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- The Mandalorian recap: Everything you need to remember before watching The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian recap: Everything you need to remember before watching The Mandalorian and Grogu
The adventures of Mando and the galaxies most adorable foundling are set to continue in the upcoming film
Lucasfilm
- Matthew Trask
Published: Friday, 22 May 2026 at 8:00 am
There's a lot riding on The Mandalorian and Grogu when it releases in cinemas on 22 May.
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Not only is it the first Star Wars film since the controversial Rise of Skywalker in 2019, it's also a continuation of a story well established across three seasons of TV on Disney+.
That's 24 episodes of TV, a lot to expect audiences to understand before they settle in for Mando's latest adventure.
Disney and Lucasfilm seem to be doing their best to reassure fans that The Mandalorian and Grogu is a standalone adventure that is friendly to both new and returning viewers alike.
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That being said, we thought we'd dive into the first three chapters in the story of Mando and Grogu just in case you needed a refresher ahead of the new film.
Before we dive into the show, it's worth setting up where exactly Mando's story takes place in the Star Wars timeline.
The Mandalorian is set in the years following Return of the Jedi, when the Rebellion, now the reformed as the New Republic, is struggling to maintain control while shady former Imperial warlords cause chaos across the galaxy.
We know from the first three seasons of the show that the Imperial Remnant, as they're referred to, are scattered but clinging to power across the galaxy. We also know from the first season of Ahsoka that Grand Admiral Thrawn is out there somewhere, ready to provide the unifying force that the Imperial Remnant need to challenge the New Republic.
Here's everything else you need to know ahead of the new film.
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What happened in The Mandalorian season 1?
We first meet Mando as a ruthless and unflinching bounty hunter working for the infamous bounty hunters guild out of the planet Nevarro. Here, Mando is hired by a shady former Imperial known only as The Client (played by an impeccable Werner Herzog) to retrieve an mysterious asset in exchange for a healthy bounty of beskar (the metal used to craft Mandalorian armour).
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The job leads Mando to the planet Arvala-7, where he takes out the group of mercenaries guarding the asset before the true identity of the bounty is revealed and we're all introduced to Grogu (aka Baby Yoda aka The Child) for the first time.
After a brief conflict with some jawas who had stolen parts of Mando's ship, the Razor Crest, Mando learns that Grogu may hold a rare power, which might be the reason he is of particular interest to what remains of the Empire.
After initially choosing to deliver Grogu to The Client, even getting a swanky new suit of armour in return, Mando has a change of heart and decides to rescue his new little green friend from the clutches of the Imperial Remnant.
His decision to save Grogu sends Mando on the run across the galaxy taking odd jobs like protecting a small fishing village from raiders, a prison break and a brief excursion to everyone's favourite hive of scum and villainy, Tatooine.
Unfortunately for Mando, his attempt to outrun the bounty placed on his head by the Imperial Remnant fails, causing him to return to Nevarro where he faces off with the sinister Imperial warlord Moff Gideon, who wants to use Grogu and his Force sensitivity for nefarious purposes.
In the showdown to protect Grogu and prevent him from falling into the clutches of the Empire, Mando reveals his face to the child for the first time, breaking the sacred Mandalorian creed to not remove his helmet.
Thanks to the gallant efforts of the various allies Mando has made along the way, including guild leader Greef Karga, former rebel Cara Dune and iconic ugnaught engineer Kuiil, Mando manages to defeat the Imperial Remnant on Navarro and protect Grogu.
Mando resolves to reunite Grogu with his kind by finding a Jedi, while the still alive Moff Gideon rises from the ashes of his downed tie fighter wielding the legendary Mandalorian weapon known as the Darksaber.
What happens in The Mandalorian season 2?
Season two picks up with Mando and Grogu on the hunt for a Jedi to help train Grogu in the ways of the Force.
After helping a marshal known as Cobb Vanth on Tatooine, Mando must transport Frog Lady (her characters actual name apparently) and her eggs to the beautifully named planet Trask, where there may be other Mandalorians.
On the wonderfully named planet of Trask, Mando meets Bo-Katan, a Mandalorian leader from the Clone Wars, who witnessed the Empire's purge of her homeworld. A 'Child of the Watch', Bo-Katan follows a different creed to Mando meaning she can freely remove her helmet, which causes Mando to initially distrust her and her fellow Mandalorians.
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After forming a tentative alliance with Bo-Katan, she informs him that there is a Jedi known as Ahsoka Tano in hiding who might be able to help him.
With the Razor Crest severely damaged after their journey to Trask, Mando heads back to Nevarro to seek help from Greef Karga, now the magistrate of the planet. In exchange for the repairs, Mando helps to wipe out an Imperial base on the planet. In doing so, he learns that Moff Gideon intended on using Grogu's blood as part of an effort to harness his immense Force powers and transfer them to clone bodies.
With Moff Gideon once again on their trail, Mando heads to the planet Corvus to seek out Ahsoka Tano. There, he learns that Grogu was a Jedi in training who survived the Jedi purge known as Order 66.
The duo form an alliance to take out the Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth, who Ahsoka believes may have information about the location of an old Imperial admiral called Thrawn. Unfortunately for Mando, Ahsoka is no longer a Jedi and, as such, cannot continue Grogu's training.
Instead, she suggests taking him to the planet Tython, home to an ancient Jedi temple, where Grogu can channel his Force powers by using a Seeing Stone to reach out to any Jedi that might be out there in the galaxy.
While Grogu meditates, Mando faces off with the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett who demands his armour, which Din had recovered on Tatooine earlier in the season, be returned to him.
Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian. Disney+/Lucasfilm
In exchange for his help protecting Grogu, Mando returns Boba Fett's armour just in time for them to take on Moff Gideon's Dark Troopers, who have come to retrieve Grogu.
Despite their best efforts, one of the Dark Troopers manages to snatch Grogu and return him to Gideon in order to continue with his plan to harness his Force abilities.
Determined to find Grogu, Mando heads to the planet Morak alongside former Imperial turned Mando ally Mayfield. On Morak, Mando finds the coordinates to Moff Gideon's ship before setting out with a team that includes Fett, Cara Dune and Bo-Katan in order to rescue Grogu.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian. Disney
After fighting their way to the bridge of Gideon's ship and retrieving Grogu, Mando finds himself cornered by Dark Troopers. That's when a lone X-Wing appears and a mysterious Jedi Knight boards the ship and wipes out Gideon's troops. On the bridge of the ship, Luke Skywalker reveals himself and offers to take Grogu and complete his Jedi training.
After a tearful goodbye, Mando and Grogu part ways.
What about The Book of Boba Fett?
The Book of Boba Fett largely concerns the continuing adventures of the titular bounty hunter, however it does also act as a bridge between seasons two and three of The Mandalorian.
Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) in Lucasfilm's The Book of Boba Fett. Lucasfilm
Grogu is given a choice by Luke Skywalker: continue his training and become a Jedi or reunite with Mando.
He, of course, chooses the latter and they reunite as father and son, helping Fett to protect his people on Tatooine.
What happened in The Mandalorian season 3?
Season three picks up a few loose plot threads from the first two seasons.
Moff Gideon, captured by the New Republic in season two, has escaped. Mando now has the Darksaber, the ancient weapon wielded by the leader of the Mandalorian homeworld, Mandalore, having won it from Moff Gideon in season two. And lastly, Mando is technically an outcast from his sect having removed his helmet multiple times across both seasons.
The Mandalorian/Din Djarin with Grogu in The Mandalorian season 3. Disney+/Lucasfilm
As a result, season three sees Mando attempting to retake his homeworld alongside the various disparate Mandalorian sects he has encountered. In order to return to his sect, Mando must bathe in the living waters of Mandalore and return to following the creed, never again removing his helmet.
In doing so, Mando learns that the escaped Moff Gideon has set up an Imperial base on Mandalore, where he is building a new squad of Dark Troopers using beskar steel mined on the desolate planet.
The charred ruins of Mandalore in The Mandalorian. Disney+/Lucasfilm
In a final showdown with Gideon, the Darksaber is destroyed and Gideon defeated for good as Grogu uses the Force to protect his adoptive father and Bo-Katan from an explosion.
Returned to their homeworld, the various Mandalorian sects unite and set out to rebuild their civilisation.
Meanwhile, Mando returns to Nevarro, having once again helped defend it from pirates earlier in the season, where he and Grogu are gifted a new home on the outskirts of the city and agrees to take on bounty hunting jobs exclusively for the New Republic.
Will there be a season 4?
Writer Jon Favreau has said that season four of The Mandalorian was written prior to Disney and Lucasfilm deciding to pivot to creating a theatrical film. However, the status of future seasons remains to be seen and will likely depend on the success or failure of Mando and Grogu's first cinematic outing.
Disney and Lucasfilm have taken a huge risk betting on The Mandalorian and Grogu, with fans remaining unsure that the story is sufficiently big enough to mark the franchise's first theatrical effort in 7 years.
One thing that is certain is that Mando and Grogu are popular characters and the newbie-friendly approach taken by the filmmakers should make the new film accessible to all audiences, regardless of if you've seen the show or not.
The Mandalorian and Grogu releases in cinemas on 22 May.
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Matthew Trask
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