This post contains spoilers for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars: Rebels."

By the end of season 2 of "The Mandalorian," our protagonist had gone through one major change: Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) is no longer the lone wolf he was when we first met him. With young Grogu by his side, our titular hero has made his way around the vast "Star Wars" galaxy and has fought alongside many interesting faces, from Tatooine sheriff Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) to fierce mercenary Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and even the legendary Jedi himself, Luke Skywalker (a de-aged Mark Hamill).

Most of the time, we've been used to Mando's allies coming and going once their quests are over and done with (In case you missed it, "The Book of Boba Fett" has already resolved the Luke Skywalker subplot for example), but based on the setting and general story details we know about season 3 so far — we can certainly expect to see more of at least two of Mando's past encounters make an appearance during his pilgrimage to Mandalore.

Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) has already been confirmed to be playing a pivotal role in this season, especially with her clear motive we'll get into later. Additionally, with the live-action "Ahsoka" series set to premiere in late 2023, it's reasonable to expect some set-up and an eventual crossover with fan-favorite runaway Jedi, played in live-action by Rosario Dawson.

Before "The Mandalorian" returns for its third season, let's look back on how Bo-Katan and Ahsoka's histories have become intertwined with our lonesome gun-for-hire turned father-figure, and what we can expect from these characters in the future.

Bo-Katan Is An Anti-Hero With Her Own Agenda

Just like Ahsoka, Bo-Katan originated from the animated series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," before making the transition to live-action. In "The Clone Wars," we learn that she has been estranged from her royal family due to her extreme political views — as a member of the militia group, the Death Watch, she believes in restoring Mandalore to its "ancient warrior ways." Despite her radical beliefs, she's mostly been depicted as an anti-hero who works alongside our heroes for her own agenda. When Darth Maul seized control over Mandalore and murdered her sister, Duchess Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan and her unit, the Nite Owls, fought alongside the Jedi to defeat the revived sith lord.

In the final season of "The Clone Wars," Bo-Katan develops a friendship fighting alongside Ahsoka Tano, whom she seems to keep in touch with in the gap between this show and the second season of "The Mandalorian." In chapter 11, "The Heiress," Mando comes across Bo-Katan and her fellow Nite Owls in a fishing village on Trask. We learned that she was in pursuit of Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and the Darksaber, and advises Mando to take Grogu to Ahsoka Tano. In the season 2 finale, "The Rescue," Bo-Katan helps Mando rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon and hopefully knock out 2 birds with one stone by seizing ownership of the Darksaber along the way.

Unfortunately for Bo-Katan, Mando is ultimately the one who defeats Moff Gideon in combat, making him the true owner of the Darksaber according to ancient Mandalorian tradition.

There Can Only Be One Holder Of The Darksaber

In the past, Bo-Katan was always fighting with our heroes to achieve a mutual goal. Now, Mando's possession of the Darksaber infinitely complicates things for our anti-hero. Bo-Katan has no choice but to fight and defeat Mando in battle to claim ownership of the weapon, which is required of her goal to restore the warrior's way back into the culture of Mandalore.

Plot details of "The Mandalorian" season 3 are a tight-lipped secret, but we do know it will follow Mando and Grogu traveling to Mandalore to "atone" for the times our protagonist removed his helmet, a violation against the religious beliefs of his specific tribe. We don't know for sure, but it's likely that Bo-Katan could finally be playing an antagonistic role this season, as her own political beliefs put her in direct odds with Mando and his own religion. In the past, she's even labeled Mando's tribe as a "cult," as well as denounced Boba Fett as a real "Mandalorian" because of his clone origins. It's hard to imagine Bo-Katan walking back on these beliefs, no matter how kind she has been to our heroes in the past.

Only time will tell how this will play out, but considering the Darksaber plotline is one of the only loose threads we have left from the season 2 finale, we can expect the conflict between Mando and Bo-Katan to be resolved in this show and not any future spin-offs. It could be this season, it could even be the next — but as of now, there doesn't seem to be any plans for a Bo-Katan spin-off, and her plotline couldn't fit anywhere else in the current lineup.

The Ahsoka Show Is Around The Corner

On the other hand, Ahsoka Tano's potential role in "The Mandalorian" season 3 is a little less clear. As of now, she's still unconfirmed to make an appearance. However, it's obvious that she's always been creator Dave Filoni's favorite character. After making her debut in chapter 13, "The Jedi," she also made a completely unexpected appearance in the spin-off "The Book of Boba Fett," visiting Luke Skywalker and his developing Jedi academy.

As mentioned, the solo "Ahsoka" series is set to premiere on Disney+ later this year, so it wouldn't be outrageous to expect "The Mandalorian" to lay some groundwork for that series. Details are still vague, but from what we gather about the "Ahsoka" series so far, it's a valid assumption that the show will continue some loose ends from the finale of "Star Wars: Rebels." In that show, fan-favorite villain Grand Admiral Thrawn and young Jedi Ezra Bridger mysteriously disappear into the unknown. Based on hints from Ahsoka's live-action appearances so far, it seems that Ahsoka is on a mission to pursue Thrawn and save her friend, perhaps even reuniting with Sabine Wren along the way.

Of course, this is far from relevant to the premise of "The Mandalorian" season 3, but I wouldn't underestimate Filoni's ability to sneak Ahsoka into every corner of the universe he touches, even if she seems to be on her own path. While fans of the animated shows know what to expect from the "Ahsoka" series, they still have to convince casual audiences to tune in. Therefore, at least a small tease of her whereabouts shouldn't be out of the question.

This Could Be The Most Dense Season Of The Mandalorian Yet

Although showrunner Jon Favreau is keeping his cards up his sleeve for now, "The Mandalorian" season 3 has the potential to be the densest, most plot-focused outing of the series so far. As far as we know, the show is keeping its serialized weekly adventure format, but this season's explicit focus on Mandalore, the complexities of its people and culture, plus the unresolved conflict between Bo Katan and the Darksaber means that there's much more momentum going into the show than ever before.

As for Ahsoka, It's pretty obvious this show and all of its spin-offs are leading to one big connected "Mandoverse" eventually, and her journey is one essential thread that will tie all of these shows together. Whether or not we will see her make a grand appearance in season 3 is yet to be seen, but I think it's a safe bet that we'll get some sort of insight into her solo show before it streams on Disney+ later this year.

"The Mandalorian" season 3 will premiere on March 1, 2023, on Disney+.

Read this next: 11 Villain Origin Stories We Want Next From The Star Wars Universe

The post Bo-Katan and Ahsoka: What to Know For The Mandalorian Season 3 and Beyond appeared first on /Film.