creed. 

My initial belief of this being a flashback was based on a foundling resembling a young Mando, seen in previous flashbacks.  

My hypothesis was discredited when Mando, played by Pedro Pascal, swoops in with his starfighter, proving it was not a flashback: The young boy was not a young Mando and The Watch began to rebuild their numbers since the last we’d seen them. 

After a conversation with The Armorer, Mando is reminded that after voluntarily removing his helmet — – a cardinal sin for The Watch — he has been made an apostate. The only way to be forgiven of his transgressions is to bathe in the waters of the mines of Mandalore on the now-destroyed home of the Mandalorian people. 

From here, Grogu and Mando return to Nevarro. Once desolate, their destination has become a blossoming trade hub under the guidance of former bounty hunter and guild leader — also Mando’s old boss — Greef Karga (Carl Weathers).

Story continues below photo.

Karga invites Mando to stay and settle down, but Mando is headstrong about his mission and looks for a droid to help him navigate the now-inhospitable surface of Mandalore. 

The episode ends with a visit to an ancient Mandalorian castle and a meeting with Bo-Katan Kryze, the former and now disgraced leader of Mandalore who was a prominent character in the second season of the show.

A dejected Kryze has lost her forces and influence following her failure to defeat Moff Gideon. The two end their conversation with Kryze advising Mando where to find the mines and baed him farewell as if to say that Mando will not return from the poisoned planet.

This episode feels in limbo of how forgiving it will be to more casual viewers who did not keep up with the other series, such as The Book of Boba Fett. 

Getting Grogu and Mando back together was carelessly glossed over with just a couple of lines between Karga and Mando, despite their separation at the climax of the second season finale. After all, their reunion consumed three episodes worth of conflict in TBOBF. 

Story continues below photo.

The Armorer’s conversation with Mando about how he is now an Apostate is nearly a word-for-word copy of one the two have in the fifth episode of TBOBF. 

A piece of Star Wars lore that was included for the hardcore fans, but shades some mystery for the casual viewer, is the inclusion of the Purrgil. The vacuum-breathing organisms capable of hyperspace travel were a staple of the animated series “Rebels.” As a huge fan of that series, it was great to see them make their live-action debut. 

Despite my gripes with “Chapter 17.” this is the perfectly styled episode to begin the season with: we get to see some great action sequences on land and in space with Mando’s new starfighter while establishing the objective of the season without the creators tipping their hand

I give season three’s debut a 7/10 and I’m incredibly excited for the March 8 release of “Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore.”