The Mandalorian season three wrapped up last year and with a feature-length movie in production, fans are excited. The series follows the titular character of The Mandalorian, referred to as Mando or by his real name, Din Djarin. Mando is watching over a small child known as Grogu, or as the internet collectively referred to him for over a year: Baby Yoda. The series is incredibly popular with audiences and is arguably the biggest piece of the wider Star Wars franchise currently airing. To the surprise of many, even two episodes of The Book of Boba Fett were focused on The Mandalorian and Grogu.
While season three may not have been the most well-received, the recent announcement of The Mandalorian & Grogu movie, directed by Jon Favreau, has got fans excited about the duo's future. Now that Din has settled into his new role working with the New Republic, it'll be interesting to see how he'll tie into the grand scheme of things. Ahshoka has laid the groundwork for a Grand Admiral Thrawn-focused Heir to the Empire-inspired film to wrap up the Mandoverse. While fans wait to see what happens next, these are all 24 episodes of The Mandalorian seasons one, two, and three ranked.
Update February 1, 2024: Following the announcement of the movie The Mandalorian & Grogu coming out, this article has been updated to include every episode of The Mandalorian that has aired.
The Mandalorian
- Release Date
- November 12, 2019
- Cast
- Pedro Pascal , Carl Weathers , Giancarlo Esposito , Temuera Morrison , Ming-Na Wen , Nick Nolte , Taika Waititi , Werner Herzog
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Seasons
- 3
24 Chapter 22: Guns for Hire
There always has to be one episode that takes the bottom spot on a list, and unfortunately, here it's season three's "Guns for Hire." Coming in as the third to last episode of the season, it takes a detour from the main story to go on a wacky side story. Full of celebrity cameos from the likes of Christopher Lloyd, Jack Black, and Lizzo, Bo-Katan leads Din to the planet of Plazir-15, where they're pulled into uncovering a droid conspiracy.
While there are some fun moments, the entire episode feels out of place and way too over the top compared to the tone of the rest of the season. It also quickly wraps up the Darksaber story in an underwhelming way. Bo-Katan wielding it once again should feel like a big deal, but the logic used to justify it is iffy at best and takes away from the potential drama that could've developed between the two leads of the season.
23 Chapter 17: The Apostate
The season three premiere is a very jarring episode to no fault of its own. Din and Grogu are reunited after the events of The Book of Boba Fett, which makes it feel like a huge chunk of their story is missing. Most of the episode is Din catching up with his former friends and allies, characters the audiences had not seen in three years. It lays a lot of groundwork for the season and establishes much of the Mandalore mythology. The episode is a little all over the place and full of explanations for those who didn't see how the duo were reunited, and by the time the episode ends, the audience is left a little disappointed, realizing this was all there was.
22 Chapter 2: The Child
The second episode of the series aired just three days after The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+, and features the first true adventure of Din Djarrin and the Child. The episode sees Mando making a deal with Jawas to get the parts he needs for his ship to get off the planet. Not bad in the slightest, but in the scope of the entire series, it is certainly a more expositional episode of setting up and feels like a test run of the fun adventures the two characters will have together. It works well as a side quest to help establish Din's character along with showing how important Kuill will be in the latter half of the season.
21 Chapter 5: The Gunslinger
When "The Gunslinger" aired, it was the first time The Mandalorian visited an iconic planet in the Star Wars galaxy, with a stop-off in Tatooine (which is now something the series has spent a bit too much time on) and saw the lead character taking a job hunting down a ruthless assassin. The episode is most notable for introducing many now fan-favorite characters like Ming-Na Wen's Fennic Shand, Amy Sedaris' Pelli, and the first hint at Boba Fett's return. However, the main thrust of "The Gunslinger" feels like just another episodic story that leaves a bit to be desired.
20 Chapter 19: The Convert
Credit where credit is due, "The Convert" tried to do something new. The Mandalorian is often criticized for being formulaic, but this episode took things in a completely different direction as it hardly includes its titular hero. Picking up directly after Din's bath in the living waters, he's caught in an ambush by an Imperial TIE squadron that sends him and Bo-Katan fleeing the planet in search of more Mandalorians.
They come in contact with them at the end, but the main focus of the episode is around clone engineer Dr. Pershing from season one after he betrayed Moff Gideon and former Empire soldier Elia Kane as the two of them are being re-integrated into the New Republic. It follows the two as they get closer and, ultimately, as Kane betrays him in order to prevent the New Republic from learning Gideon's secrets. While it is interesting to explore the perspective of someone from the Imperial side to rehabilitate themselves in the New Republic and show how some want to leave life behind while others remain loyal to the Empire, it felt far too disconnected from the main series storyline and also like a less good version of Andor.
19 Chapter 20: The Foundling
After years of anticipation and questions, Chapter 20 finally dove into Grogu's backstory. Din introduces him to the Children of the Watch as he undergoes the process to officially become his Foundling. He's put through Mandalorian training as he learns to fight like they do, but things are quickly interrupted as one of the other foundlings is stolen by a giant bird-like creature. While Din, Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians deal with that, the Armorer crafts Grogu his own Beskar armor as he has flashbacks to Order 66.
It's a very exciting episode as big questions are answered with a really great look into Grogu's past. Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, played by the terrific Ahmed Best, saving him is a fantastic moment in the story and in real life, as the actor gets a more important role in the universe after the horrible mistreatment he got from fans after playing Jar-Jar Binks. The side story with the Foundling kidnapping isn't as interesting and holds the episode back from being truly great.
18 Chapter 12: The Seige
At the time of its release, "The Seige" was a frustrating episode in that it came in the middle of the main narrative of Din trying to find a home for Grogu. The main mission to break into an old Imperial facility felt a bit like more of the same, but it was nice to see Din reteam with his old allies from the first season and the hints at the wider saga and the beginnings of the Emperor's First Order plans. It is also odd as the episode ends with what appears to be a setup for The Rangers of the New Republic show, yet the series has since been canceled following the firing of Gina Carano. Yet now on it's own, and with how disappointing a lot of season 3 turned out to be, it is a fun side mission episode.
17 Chapter 24: The Return
The finale of season three was a satisfying conclusion to the story, but in comparison to the first two finales, it isn't as exciting as it should be. The episode highlights how great of a character Bo-Katan is as she leads an army of Mandalorians into battle against Moff Gideon and his Imperial forces. Despite serving as the villain in all three finales, Gideon naturally feels included in the season, and this works as the final sendoff for the character as they destroy his clones, and he meets a fiery end.
As for the titular Mandalorian himself, he feels sidelined in his own series as he's mostly just tagging along to help fight the good fight. The ending for Din as he settles down on Nevarro as the new Marshall feels more like a series finale than for a season. With the darksaber's unfortunte destruction, as it's a very cool weapon that was severly underutilized this season, it all comes to a close in a satisfying way that creates a blank slate for the upcoming Mandalorian and Grogu movie.
16 Chapter 11: The Heiress
"The Heiress" is a really important episode in The Mandalorian, as it saw the live-action debut of Bo Katan (Katee Sackoff) from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. The episode sees Din finally come face to face with more Mandalorians, but discovers that there is more to being a Mandalorian than what he has been told. The character discovers that the belief system he has held onto for years is only one of a specific fanatical sect of the culture, laying the foundation for his growth over the season. The episode also features an impressive heist sequence, that ranks among some of the best action in the series.
15 Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore
After Din took off his helmet in front of other living creatures, it set him on a path to reach the Living Waters of Mandalore to redeem himself in his creed. While it may happen sooner than expected in the season, it's an important episode and one of the highlights of an otherwise disappointing third season. Din's journey to the depths of Mandlore is filled with road bumps, as most Mandalorian stories are, and introduces a new enemy known as the "Spider Tank," which traps Din and plans to eat him.
Grogu gets some time to shine solo as he travels to Bo-Katan's planet in order to get Din some backup. It all culminates in the all-important ritual it had been building up to, complete with a Mythosaur appearance. This is exactly the kind of episode you'd want to see in a Star Wars show. It enriches the lore of the universe and shows off otherworldly creatures, all while giving both Din and Bo-Katan some significant character developments. The only thing that knocks it down some points is how dark the episode is at the end; it makes the big reveal of the Mythosaur difficult to see and lessens the impact.
14 Chapter 4: Sanctuary
"Sanctuary" is the first real episode after the series establishes the status quo. The episode established a type of standard episode for The Mandalorian which sees the title character traveling to a new planet and getting into an adventure, very much in the vein of classic "man on the run" television series like The Fugitive, The Incredible Hulk, or Supernatural.
In this episode, audiences are introduced to the former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune, who would become a major supporting player in the series until star Gina Carano was fired. The episode is also the first one of the series directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, who showed that much like her father, Ron Howard, she had a real talent behind the camera.
13 Chapter 6: The Prisoner
"The Prisoner" comes in at an odd place in The Mandalorian season one, as it concludes with a setup for the two-part finale but also acts as another one-off adventure for Mando and Grogu. The episode sees Mando teaming up with an old group of criminals he knew to break a prisoner out of a New Republic base. While at first, it doesn't appear to advance the overall story (it later comes back into play with the return of Bill Burr as Mayfeld), the episode just works as a great one-off adventure following a great character in the Star Wars universe. Sometimes the simplest episodes are also the best.
12 Chapter 10: The Passenger
Another great one-off adventure, "The Passenger" sees Mando picking up a job transporting an alien Frog Lady and her eggs to a planet to meet her mate. The episode fully embraces the unique weirdness that Star Wars is capable of. The main character is wearing a mask, and the two other major characters are aliens brought to life with practical makeup and puppetry. It is something that a viewer can't truly get from any other franchise. It has a great horror element, a fun dynamic between Mando and the Frog Lady, and just a classical mythic fairy tale adventure at its core that makes it feel uniquely Star Wars.
11 Chapter 21: The Pirate
The previously set-up pirate story in the premiere of season three is finally circled back to as Gorian Shard invades Navarro on a bloodthirsty quest for revenge against the High Magistrate. It's a great episode filled with lots of fun action and also foreshadows the inadequacy of the New Republic. When Greef reaches out to them for help as he's under attack in what could lead to the start of a new Empire, they ignore him as they don't have enough resources. Captain Carson Teva, played by the always great Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, contacts Din Djarin to alert him of the attack in an attempt to make sure the planet is safe.
An exciting battle between Mandalorians and Pirates ensues, delivering the high spectacle Star Wars action the series is known for. It certainly feels like a kid playing with their favorite Star Wars toys and acting out their favorite adventures, which has been where The Mandalorian has always succeeded. Every episode of the series should strive to be at least this good as it balances pushing the main story forward with a side quest that actually feels important.
10 Chapter 1: The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian's first episode lets audiences know exactly what type of show they were in for within the first few minutes while also offering a major curveball by its ending. It's a fantastic introduction to the character of Din Djarin and the underworld of Star Wars bounty hunting and plays out like a Western. The dynamic between IG-88 and avid droid-hater Mando is really fun, but that great detail is far from what makes this episode so special.
The opening sequence, seeing the title character collecting a bounty in a ruthless fashion and amazing visuals, showed how good Star Wars can look on television and seemed to indicate what the series would be, but the final moment that revealed Grogu was the true moment an icon was born, and the show suddenly shifted to what its main narrative would be. It set a mission statement of what the series would be: taking familiar Star Wars iconography and offering a new spin on the material through the eyes of an outcast.
9 Chapter 14: The Tragedy
"The Tragedy" saw the grand return of Boba Fett to the Star Wars universe, and the episode certainly did not disappoint. Thanks to wonderful action from director Robert Rodriguez, "The Tragedy" showcased a Boba Fett that fans always imagined in their heads but never quite got to see in the original trilogy.
With an episode that is basically one extended action sequence, it has the youthful energy of a young kid playing with his action figures (made all the more real with that being how Robert Rodriguez devised the fight scenes) and the episode ends on a cliffhanger that left audiences worried about the fate of Grogu.
8 Chapter 3: The Sin
Essentially the conclusion of the three-part season premiere, episode three of The Mandalorian puts the pieces in place for the rest of the series. Mando gets his new armor, takes the child, and finds himself on the run from various factions. The episode concludes with an epic action sequence showcasing a group of Mandalorians fighting was a dream come true, an image that was only seen in the animated series brought to life with the massive scope one expects from a movie. The episode was an impressive showcase from Deborah Chow, that cemented her as a fan favorite for her eventual job directing the series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
7 Chapter 7: The Reckoning
In the build-up to the epic season one finale, Chapter 7 sees the Mandalorian recruit various supporting players from across season one. The episode's cliffhanger ending, with Grogu, captured, and the heroes pinned down in a bar under heavy Imperial fire with the introduction of the villainous Moff Gideon, felt like a true setup for the epic finale. This episode also premiered the day before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opened in theaters and showed Grogu displaying force healing, an ability that would become important in the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga.
6 Chapter 23: The Spies
By far the best episode to come out of season three, "The Spies" is a near-perfect hour of television. The Mandalorian people look to reclaim their planet now that they know it's habitable and is united under Bo-Katan, but things could never be that easy for them. Once they arrive at the planet, they're greeted by Moff Gideon and his army of Beskar-armor-clad Stormtroopers, as he's been hiding out on the planet rebuilding his forces.
The episode restores the feeling of what made The Mandalorian special with some of the classic action it had been missing. One sequence in particular of Din going through a gauntlet of doors shows how crafty he is, advancing from room to room and using the weapons of his captors to move forward. Grogu even gets his own adorable mech-suit built out of the remains of IG-11's body, giving him the ability to walk freely and respond with only "yes" or "no". It's very amusing to see and that alone would make this one of the series' best episodes.
5 Chapter 13: The Jedi
"The Jedi" felt like a massive event episode when it aired, and not only because it was timed to air over Thanksgiving weekend when families were gathered together. It marked the live-action debut of the character Ahsoka Tano, who had become a fan favorite thanks to her appearances on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels.
It also was the first confirmation of The Child's name as Grogu. The episode is incredibly shot and heavily influenced by the films of Akira Kurosawa (whose film The Hidden Fortress is considered the major influence for Star Wars to begin with). The episode's tease of the live-action introduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn made "The Jedi" one of the most important episodes in the series, in addition to being a great episode of television.