The following contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 8, "Chapter 24: The Return," now streaming on Disney+.
In a fast-paced finale, Season 3 of The Mandalorian came to a close wrapping up the reclamation of Mandalore and sending off Moff Gideon. However, rather than just a final chapter in the season, "Chapter 24: The Return" felt like a series finale for The Mandalorian.
The battle between the Imperial Super Commandos and the Mandalorians was action-packed and epic. Even Grogu got in on the fight, taking on three Praetorian Guards and nearly surviving alone. Later Din Djarin and the newly christened Din Grogu kick back in their new homestead on Nevarro. While this wraps up the season's story nicely, it also feels like it could work as a series finale for The Mandalorian. Din and Grogu are the two most popular characters in Star Wars right now, and their stories are certainly not complete. Yet, Disney is cutting back in almost all areas, so The Mandalorian might not be guaranteed to get a Season 4. Even if it does continue, this ending sends the signal that it's going to be some time before fans check in with them again.
It Sounds Like The Mandalorian Season 4 Is Happening at Disney+
While doing interviews to promote Season 3, The Mandalorian series creator Jon Favreau isn't acting like the show is going away. Favreau said The Mandalorian Season 4 is already written. Din Djarin himself, Pedro Pascal, expects to begin filming Season 4 in Fall 2023. Even though "The Return" feels like a series finale for The Mandalorian, the series' endgame is still very much undecided, according to Favreau. All due respect to Ahsoka Tano, but The Mandalorian is the hottest story in Star Wars right now. Season 3 sets up a return to a format more like Season 1, week-to-week adventures. Yet, even if filming begins in the fall, it'll be some time before fans get to check back in with the Mandalorian family.
Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew are next up for Disney+. The announcement of Dave Filoni's movie at Star Wars Celebration also implies that production on it will commence sooner rather than later. It's foolish to think that Din and Grogu won't pop up in one or all of those projects. The Book of Boba Fett devoted a quarter of its runtime to stories about Din Djarin and Grogu that didn't even feature the title character. Fans will see the characters again. However, until it's announced, there is no guarantee that The Mandalorian comes back for Season 4.
Still, even if Season 4 is a given, it will probably be another two years before "Chapter 25" hits Disney+. The Mandalorian Season 1 and 2 were written and filmed back to back. Even with the pandemic lockdown, Season 2 debuted about 10 months after the end of Season 1. The debut of Season 3, however, hit the streamer more than 26 months after Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 walked off with Grogu. Perhaps the end of Season 3 felt like a series finale because it will be a long time before viewers get a new episode of The Mandalorian.
Disney+ Has Great Flexibility With Its Star Wars Stories
Thankfully for both Disney+ and The Mandalorian fans, streaming is not like regular television. Prestige TV shows on HBO from The Sopranos to Westworld often take several years to produce a new season. Disney doesn't have an airdate and timeslot to fill. With new Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm series still in the pipeline, there isn't the need for a new season of The Mandalorian like there was in 2020. It's ironic, but Disney's Star Wars TV shows are given a longer production time than the sequels received.
Something like Star Wars never truly ends. In the past few years, fans enjoyed new stories with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. Even if "The Return" was The Mandalorian series finale, the characters wouldn't go away for long. It's more likely, though, the series is just going on another long hiatus to make way for a slew of new Star Wars tales. So, no matter what horrors Grand Admiral Thrawn visits upon the galaxy, The Mandalorian fans have that final image of Din and Grogu finally "home" to hold onto.
Seasons 1 through 3 of The Mandalorian are currently available on Disney+.