With Pedro Pascal’s Original Role Non-Existent, ‘The Mandalorian’ Replacement Actor Speaks Out
When The Mandalorian closed out its third season, the finale did more than cap another chapter of blaster fire and alien encounters. It subtly rebalanced the show’s focus. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu–now formally Din Grogu–reaffirmed their bond, but the larger thematic shift placed Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze squarely at the center of Mandalore’s future.
At the start of the season, Bo-Katan was a fallen leader, stripped of the Darksaber and isolated after Mandalore’s destruction. By the end, she had reclaimed the weapon and secured the Armorer’s (Emily Swallow) endorsement, positioning herself as the figure capable of uniting a divided culture. The transformation felt deliberate and perhaps strategic.
Pascal remains the marquee name, yet Season 3 made clear that the physical presence of Din Djarin has long been a shared effort, with Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder performing in armor while Pascal frequently provides voice work. As the actor’s résumé grows–with HBO’s The Last of Us having wrapped its second season and his debut as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe–speculation about his availability in future Star Wars projects has intensified.
Lucasfilm itself seemed to acknowledge that fluidity. During Season 3’s run, executive producer and director Rick Famuyiwa posed a telling question: “Who is the Mandalorian at this point?” It landed less as a mystery and more as a reframing.
The next big-screen chapter, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is set for 2026. Announced in January 2024, the film stars Pascal as Din Djarin, with Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt and Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward. Din Grogu–also known as The Child and “Baby Yoda”–returns as well.
Pascal won’t be the version of Mando audiences have come to know on the small screen, though.
A recently released trailer, arriving after the divisive Super Bowl LX TV spot, emphasized scope and spectacle, presenting a more cinematic vision of the Mando-era storytelling. Among the highlights was a fresh look at Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios (Steven Blum), the Lasat warrior from Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Rebels. In animation, Zeb stood alongside Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, and Ezra Bridger.
However, the live-action versions of those characters–played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, and Eman Esfandi–are unlikely to appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu, as their storyline remains entwined with Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) in Ahsoka.
That leaves Bo-Katan in an intriguing position. Since The Mandalorian Season 3 concluded, Lucasfilm’s Disney+ offerings have widened the Star Wars timeline considerably, from the New Republic-era events of Ahsoka to the High Republic setting of The Acolyte and the coming-of-age energy of Skeleton Crew.
Like The Book of Boba Fett before them, both Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew deepened the connective tissue of the post-Imperial narrative. Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano continued her pursuit of Ezra Bridger (Esfandi) and Thrawn (Mikkelsen), a threat first teased in live action during Ahsoka’s appearance in The Mandalorian Season 2.
Back in 2023, Sackhoff addressed the possibility of appearing in Dave Filoni’s planned crossover film. “If my phone rings, great; if not, they know how much we all want to be a part of it,” she said at the time.
Now, three years later, Sackhoff is once again signaling that Bo-Katan’s journey may not be complete. According to The Direct, she spoke at Fan Expo Vancouver about the prospect of returning.
“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.”
Her enthusiasm stands in contrast to the uncertainty surrounding Lucasfilm’s theatrical roadmap.
At Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy outlined several film projects, including Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s “New Jedi Order” movie centered on Daisy Ridley’s Rey and Filoni’s crossover event intended to unite The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew, with Thrawn positioned as a central antagonist.
Since then, major shifts have reshaped the landscape. Kennedy is stepping down, with Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan set to become co-CEOs. Meanwhile, Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter has been accelerated toward a 2027 release. Reports suggest the Mando-Verse could be concluding, with The Mandalorian and Grogu and Ahsoka Season 2 potentially serving as a culmination of the New Republic initiative.
Industry insiders have indicated that Filoni’s crossover film may be scrapped or redeveloped as a Disney+ limited series. The “New Jedi Order” film with Ridley appears to be in limbo as well, possibly folding into Simon Kinberg’s newly developing trilogy.
For now, Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives first this May, setting the tone for whatever comes next.
Looking back, Season 3 already felt transitional. Din Djarin’s arc narrowed to something more intimate–embracing fatherhood and stability–while Bo-Katan stepped into a broader destiny. With Mandalore reclaimed and the Darksaber restored to her hand, she stands ready to shape the next era.
If Lucasfilm continues exploring this corner of the galaxy and Pascal’s schedule grows tighter, the groundwork has been laid for Sackhoff to carry more of the narrative weight. Between her expanded presence on Disney+ and her confirmed role in Star Wars Zero Company, Bo-Katan Kryze is increasingly positioned as a defining figure of the post-Episode VI timeline.
Are you ready for the Mando-Verse to be over? Let us know in the comments down below!
