The Mandalorian Season 3: Katee Sackhoff Explains Major Bo-Katan Character Shift

Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 2!

The Mandalorian’s Katee Sackhoff has revealed the driving forces behind the changes in Bo-Katan’s character, and her attitude towards the darksaber in Season 3.

The second episode of Season 3 saw Din Djarin travel with Grogu to bathe in the living waters of the devastated planet Mandalore in a quest to cleanse himself of the sin of removing his helmet – a grave taboo in the eyes of his orthodox religious sect, The Children of the Watch. 

Along the way, the pair sought guidance from the fallen Mandalorian leader Bo-Katan, who, abandoned by her followers, had seemingly given up on her mission to reclaim the darksaber, now wielded by Djarin himself.

Legend dictates that the owner of this storied weapon has the right to rule over all of Mandalore and its people, assuming that the lightsaber was won in combat. In Season 2, a zealous Bo-Katan had sought to reclaim the Jedi blade from the hands of Imperial agent Moff Gideon for herself. In so doing she could have won the loyalty of her people, and solidified her claim to the throne of Mandalore. 

However, the blade fell to Djarin, and the Bo-Katan we see in Season 3 appears radically changed as a result. This shift in character is epitomised in the events of Episode 2, where, after rescuing the bounty hunter from the clutches of a monstrous biologically infused spider droid, Bo-Katan allows a near-helpless Mando to pocket the ancestral blade.

“We have to go back to see why she’s doing what she’s doing,” explains Sackhoff in an interview with Deadline. “This is a person who has fought, fought against her own people. She’s fought forever and she realises that doesn’t work.”

Regarding Bo-Katan’s reluctance to challenge Djarin for the darksaber, Sackhoff commented that “It’s easier to fight an enemy for something than it is to fight somebody you actually have respect for or has done nothing to upset you.”

“If [Djin] didn’t have the darksaber, he’s done nothing that would make him her enemy… She’s not going to fight someone who she doesn’t have a reason to fight.”

The Battlestar Galactica actress went on to explain that Bo-Katan’s followers – the Nite Owls – viewed their leader as weak after her failure to obtain the darksaber.

“I think these are people who thought Bo would do anything to lead, that Bo would fight anyone to lead, and that’s what she wanted and that’s why they were following her. And when they saw something in her that they didn’t respect, they left. She lost her people, her home, she lost her family, she lost everything.”

“Every single possibility, every place that she’s at right now, every direction she’s done before didn’t work before. That’s what she’s trying to figure out.”

Sadly, it seems that Bo-Katan won’t be appearing in the upcoming Disney+ series focused on the exploits of Anakin Skywalker’s padawan Ashoka Tano. “I can’t reveal anything,” said Sackhoff. “But, no, as of right now I’m not in Ahsoka.”

For more Mandalorian content be sure to check out IGN’s review of Season 3, Episode 2, and the potential return of Salacious B. Crumb to the Star Wars universe.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer