Christopher Lloyd Continues The Mandalorian’s Smartest Storytelling Trick

The Mandalorian season 3’s cast will include Christopher Lloyd, indicating a continuation of the Star Wars TV show’s smart storytelling trick. The Mandalorian quickly established itself as one of the most popular properties among Disney’s Star Wars movies and shows, exploring the years following Return of the Jedi but long before the First Order menaces the galaxy in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While The Mandalorian has a different style of character dynamics than the Skywalker saga films, it retains one key element in regards to balancing its tone, which is implied to continue through Christopher Lloyd’s casting.

The Mandalorian season 3 will somewhat return to form following both the season 2 finale and The Book of Boba Fett’s first season. While Grogu reunited with Luke Skywalker and reentered the Jedi Order, he soon returned to Din Djarin, choosing the life of a Force-sensitive Mandalorian over that of a Jedi. While Djarin and Grogu will be together again, the former still must contend with his newfound responsibilities, as the latest owner of the Darksaber, as well as a potential rivalry with Bo-Katan Kryze.

It’s been reported that Christopher Lloyd is in The Mandalorian season 3, and while his role hasn’t been specified, Lloyd’s famous performances and reported position as a guest star suggest that he likely won’t be a key supporting character or antagonist. While Lloyd playing a notable pre-existing Star Wars character isn’t out of the question, he’ll most likely play a comedic character, similar to Amy Sedaris’ Peli Motto. The Mandalorian uses its characters similarly to the Skywalker saga, balancing its seriousness with quirky side characters who serve as comic relief.

Among Lloyd’s best-known roles are Back to the Future’s Doc Brown and the Addams Family’s Uncle Fester. With this in mind, Lloyd will most likely play an original character, but his guest role doesn’t rule out a well-established comedic one. Hondo Ohnaka has yet to make his live-action debut, and if he becomes the latest Dave Filoni Star Wars character to appear in a Disney+ series, Lloyd would be an excellent choice for the former Pirate Captain.

While Lloyd is known most for his comedy roles, he could potentially play a major villain, such as Joruus C’baoth or Gilad Pellaeon. In this case, his guest role may be a post-credits stinger, setting up a later Disney+ Star Wars appearance. In all likelihood, Lloyd will take the role of comic relief in an episode, balancing out what could be the darkest season of The Mandalorian yet.

While Grogu provides a degree of comic relief in The Mandalorian, most of the show’s characters are quite serious, and the Star Wars franchise has always needed a proper balance of gravitas and levity. The plots and character trajectories of Star Wars properties are often quite dark, but the humorous antics of characters like Grogu and Peli Motto add a much-needed sense of fun to otherwise grim scenarios. Christopher Lloyd’s upcoming role in The Mandalorian season 3 will likely perpetuate this much-needed balance.