The following contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 1, "Chapter 17: The Apostate," and Episode 2, "Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore," now streaming on Disney+.
The Mandalorian Season 3 will introduce Star Wars: Skeleton Crew's major villain, if a new report is to be believed.
The report comes via Bespin Bulletin. It cites unnamed sources close to Lucasfilm who claim that Gorian Shard, the pirate king who appears briefly in The Mandalorian Season 3's first episode, "Chapter 17: The Apostate," will return in Skeleton Crew. These sources also allege that Shard might even serve as the upcoming Disney+ show's chief antagonist along with his pirate gang, although they weren't certain of this. It's worth noting that Lucasfilm is yet to comment on the report, which means Gorian Shard's supposed involvement in Skeleton Crew should be treated as pure speculation for now.
The online buzz surrounding a potential crossover between The Mandalorian and Skeleton Crew arrives hot on the heels of conflicting statements by Jon Favreau regarding ties between the two shows. Favreau, who created The Mandalorian, initially stated that none of Skeleton Crew's characters would appear in the show's third season. However, he seemingly walked these comments back during a subsequent public appearance, suggesting that crossovers between The Mandalorian, Skeleton Crew and another upcoming Star Wars series, Ahsoka, might happen.
Will The Mandalorian S3 Bring Back Thrawn?
As such, it's entirely possible (but far from guaranteed) that The Mandalorian could unveil one or more Skeleton Crew baddies ahead of time. There's also the potential for the Disney+ series to usher in Ahsoka's villain, who is currently rumored to be Grand Admiral Thrawn. At present, The Mandalorian's cast and crew remain tight-lipped regarding rumblings of the fan-favorite antagonist's return in Season 3. Notably, Bo-Katan Kryze actor Katee Sackhoff ducked the subject entirely when asked whether Thrawn would make his live-action debut in The Mandalorian's Third Season at Emerald City Comic Con 2023.
That said, Sackhoff was more forthcoming on another Mandalorian-related topic in a recent interview: the Bo-Katan/Din Djarin dynamic. Asked why the pair's at-times tense relationship has never bubbled over into full-blown conflict, Sackhoff responded that they have no reason to fight. "I think with Din -- I don't know if I'll go as far as to say that [Bo-Katan] respects and trusts him -- but she doesn't not," she said. "He's done nothing. If [he] didn't have the Darksaber, he's done nothing that would make him her enemy."
The Mandalorian Season 3 is available to stream on Disney+ with new episodes arriving every Wednesday.
Source: Bespin Bulletin