Hey everyone! Nuked here, and I’m so excited to be talking about The Mandalorian’s season 3 premiere. It was a return to the simpler, safer Star Wars storytelling that we all love, and it was a joyride through space with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu.

The episode starts with a young Mandalorian’s induction ceremony, which is a great signifier of how the show has entered into a new chapter of its existence. It’s interesting to see how young Mandalorians are brought into the fold and given their first beskar helmets.

At the same time that Din’s grappling with the possibility of being expelled from one family because of his devotion to another, “The Apostate” also makes clear that the Mandalorians, as a people, place more value on their traditions than any one of their members — even when it seems as if they aren’t committed to The Way as individuals.

The episode follows Mando to places like the new and improved — and mostly pirate-free — planet Nevarro, which helps tap into that classic lived-in and practically created Star Wars magic. It’s easy to be reminded of what first made The Mandalorian feel distinct in this era of larger-than-life Star Wars narratives.

But “The Apostate” moves through its story so swiftly that you never really get a chance to appreciate all of its rich detail. It’s almost as if the episode is just checking off a series of general scene-setting boxes rather than trying to more deeply explore this universe.

Overall, The Mandalorian’s season 3 premiere leaves more than a bit to be desired. Compared to something like Andor, all of those creative choices might make The Mandalorian seem like it isn’t trying hard enough. But it’s possible that the show might revisit or expand on some of the things that work well in “The Apostate,” like its implication that Grogu’s gaining a much more nuanced understanding of the world around him.