The Mandalorian Season 3 Fixed One Of The Last Jedi's Most Annoying Mistakes (& Then Repeated It)

The Mandalorian season 3 actually repeated an inconsistency issue with Star Wars: The Last Jedi by fixing one of the film's mistakes before frustratingly repeating it. The Mandalorian season 3's ending consisted of several strong episodes that overcame the earlier criticism the season was facing. One of the more exciting elements of this ending was an Easter egg to one of the many movies of the Star Wars saga: The Last Jedi. The reference came in the form of the Praetorian Guards which, in Star Wars' New Republic timeline, were under Moff Gideon's control.

Later in the Star Wars timeline, the Praetorian Guards are shown standing watchfully over the Supreme Leader of the First Order: Snoke. Snoke's Praetorian Guards played a somewhat big role in one of the more divisive Star Wars movies, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. However, despite their excellent designs, many felt underwhelmed by them after they were swiftly defeated by Rey and Kylo Ren. Initially, The Mandalorian season 3 rectified this mistake before going back on it in a frustrating fashion.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Showed How Dangerous The Praetorian Guards Really Are

The Guards Were Introduced As A Force To Be Reckoned With

The Praetorian Guards wielding their weapons in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7.

In The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7, Paz Vizsla is shown sacrificing himself to save his fellow clan members. Paz mows down several Beskar-clad stormtroopers before being encountered by the Praetorian Guards, with the ensuing scene showing how effective and dangerous the Imperial protectors truly are. Paz was always showcased as one of the strongest warriors in TheMandalorian, often going toe-to-toe with Din Djarin and, as alluded to, defeating wave after wave of enhanced stormtroopers in The Mandalorian season 3.

The Praetorian Guards take little to no damage from Paz's vibroknife before stabbing him multiple times...

Regardless of this strength, Paz was shown to be defeated by the Praetorian Guards with relative ease. The Guards are shown stalking Paz, slowly walking toward the bulky Mandalorian soldier until they surround him. Using their electrified weapons, the Praetorian Guards take little to no damage from Paz's vibroknife before stabbing him multiple times. The Guards then simply walk away as if nothing had happened, with the camera lingering on Paz's dead body before the episode cuts to black.

Thanks to this sequence, the Praetorian Guards are made to look exceedingly effective. The Last Jedi saw them defeated fairly quickly and, while they managed to seem somewhat threatening to an untrained Jedi like Rey, Kylo Ren did not overcome much difficulty to defeat them. However, thanks to this scene in The Mandalorian season 3, this perception that the Praetorian Guards were weak was changed slightly.

Grogu Then Ran Rings Around The Praetorian Guards

The Guards Were No Match For... A Baby?

Although The Mandalorian changed the perception of the Praetorian Guards via their fight with Paz Vizsla, the show's next episode went back on this, thus repeating The Last Jedi's underwhelming depiction of them. In the finale of The Mandalorian season 3, Grogu gets trapped in a room with the Praetorian Guards while Din Djarin is left outside fighting Moff Gideon. While Grogu is inherently powerful in the Force, he is still highly untrained and only a child, meaning he should realistically be no match for the elite warriors.

Nonetheless, Grogu proceeded to run rings around the Praetorian Guards, figuratively and literally. Grogu lasted a long time on his own with them by jumping to a ring hanging from the ceiling and using the Force to block their attacks, giving Din enough time to subdue Gideon with Bo-Katan's help and rush to Grogu's aid. If the Praetorian Guards had been utilized differently than running after a Force-sensitive baby like they were with Paz Vizsla only a week earlier, The Mandalorian season 3 would not have repeated The Last Jedi's disappointing mistake with their characterization.

Will Star Wars Ever Get The Praetorian Guard Right?

Naturally, the burning question after The Mandalorian season 3's treatment of the Praetorian Guards is whether Star Wars will ever get them right. More aptly, the question should be whether Star Wars will find a level of consistency in its depiction of them. Across the two projects the Praetorian Guards have appeared in, they have given a good fight to master Force wielders before being ultimately defeated relatively easily, defeated a seasoned veteran of a warrior Mandalorian clan without breaking a sweat, and been embarrassed by an untrained Force-sensitive baby.

This inconsistency has harmed the perception of the Praetorian Guards and has led many to wonder if they will be shown to have a more, well, consistent power base. This could be highlighted in upcoming Star Wars movies or TV shows, especially if the resurgence of Grand Admiral Thrawn means more Praetorian Guards are used to protect him or his more senior followers. Until then, however, the last experience Star Wars fans had with the Praetorian Guards was The Mandalorian season 3, which initially fixed a big problem they once had before immediately repeating it.