Concept art for The Mandalorian season 2 reveals an idea for Din Djarin to experience a jetpack malfunction. The sophomore season of the successful Disney+ series first premiered in October 2020 to excited viewers who continue to await the upcoming season 3. Details for the new season have been limited, though Din’s (Pedro Pascal) 3-episode appearance in The Book of Boba Fett provided viewers with a few ideas as to what’s to come for the Mandalorian and his foundling Grogu (Baby Yoda).
One major storyline many viewers are expecting to see in The Mandalorian season 3 concerns Din’s feelings towards his Mandalorian identity, which he’s previously stated heavily relies upon the use of weapons. A jetpack can be considered one of these weapons that Din was greatly missing in the series’ season 1, even once throwing out the joke that “I gotta get one of those” when Paz Vizsla saw him and Grogu off Nevarro. Din was finally awarded his Rising Phoenix during the season 1 finale and managed to pull off some incredible tricks given the fact he hadn’t yet run his drills with it, and by the time audiences saw him in season 2, Din had mastered the jetpack completely.
Now, official Lucasfilm artist Brian Matyas has shared concept art from The Mandalorian season 2 that shows Din’s jetpack adventures going less than great. The art depicts Din, in full armor, lying inside a large impact crater full of mud that only could’ve resulted from a hard crash, along with trails in the dirt where his boots might’ve dragged. In the caption, Matyas explains that this concept art was made from an early script of “Chapter 15: The Believer,” the same episode where Din and Mayfeld infiltrated the Imperial refinery on Morak and Din was forced to remove his helmet in front of others. See the full concept art below:
Had these script changes not been made, this would’ve topped off all the trials Din had to go through in order to rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon. Din came close enough to a hard crash thanks to his jetpack in the season 1 finale, and to have actually seen one happen in one of Din’s greatest times of distress would’ve been yet another heartbreak for both the character and his loyal audience. There’s no clarity as to whether or not this moment was replacing another that canonically took place in the episode, but assuming this was in addition to what viewers have already seen, there’s no doubt this would’ve been one of Din’s most stressful days and would’ve tested him and his trustworthiness towards the armor and weapons he bears.
This event wouldn’t have been the first that made Din question his view towards his Mandalorian identity, something audiences may see more of in The Mandalorian season 3. Din met Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and other Mandalorians in season 2 who can remove their helmets, which no doubt caused some doubt to arise in him towards his own Mandalorian tribe. The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 saw Din get banished from his tribe by the Armorer for removing his helmet, despite the circumstances within which he did it. All of these things have been pointing towards a journey to Mandalore in season 3 which will likely see Din dealing with his Mandalorian identity crisis and how he may begin to create his own way in the galaxy.
