The Mandalorian Season 3 already looks preoccupied with the past. Despite the fact the series is set in a post-Empire future, there are all sorts of remnants from eras gone by. Grogu keeps having flashbacks to Order 66, and Mando is going back to Mandalore after it suffered some unknown fate. But one moment in the Mandalorian Season 3 trailer suggests a blast from the past that goes back thousands of years — and it could canonize an ancient species long thought to be the stuff of Legends.
First, a quick refresher on Mandalorian history: At its start, Mandalore was overrun with mythosaurs, which are the creatures the Armorer alluded to when speaking of the prophecy of the Manda’lor. They existed happily on Mandalore for millennia until a nomadic colonizing species was introduced: the Taungs. In the non-canon Legends timeline, the Taungs were a species vaguely resembling the Protheans from Mass Effect who basically established Mandalorian culture as a whole. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that the Taungs may have inspired the Protheans.
The Taungs conquered Mandalore around 7000 BBY (long before the events of A New Hope) and eventually evolved into the Mandalorians we know and love today. But could this creature Grogu finds near a cave be one of those species? Star Wars loves to make weird things happen near caves, so it’s certainly within the realm of possibility.
Why would Grogu be separated from Din Djarin and wind up vulnerable to an attack like this? Maybe there’s something mystical and Force-based involved that allows Grogu to contact a figure from the past — with the Force involved, there aren’t many rules for what is and isn’t possible.
Granted, this creature does look a bit different from the almost-reptilian Taung, but we’ve never seen a Taung in canon, so they could look completely different. Normally, that would be enough to cast significant doubt on a theory like this, but thematically, the Taung would fit right in.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is focusing on Mando’s return to Mandalore to be forgiven for his transgressions, but he’s also now the rightful bearer of the Darksaber and therefore the leader of his kind. A visit from the aliens who originated that role would be the perfect addition for The Mandalorian’s plot, a plot that’s always valued tradition and generations past.
The Mandalorian is now looking backward, which means Lucasfilm should do the same and dip into the vast archive of non-canon elements that are ripe for the taking. Not only would the Taungs introduce a new layer to Mandalorian history, but they would also be really cool to look at.
The Mandalorian Season 3 premieres on Disney+ on March 1, 2023.
