With only a few days left until the release of "The Mandalorian" Season 3, anticipation is building The "Star Wars" series has become a cultural phenomenon since it first debuted on Disney Plus in November 2019, thanks to the winning combination of the fearless bounty hunter and the adorable green child who has become known as Baby Yoda

Over the course of two seasons, fans have come to learn that the bounty hunter has a tender heart and that the child's name is Grog In the most recent finale, Din Jarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grog were separated, the latter leaving to train in the Force under the one and only Luke Skywalker But then they reunited (see Mandalorian Season 3 commentary for details) and are ready for a new adventure in a galaxy far, far away

But as Season 3 is about to go into hyperdrive, I'm thinking about the future of the show My colleague Henry T Casey is worried about "The Mandalorian" Season 3, and so am I

In an Inside Total Film podcast (opens in new tab), creator Jon Favreau recently described Season 3 as "the middle part of a much larger story," saying, "I love the way these stories continue And these characters could potentially be with us for a while," adding

As cute as Grogg is, "The Mandalorian" needs more than that to hold my attention There are a few important questions I would like answered in the next episode

From the beginning of "The Mandalorian," everything about Grogg was a mystery First, there was his name Mando called him "the kid," but we all called him Baby Yoda Even after that was clarified, Grog's origins were not well understood

Clearly, he is of the same species as Yoda, the respected Jedi Master who appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, and Yadol, the Jedi Council member who made a cameo in The Phantom Menace

Little is known about this race Where is their homeland, and what is it called? Are all of this unnamed race Force-sensitive, or only some of them? Have any of the races survived the Empire's harsh rule?

The origins of the Grog and its people have been a question mark ever since they first appeared in a floating crib in the first episode Sure, Din Jarin has appointed him a Mandalorian foundling and dressed him in a Bescar Chainmail shirt, but there is no way the show thinks fans will be satisfied with leaving these questions unanswered Why introduce another race without exploring the history of Yoda's race?

The events of the Mandalorian Season 2 finale and "The Book of Boba Fett" reveal that Din Jarin is determined to visit the planet Mandalore to seek redemption Armorah declared (more than once) that he was "no longer a Mandalorian" as he took off his helmet Furthermore, he continued to carry his dark saber after winning his duel with Paz Vizsla

The dark saber is considered the rightful property of the Mandalorian leader, which is why Bo-Katan Kreise (Katee Sackhoff) wants it As a member of the planet's nobility, she wants to reunite her people

So it seems that Mandalore will get an even bigger focus in season 3, but I am curious as to why it has become such an important place Is it simply because of the cool armor and jetpacks? Is it because Boba Fett was (temporarily) a badass in The Empire Strikes Back? Is it because the motto "This is the way" is used repeatedly?

One can only hope that the show will explain why this planet is so special in the Star Wars canon At least we understand that Tatooine is the birthplace of Anakin Skywalker and the childhood home of Luke Skywalker (though it is still overused as a setting) If we are going to spend most of Season 3 there, we want Mandalore to feel important

You are not alone in not seeing "The Book of Boba Fett," but I could not see Grog training with Luke He was just beginning to understand the Force and chose to finish his lessons and reunite with his adoptive father

When Grog arrived on Tatooine, his mastery of the Force was enough to save Din Jarin, Boba Fett, and the others from a tight spot But it was also clear that the little guy had a long way to go to become a true master Perhaps with repeated use, he would gain enough experience to use the Force to move large objects and defeat enemies

But what exactly would Grog's future hold? Obviously, he will not become a Jedi Nevertheless, it seems a shame to follow in Din's footsteps as a bounty hunter Let's hope that season 3 of "The Mandalorian" will begin to lay the groundwork for Grog's growth