The following contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 4, "Chapter 20: The Foundling," now streaming on Disney+.
The Mandalorian Season 3 sees Din Djarin, Grogu and Bo-Katan Kryze living with the Children of the Watch, exploring what it truly means to be a Mandalorian. Previous seasons have separated Din from the sect to which he belongs, providing only fleeting glimpses into Mandalorian culture as he traversed the galaxy and attempted to return Grogu to the Jedi. With Grogu now returned to him and being trained as a Mandalorian, the Star Wars series is showing the path that lies before the young foundling.
Foundlings have received more attention in The Mandalorian Season 3 than in previous seasons. Ragnar, a foundling and son of Paz Vizsla, has been playing a key role so far; the season premiere opened with him taking the Mandalorian Creed and receiving his helmet, while the fourth episode saw him training with Grogu. When encouraging Grogu to spar with Ragnar, Din revealed to Bo-Katan that such training was essential if Grogu were to progress from foundling to apprentice. This is the first reference to Mandalorians being trained as apprentices, clearly echoing the Jedi Order's Padawans.
Jedi Padawans Vs. Mandalorian Apprentices
As children taken in by the Mandalorians to be raised in their customs, foundlings clearly bear a resemblance to Jedi younglings. While younglings eventually go on to be assigned to a Master in order to be trained as Padawan learners, it wasn't clear until now that Mandalorians who follow the Way of the Mand'alor must also complete a period of apprenticeship. It reinforces Din Djarin's Season 1 revelation that, for the Children of the Watch at least, Mandalorians are not a race but a creed. Like Padawans becoming Jedi Knights, Mandalorians must train in order to earn their mantle.
It is not yet clear what life as a Mandalorian apprentice looks like, with this stage of Mandalorian training having only been mentioned briefly by Din Djarin. It's possible apprentice is simply a rank that signifies a Mandalorian has progressed beyond the status of foundling, without necessarily including one-to-one mentorship of the kind Jedi Padawans receive. Alternatively, if Mandalorian apprentices are trained under a master, this may pave the way for Grogu to grow into maturity while remaining under Din's tutelage in future seasons of The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian Draws More Parallels Between Mandalorians and Jedi
Mandalorians and Jedi are ancient enemies in the Star Wars universe. As explained on Star Wars Rebels, many Mandalorian weapons are designed specifically to combat the Jedi's Force powers. During their appearance on The Book of Boba Fett, the Armorer and Din Djarin discussed how the Jedi Order's beliefs directly oppose the Mandalorian Creed. However, despite these differences and their ancient enmity, there have been moments of unity between Jedi and Mandalorians, and The Mandalorian is taking the time to reveal the two cultures are not so different.
"The Foundling" sees Grogu remembering his rescue from the Jedi Temple as the Armorer explains the importance of the forge to Mandalorian culture, contrasting his Jedi past and Mandalorian future. "The Mines of Mandalore" also saw Bo-Katan telling Grogu about the times Mandalorians and Jedi worked together. Clearly, in Grogu there are echoes of Tarre Vizsla, the ancient Mandalorian and Jedi who forged the Darksaber -- a Jedi weapon that became a symbol of Mandalorian power, which is also playing a key role on The Mandalorian. The series seems destined to shatter the barrier between these two ancient cultures.
New episodes of The Mandalorian are available to stream every Wednesday on Disney+.