The Mandalorian season 3: The Praetorian Guard upgrade

With one episode remaining of The Mandalorian season 3, the Disney Plus Star Wars show wanted to leave a lasting impression, while also giving the bad guys a (hopefully) brief upper hand. Season 3 Chapter 7 “The Spies”, has it all, from thrilling action sequences to solemn moments, the return of bad guys, and a very dramatic cliffhanger.

It wasn’t just Moff Gideon’s momentous return that had fans concerned for our heroes, it was the army he brought with him. Donned in Beskar armor, the Mandalorians were up for a tough battle against new and improved stormtroopers.

While the Mandalorians held their own for a little bit, they were ultimately led into a trap. With Din Djarin captured and no obvious way out, it seemed Moff Gideon was going to obtain the Darksaber once more.

Refusing to surrender, Bo-Katan Kryze, the new owner of the weapon, uses it to cut a hole for her fellow Mandalorians to escape through, while Paz Vizsla stayed behind to fend off the stormtroopers.

How the Praetorian Guards differ from The Last Jedi and The Mandalorian

His decision ultimately meant he wasn’t going to survive. In a glorious display, Paz is able to take down all of the stormtroopers, only to be defeated by three Praetorian Guards. For those who are familiar with the most recent Star Wars films, these guards in red were easily taken down by Rey and Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

By easily we mean they are probably just as bad, if not worse, than stormtroopers who cannot aim. This was confusing considering they were supposed to be strong and practically undefeatable.

Truthfully their design does come off very threatening and dare we say overwhelming. But once Rey and Kylo Ren had access to their lightsabers, the fight was over.

Perhaps in an effort to reinstate how powerful and threatening these guards are, they were reintroduced with an almost Lord of the Rings Nazgul flair. They were silent, tall, and moved in such a calculating way that you’d think they were inhuman.

Truthfully at this moment, Paz was exhausted from his fight against the new and approved stormtroopers. He was left practically defenseless, without a powerful weapon, let alone a lightsaber.

Could he have taken them out if there were his opponets before the stormtroopers? We’re willing to bet he probably would have killed at least one of the three.

While the final scene of the episode left us with a plethora of emotions, it left us confused as well. If The Mandalorian takes place before The Last Jedi, are we then to assume the Praetorian Guards somehow got worse over time?

Because in The Mandalorian they appear nearly unstoppable. But by The Last Jedi they might as well have been made of paper.

What do you think?

What are your honest opinions about the arrival of the Praetorian Guards? Let us know in the comments below!