The Mandalorian Season 3 Broke A Star Wars Droid Record
The Mandalorian season 3 achieved a remarkable milestone in the Star Wars universe by creating an unprecedented number of droids for a single scene. As the first ever live-action Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian has already established itself as a groundbreaking production, showcasing the exceptional skills of its crew. From the revolutionary visual effects that bring vibrant worlds to life, to the intricately detailed creature puppets, The Mandalorian has likely set numerous records within the Star Wars franchise. However, season 3 surpassed all expectations with its remarkable droids created for a specific episode.
This remarkable achievement was unveiled in Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian: The Making of Season 3, available exclusively on Disney+. This special documentary delves into the behind-the-scenes efforts required to bring various moments to life, including the creation of both creature puppets and droids. The crew highlighted a particularly challenging moment in The Mandalorian season 3 that resulted in setting a new Star Wars record.
In episode 6 of The Mandalorian season 3, titled “Chapter 22: Guns for Hire,” the concept of a droid cantina was introduced, ultimately setting a new Star Wars record. At approximately 43:12, Trevor Hensley and the droid crew expressed their belief that it featured the largest number of droids ever seen in a Star Wars production. They speculated that it surpassed the number of droids present in the original Jawa Sandcrawler scene, as there were 20 puppeteers, each handling at least two, if not three, puppets. This accomplishment is a testament to the immense skill and coordination exhibited by the droid shop, as it required seamless collaboration between puppeteers and actors within the suits.
Additionally, the droid cantina in The Mandalorian season 3 served as an inverted homage to a scene from the iconic film A New Hope. In the Mos Eisley Cantina, droids were not welcome, as the bartender famously informed Luke Skywalker, “we don’t serve their kind here,” insisting that C-3PO and R2-D2 wait outside. However, in The Mandalorian, when Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze enter the droid cantina, they become the outsiders, and the droids amusingly turn in unison to face them. This clever and playful concept aligns with the lighter tone of the rest of the episode.
While The Mandalorian season 3 showcased a cantina designed exclusively for droids, this was not the first instance of the show subverting A New Hope’s cantina scene. In season 1, episode 5, titled “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger,” Din Djarin encounters a Mos Eisley Cantina now operated by droids. The irony of droids running a bar that previously rejected them was not lost on Star Wars fans, and The Mandalorian season 3 took this idea to new heights.
Setting a record within the Star Wars universe is a remarkable accomplishment, and The Mandalorian crew went above and beyond with the creation of the droid cantina, showcasing their exceptional talent and dedication to the show.
The Mandalorian season 3 set a new Star Wars record with the number of droids created for a single scene. As the first live-action Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian has already set a major record, and the crew has constantly proved their level of skill on set. From the groundbreaking visual effects used to bring worlds to life to the highly detailed creature puppets, The Mandalorian has likely set several Star Wars records. However, season 3 had greater success with the droids created for one episode.
This new record was revealed courtesy of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian: The Making of Season 3 on Disney+. The special dives into the behind-the-scenes work required to bring different moments to life, including the puppets for both creatures and droids. The crew discussed one particular moment in The Mandalorian season 3 that was incredibly complicated to pull off but ended up setting a Star Wars record.
The Mandalorian Season 3’s Droid Cantina Set A Star Wars Record
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 6 “Chapter 22: Guns for Hire” introduced the concept of a droid cantina and set a Star Wars record as well. At approximately 43:12, Trevor Hensley and the droid crew discussed their belief that “it was the most droids in one scene… in a Star Wars thing.” They speculated that it had more droids than every droid in the original Jawa Sandcrawler scene combined, as there were 20 puppeteers who each “had at least two puppets, maybe three.” This is an enormous achievement on the part of the droid shop, requiring an incredible amount of coordination between puppeteers and the actors inside the suits.
The Droid Cantina Inverted One Key A New Hope Scene
On top of the droids used for a single scene, the droid cantina in The Mandalorian season 3 inverted A New Hope‘s cantina scene. The Mos Eisley Cantina did not serve droids, with the bartender telling Luke Skywalker “we don’t serve their kind here” and that C-3PO and R2-D2 would “have to wait outside, we don’t want them here.” When Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze walk into the droid cantina, they are the ones out of place, and all the droids comically turn in sync to face them. It was a fun and creative idea that fits with the more lighthearted tone of the rest of the episode.
While The Mandalorian season 3 created a cantina specifically for droids, this was the second instance of the show inverting A New Hope‘s cantina scene. In The Mandalorian season 1, episode 5 “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger” Din Djarin walks into a Mos Eisley Cantina now run by droids. It would be impossible for Star Wars fans to miss the irony of droids running a bar that refused to admit them, and The Mandalorian season 3 took it to another level. Setting a Star Wars record is no easy feat, but The Mandalorian crew went the extra mile with the droid cantina and demonstrated the amount of talent behind the show.
