Although it was initially touted as a new story completely unrelated to the Skywalkers,The Mandalorianhas since become a great vehicle to collate a bunch of existingStar Warslore. It’s been used as a springboard to launch Ahsoka’s post-Rebelsadventures, Boba Fett’s canonical resurrection, andthe return of a more familiar Luke Skywalker. In future seasons, the show can also address an unresolved mystery from the prequels that’s been bugging fans for years.
InAttack of the Clones, George Lucas set up an intriguing mystery surrounding Kamino’s cloning operations. Obi-Wan found the planet missing from the Jedi Archives, then discovered that they were creating a clone army for the Republic on the orders of Sifo-Dyas, a Jedi who died years earlier. However, during the writing process forEpisode III, Lucas decided to drop this storyline in order to focus onAnakin’s turn to the dark side.
RELATED:The Mandalorian Season 3 Might Be A Totally Different Show
While this might have been the right decision forRevenge of the Sithand probably ultimately made it a stronger movie, it is a shame that Kamino’s mysteries were never explained. ThroughoutThe Mandalorian, the Imperial Remnants have been experimenting with cloning technology. It’s unclear exactly what’s going on, but Moff Gideon has seemingly hired clone engineer Dr. Pershing to use Grogu’s blood as the Jango Fett-style template for a clone army of dark side Force users.
The mystery of Kamino certainly isn’t the only unresolved storyline from the prequel trilogy. The movies didn’t elaborate on the “chosen one” prophecy or bring closure to Padmé’s political career orshow Qui-Gon’s Force ghostor reveal the identity of Anakin’s biological father. But none of these need to be resolved as desperately as the Kamino storyline. The army was a crucial factor in Palpatine’s masterplan and it was commissioned by a Jedi who died under mysterious circumstances and the planet where it was being created was erased from the Jedi’s library. All these questions need to be answered, andThe Mandaloriancan answer them.
Unlike the sequel trilogy,The Mandalorianisn’t afraid to embrace the prequel era. The show has included references to Gungans, pit droids, and the “high ground.” The fact that it’s even mentioned cloning is a huge win for fans who are sick of the prequel era being vilified, but its inclusion asa major point in Grogu’s arcpresentsThe Mandalorianwith an opportunity to really dig into this aspect of theStar Warsmythos, beyond a mere wink to the audience.
In “Chapter 12: The Siege,” during an Imperial base infiltration, Mando stumbled across ominous evidence of a cloning operation seeking Force-sensitive DNA with a high “M-count,” with Grogu being the ideal candidate. In the season 2 finale, “Chapter 16: The Rescue,” Moff Gideon noted that they’d already extracted Grogu’s blood, which was all they needed him for. While Gideon himself has been captured by Mando, that blood sample might’ve already gotten into the hands of somebody who knows what to do with it. And just because Grogu hasgone to train with Luke, it doesn’t mean the Imperial Remnants will leave the kid alone. Mando might’ve successfully saved the kid and gotten him back to his people, but this storyline is still far from over.
The fact that the remains of the Empire are the ones behind the cloning operation – paired with the fact that they specifically want a Force-sensitive clone – suggests a link toEmperor Palpatine’s mysterious resurrectioninThe Rise of Skywalker. The best thatThe Rise of Skywalkercould do to explain Palpatine’s reanimation is: “Dark science, cloning, secrets only the Sith knew.” It’s vaguely suggested that it was cloning that brought Palpatine back, although his appearance is so zombie-like and decrepit in the movie that he seems to be in his original body.The Mandalorian’s exploration of this plot point can flesh out exactly how Palpatine came back from the dead, who helped him do it, and why it makes sense.
AfterBoba Fett’s triumphant return to actionin “Chapter 14: The Tragedy,” he showed Mando a hologram proving that his father was a foundling. For their clone template, the Kaminoans effectively picked someone who’s just like Din Djarin himself: a bounty hunter who was adopted by Mandalorian warriors as a child. Given Mando’s interest in Mandalorian history, he’d undoubtedly be interested in getting to the bottom of a dead Jedi’s request to copy a Mandalorian a million times to give an army to a budding dictator.
Going into its third season,The Mandalorianis dealing with Mando’s possession of the Darksaber and the obstacle it presents inBo-Katan’s quest to reclaim Mandalore. The show might also depict Grogu’s training with Luke on-screen. For the time being, the cloning storyline will be taking a backseat. But at some point in the future,The Mandalorianshould use its ties to the secrets of cloning to finally explain the incomplete Jedi Archives and dig into Kamino’s history and the disappearance of Sifo-Dyas.
