Reel Thoughts: ‘The Mandalorian’ falters in its third season

By DANNY O’GRADY and MILES AZUMA-HALL the daily northwestern @dannymogrady04 / @milesazumahall

Following two commercially successful seasons of “The Mandalorian,” fans highly anticipated the franchise’s latest installment. However, some felt disappointed by this season’s disjointed storyline. This latest dose of the show attempts to tackle too many plot lines at once, and consequently, leaves the audience with about three episodes of content sandwiching a season of side adventures. While more casual viewers may not mind these detours, many die-hard fans have been left wanting more of The Force, more danger and more tension that keeps fans at the edge of their seats.

Not every television show has to kill off characters at the pace of “Game of Thrones,” but this season’s refusal to take risks or present a palpable danger to characters results in the show losing its momentum quickly. The main protagonists never face a significant threat because nothing unfortunate ever happens to them. In fact, the sole protagonist who dies this season is Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher), who holds only a minor role.

Since the characters never face grave danger or grapple with loss, the plot becomes less interesting as no quality of writing can overcome a lack of stakes. The death of series regulars like Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) or The Armorer (Emily Swallow) could have taken the story in a bold new direction and kept audiences hooked. But, the writer’s room was too timid to kill off more notable characters. dannyogrady2026@u.northwestern.edu milesazuma-hall2026@u.northwestern.edu

Even if “The Mandalorian” showrunners were bold enough to kill off main protagonists, most characters were not interesting enough this season for viewers to care about them. For instance, season three co-leads Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) were static characters throughout most of the recent installment, not undergoing any notable character development. On top of that, supporting characters like Paz Vizsla were rather unlikable at times, only serving to interrupt interesting plot developments in pursuit of side quests.

To make matters worse, the show sidelined its big-bad Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and fanfavorite Greef Karga for most of the season, two of the most compelling characters in the entire show.

The show’s struggles in dealing with character development throughout the season could have been overlooked if its plot was exceptional. Unfortunately, the overarching storyline is consistently derailed by nonessential filler episodes. Perhaps the most egregious example of this trend is “Chapter 20: The Foundling,” which is one long side quest where the Mandalorians spend an unnecessarily lengthy amount of time trying to save Paz Vizsla’s young son. While watching these filler episodes, it feels as if the showrunners were contracted to make more episodes than the main story warranted, resulting in a stretched out season of television.

Amid the scattered side plots, however, there are several easter eggs that one would be remiss to not commend. From the first on-screen appearance of Garazeb Orrelius (Steve Blum) of “Star Wars Rebels” to mentions of Grand Admiral Thrawn, teasing these names and characters heavily implies their involvement in the upcoming “Ahsoka” series.

Even fans less versed in the lore were excited to see Brendol Hux (Brian Gleeson), father of General Armitage Hux of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, appear in the Shadow Council. Despite this season’s disjointed storyline, viewers can at least appreciate the season’s efforts to fill in the plot holes introduced in the sequel trilogy. The third season of “The Mandalorian” is merely a mediocre extension of one of Star Wars’ most iconic series and is a bantha-sized step down from the quality of “Andor” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” The easter eggs and top-notch visuals elevate the viewing experience, but they cannot overcome the season’s lackluster plot and character development.

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Anna Souter sense to honor that.”

More than 200 Native and non-Native people gathered in Welsh-Ryan Arena to celebrate the local Indigenous community and the Earth on Saturday. Through song, dance and other forms of tradition, the Pow Wow commemorated the cultures of tribes and nations across the Midwest and beyond.

Northwestern’s Evanston Campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires — the Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Odawa — and the Menominee, Miami and HoChunk nations. John Evans, a co-founder of NU, played a significant role as governor of the Territory of Colorado in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre that killed about 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people.

The Pow Wow began with the Grand Entry, a procession led by military veteran Vincent Romero — who is Laguna Pueblo — holding an Eagle Staff. Veterans were followed by dancers, visiting royalty, and other community members and guests. The ceremony also commemorated the late Bill Smith, a Lakota military veteran who died in 2020.

The celebration featured exhibition dances and drum group performances, while Indigenous artisans and organizers worked at tables providing educational information and sold handmade cultural goods to attendees.

NAISA co-Chair and Weinberg sophomore

Athena GoingSnake, who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Muscogee Creek, said the Pow Wow is a step toward increasing both internal growth and NAISA’s connections to the larger University and regional Indigenous communities.

“The number-one thing is that we’re trying to build this really strong foundation for us so we can build off that and advocate for ourselves and teach others about us and our presence on campus,” GoingSnake said. “But this Pow Wow was a really good example of how we’re trying to share with the wider Northwestern community.”

University Chaplain the Rev. Kristen Glass Perez, who is enrolled in the Leech Lake Band of the Minnesota Ojibwe, presented her blessings at the event. She said there is “beauty and necessity” in every season, and that people must treat every day like a celebration of the Earth.

University President Michael Schill also spoke at the Pow Wow and said the University is taking institutional steps to enhance the Indigenous presence on campus through programming. He also announced a new scholarship for Native American and Indigenous students.

Communication sophomore and Pow Wow Planning Committee co-Chair Mel McDaniel — who is Tyme Maidu of Berry Creek Rancheria of Oroville, California — said NAISA has many more initiatives it wants to accomplish. The group hopes to work with NU to create a Native American and Indigenous studies department and hire more Native faculty.

But, she said, the alliance does not have much people power. The class of 2025 came in at about 1.6% Native and Indigenous, according to the University. NAISA has about 15 members, according to GoingSnake.

For McDaniel, the Pow Wow is a way to engage in conversations about Native people outside the history of genocide, one of the “only” narratives she heard growing up.

“We want people talking about Native people outside of the harsh history,” McDaniel said. “We want people to see that it’s also a celebration of culture and we’re brought together to find collective joy.”

On May 5, the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at NU will launch the wiigwaasi-jiimaan, also known as the birch bark canoe, into Lake Michigan. The canoe, built in 2021 by then CNAIR artist-in-residence Wayne Valliere, will then be displayed in the Segal Visitors Center.

Britton said she hopes Pow Wow attendees will become more aware of the everyday choices they make in relation to the environment. Indigenous communities are a foreground for addressing environmental challenges — including climate change — because their cultural practices that are proven to help the environment, she said.

Increasing the visibility of Native stories is a top priority for her.

“Turning (the Pow Wow) into tradition is so important to us,” Britton said. “We want to have it so Native students, when they get here, they feel seen and have a space to actively celebrate and be in community with each other in a space that’s created for them by them.” joannahou2025@u.northwestern.edu russellleung2024@u.northwestern.edu freshman Erin Lee, who woke up early to get to Mensch’s at the 10 a.m. open time. appropriate,” Knappenberger said. “I thought that was a very practical thing that they can do at home.”

Seeing the huge turnout was a highlight for the trio.

The event also offered local businesses the chance to share environmentally friendly products with the community.

Inside the center were a handful of local businesses, such as Cocina Azteca, Dulce Caramel Co. and Journey: One Bar At a Time. Journey owner Misala Calakovic also featured items from her second business, Nu Moda, where she sells crossbody bags, headbands and scrunchies.

“I came here to show what I am creating, and offer an alternative in regards to soaps and ultimately skincare,” Calakovic said.

Natural Habitat Evanston, a sub-group of the association Climate Action Evanston, gave away free Evanston-native seeds to promote green spaces and advocate for protecting pollinators and birds.

Leaders from Natural Habitat Evanston also promoted techniques to prevent birds from crashing into windows. Catie Lott, a member of the Natural Habitat Evanston committee, said drawing specific patterns with a bright white marker on windows can help birds evade windows.

“If you have horizontal lines, birds will fly into it, they think they can get within the horizontal lines,” Lott said. “But for vertical lines, birds won’t fly through.”

Nearby booths also offered tips for individual action items. Citizens’ Climate Lobby distributed informational pamphlets and posters about reducing carbon footprint and energy usage. The organization’s table showed examples of alternative light bulbs for lower watt consumption.

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago offered promotional materials for kids to learn facts about water, like where it goes after flushing the toilet. The organization provided coloring books and crossword puzzles about the water industry, as well as books focused on other topics like saving the monarch butterfly.

Knappenberger, who also attended the Earth Day event last year, said she appreciated learning from the many organizations and had a great time with her family.

“(My kids) definitely have been learning about Earth Day in school, and so it’s fun to bring that into the weekend and celebrate that with our family,” Knappenberger said. astryrodriguez2025@u.northwestern.edu the written language to “speaking Latin in Rome.” sandwiches and Jewish staples like matzo ball soup and latkes by the time the Mensch’s storefront opens up.

With lines out the door during the first weekend of the pop-up, Mensch’s has already attracted many NU students and Evanston residents alike. Many students flocked to Picnic to grab a New York-style bagel.

“It was definitely worth waking up for,” said Medill

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With the pop-up open for another seven weekends, students and community members still have time to check out Mensch’s and indulge in a bagel, a cup of joe or a baked good.

“It was good to confirm that people do indeed like bagels,” said Kogan. kunjalbastola2026@u.northwestern.edu

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Earning a minor allows students to develop language proficiency and have a degree to show for it, Lys said. Arabic is spoken worldwide, she added, and plays an important role in the business world, because of the increase in business with Arab countries.

Weinberg junior Sara Ibrahim, co-President of MENA Student Association, described the new minor as a “testament” to the efforts of students and faculty. She said the minor will increase enrollment in Arabic and incentivize students to take Arabic language classes.

Mikhaeel said students have historically been frustrated with not earning any degree in Arabic, even after spending three or four years learning the language. He said he was happy the administration listened to students and created the minor.

“It’s good to get those who have the energy and those who own the future to say their say,” he said. “As long as it is toward construction, toward building, towards improving.”

In recent years, the Arabic language program at NU has shifted its curriculum to incorporate Ammiyah Arabic, the spoken language, Mikhaeel said. Previously, the program has only offered written Arabic.

Spoken Arabic is more often used in everyday life, he said. Mikhaeel compared speaking

Before the curriculum incorporated Ammiyah Arabic, students struggled to communicate with others when studying abroad in the MENA region, Mikhaeel said.

“Students come from all walks of life. Some of them are into politics of the Middle East or doing field research in anthropology research,” Mikhaeel said. “These kinds of students will be dealing with people in the streets, in the villages. People in everyday life ... don’t speak the written language.”

With the new minor, Mikhaeel said he is looking forward to being able to teach Islamic manuscripts. Students would analyze different aspects of the manuscript, such as translating the writing and the document’s artistic elements.

Arabic language Prof. Rana Raddawi is also interested in teaching new classes for the minor, including a course about intercultural communication between “the East and West.” Raddawi and Mikhaeel both hope NU will also create an Arabic major in the future.

“Other languages at Northwestern — as important as Arabic — French, German, Portuguese, Spanish have minors and majors in their respective languages,” Raddawi said. “So why not Arabic?” kaavyabutaney2026@u.northwestern.edu