Favreau approached him for the role, and close friend and fellow actor Oscar Isaac, who portrays Poe Dameron in various Star Wars media, encouraged him to accept the part.

Originally hired to capture Grogu, a Force-sensitive infant of the same species as Yoda, the Mandalorian instead protects him from a remnant of the fallen Galactic Empire and becomes a father figure for him.

[8] At some point before the events of The Mandalorian, he works with a group of mercenaries that include Ran Malk (Mark Boone Junior), Xi'an (Natalia Tena), and Qin (Ismael Cruz Córdova).

[3] The Mandalorian pilots a gunship called the Razor Crest,[9][10] and one of his primary weapons is an Amban sniper rifle, which has a prong-shaped barrel that fires bursts powerful enough to disintegrate its targets.

[11] In the series premiere, the Mandalorian accepts a commission from Bounty Hunters' Guild leader Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) to collect a 50-year-old "asset" for a mysterious unnamed Client (Werner Herzog), who represents a remnant of the now-fallen Galactic Empire.

[13] After reluctantly partnering with the bounty hunter droid IG-11 (Taika Waititi), the Mandalorian discovers that the asset is an infant seemingly from Yoda's species, known as "the Child".

Along the way, the Mandalorian and Vanth develop a genuine friendship and form an uneasy alliance between the townspeople of Mos Pelgo and a tribe of Tusken Raiders to kill the dragon.

In "Chapter 13: The Jedi", with the Razor Crest repaired, the Mandalorian travels to Corvus and is brought before Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), the Imperial Magistrate of the city of Calidan, who hires him to kill Ahsoka.

Looking for additional allies to help him rescue Grogu, the Mandalorian meets with Cara Dune and asks her to release Mayfeld, who has been sent to a New Republic prison after his capture in "Chapter 6".

He kills the Klatoonian crime boss Kaba Baiz in his meat-packing plant and delivers his head to an Ishl Tib guild master on the ringed-shaped space station Glavis in exchange for directions, which is revealed to be the Tribe's relocated covert, hidden beneath the city.

Cad Bane (Corey Burton) arrives with many Pyke soldiers and reveals that he shot Vanth after the Mandalorian approached him, thus preventing any reinforcements from helping Fett.

As IG-11's memory core cannot be repaired, the Mandalorian elects to find a new one, leaving Nevarro with Grogu before engaging in a dogfight with Pirate King Gorian Shard's (Nonso Anozie) fleet.

[31] At Disney's first quarter 2024 earnings call, CEO Bob Iger announced that a new Star Wars film was being developed "that brings the Mandalorian and Grogu to the big screen for the very first time.

[26] Kornhaber said when the Mandalorian's helmet is finally removed for the first time, it is not presented as a major epiphany or the reveal of a secret identity, but rather "a reminder that this laconic space cowboy/knight is just some guy".

[43] He said: "I think the moral universe of Star Wars can be very specific and kind of black and white, there's good and there's evil, and in this one we start to play with the boundaries of that more, and that is dealt with very interestingly with this character.

"[35] The Mandalorian's growth in morality is demonstrated in "Chapter 6" when he attempts to intervene to save the life of New Republic soldier Davan (Matt Lanter) during a prison break, even though it would be more convenient to kill him.

[51] Several Lucasfilm artists created concept art for the character during development of the series, including Christan Alzmann, Doug Chiang, Ryan Church, Nick Gindraux, Jama Jurabaev, and John Park.

Based upon the released photo, Germain Lussier of Gizmodo described the character as "an imposing, confident presence, with a great mix of Mandalorian armor and personal, functional additions".

[46][68] Footage of the Mandalorian was first publicly unveiled at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Chicago on April 14, 2019,[69][70][71] which included scenes of him receiving bounty hunting assignments from Greef Karga and the Client in the premiere episode.

[90] Pascal was a fan of Star Wars as a child,[9][39][93] especially the film The Empire Strikes Back (1980),[93][94] which he described as "indelibly marked in my memory and my childhood imagination".

[103] It was heavily influenced by the Boba Fett suit featured in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and includes a similar set of body armor and a helmet with a distinctive T-shaped visor.

"[115] Pascal felt Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni shielded him and the rest of the cast and crew from the pressures that might otherwise have been associated with filming the first live-action Star Wars series and one of the first shows for the Disney+ streaming service, instead creating an environment where they could focus on the work.

[139] Anthony Breznican of Vanity Fair noted that none of the day-to-day difficulties of parenthood are portrayed in the series: "There is no shrill squawking from Baby Yoda, no tantrum, no spit-up, no uncontrollable shrieking that burrows into a parent's psyche like a dentist's drill shredding a soft, pink nerve.

"[140] Likewise, Vulture writer Kathryn VanArendonk said the show ignores or does not address many parenting details that make fatherhood difficult, such as what the Child eats, when he goes him to sleep, and whether he wears diapers.

[129] Some moments in the series have led fans to reevaluate the Child and question whether he may demonstrate evil tendencies, such as when he uses the Force to choke Cara Dune while she is engaged in a friendly arm wrestling match with the Mandalorian in "Chapter 7: The Reckoning".

[150] Polygon's Matt Patches praised the character saying, "Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin... steps back to the spotlight, and acts like the Boba Fett fans fell in love with in the first place.

"[151] Craig Elvy of Screen Rant wrote: "It's testament to The Mandalorian's creative team that a character who exposes so little in both literal and metaphorical terms can make such a strong connection with viewers.

"[3] Kevin Pantoja of Screen Rant said the Mandalorian's origin character makes him empathetic, his action scenes are enjoyable, and the fatherhood role he accepts for the Child is his best characteristic.

Vox writer Emily VanDerWerff called it an "objectively terrible idea" to cast an actor as talented and charismatic as Pascal and then "trap him behind a mask for its entire running time" with minimal dialogue.

Club writer Katie Rife said the fact that Pascal does not always portray the Mandalorian does not ruin her enjoyment of the show or character, but "knowing it's a stunt double does spoil the illusion a bit".