The Star Wars franchise is currently going full steam ahead with its TV era. Several original series set in a galaxy far, far away have already debuted on Disney+, with many more scheduled to arrive in the near future. This all began with season one of The Mandalorian in 2019, but has since extended to a second season of that show, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and next month’s Andor. Many animated series join that list as well, including The Bad Batch and Star Wars: Visions.
All of these series have, to varying degrees, been received positively from fans, audiences, and critics alike. However, The Mandalorian appears have gotten the best reception, garnering less divisive reactions from Star Wars fans (which is certainly an achievement given the current state of the fandom). Season Two was unexpected in that it featured a wide variety of familiar faces, and ultimately proved to be far more relevant and important to canon than fans initially realized, especially due to the appearance of Luke Skywalker. The Jedi then went on to appear in The Book of Boba Fett, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll be going away anytime soon. At this point in canon, Luke is gearing up to begin his Jedi temple, and fans know that Ben Solo was one of his initial students. Because of this, and the continuing reappearances of Luke, The Mandalorian Season 3 could not only feature the official beginning of Skywalker’s academy, but also dive into what was arguably the character’s most crucial moment in the sequel trilogy: when he briefly debated killing his nephew, Ben Solo.
In The Book of Boba Fett, Grogu appeared to be Luke’s first apprentice, as he was training the padawan while the wider Jedi temple was still being built. The buildings, which were later shown in The Last Jedi, were still being put together by droids as Luke worked with Grogu. As fans will remember, Grogu was given a choice in that episode to either remain with Luke or go back with Din Djarin. He chose the latter, but most fans are still convinced that he’ll end up becoming a Jedi as he grows older.
Because of Grogu’s absence, Luke should be seeking new padawans to train, so Ben Solo would fit right in here. The two shared a monumental clash at the end of The Last Jedi which eventually resulted in Luke’s death, and Kylo’s anger never subsided, even after the conclusion of that movie. The two clearly have so much history together. Ben Solo played an integral role not only in the downfall of Luke Skywalker, but the transition back to an Empire-like regime in the galaxy as well. It’s only natural that the Star Wars franchise explores this at some point, and The Mandalorian Season 3 seems like the best fit for this story.
The Mandalorian is currently gearing up to eventually do a crossover event, with heroes like Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano, and Luke Skywalker all joining Din Djarin and Grogu. The reason for the joining of forces has yet to be revealed, but some speculate that it could be a canon adaptation of Heir to the Empire, the famous Legends novel. Some cite Thrawn's impending debut in live-action as potential evidence for this. Regardless, it seems that the threat the heroes face will be monumental and a game-changer for canon, and given the fact that season two clearly hinted at Snoke from the sequels, this crossover could once again loop in Ben Solo.
Snoke was twisting Ben’s mind, according to Luke, for a long time prior to the destruction of his temple. The character is enough of a blank slate for The Mandalorian to explore, as not much is known about him beyond his links to Palpatine. Ben Solo's past was explored briefly in The Rise of Kylo Ren, a comic book series that explained the events after the burning of the temple. However, the ins and outs of his character prior to the sequels has yet to be shown, and Season 3 could be the perfect platform for this.
The culmination of Luke and Ben’s relationship might come in that crossover, but Season 3 of The Mandalorian can begin the exploration of that story. Jon Favreau stated during the making of Season 2 that his series would serve as a project that all Star Wars fans could agree on, bringing elements from the prequel trilogy, the original trilogy, and the sequel trilogy all together to tell an original and exciting story. There have been plenty of originals and prequels elements thus far, but the sequels haven’t had as much representation. The possibility of Snoke’s arrival could suggest that sequel references are about to be ramped up, but Luke Skywalker’s continuing presence can serve not only as a link to the first three movies but to the sequel trilogy as well.