The Mandalorian shocked Star Wars fans with the arrival of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker in the season finale. The appearance of such a major character from the Skywalker Saga, at such a critical juncture in the history of a galaxy far, far away, opens the door to many other characters to appear in season three.
The possibilities range from major Star Wars characters to obscure ones, but all of them stand the same equal chance now that perhaps the most important character in the saga has changed the direction of the series forever.
While it remains uncertain how much more of Luke Skywalker fans will see, it's possible that season three will spend some time showing the Jedi Master training Grogu. If so, other potential trainees could appear, including the most significant in Luke's life. Ben Solo would be four or five years old at this point in the timeline. His future is known, but next to nothing is known of his past, which might help make sense of some things about the eventual Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren.
R2-D2's appearance alongside Luke Skywalker cemented his unique status as one of the few characters to appear in every iteration of the saga. His droid companion, C-3PO, is the only other character to do so. It makes sense that the golden protocol droid would appear at some point. The droid duo of C-3PO and R2-D2 got better and better as time went on, and it would be great to see them again, one more time in the context of the early New Republic.
For as many Jedi as there are in The Mandalorian, it's a show about bounty hunters. With the direction of Din Djarin up in the air, and Boba Fett's bold move into the criminal underworld, it's likely fans will see more bounty hunters, and one of the most likely is Bossk.
The Trandoshan bounty hunter appeared both in The Empire Strikes Back and the Clone Wars animated series is one of the best bounty hunters in Star Wars. He would be an intriguing ally or enemy of Din Djarin.
The door to other major original trilogy characters appearing in The Mandalorian is now wide open. It's possible that Chewbacca could show up, but maybe not in the way people might expect. Following the defeat of the Empire, he and Han Solo helped liberate Kashyyk from the Imperial Remnant. Chewbacca stayed behind to rebuild his ties to his family and home.
Perhaps Din Djarin goes on a mission that takes him to Kashyyk, and he encounters Chewbacca. It's not clear how long the Wookie remained on his homeworld before rejoining his old friend Han Solo when the former general returned to smuggling.
After the Battle of Kashyyk, Han Solo returned to his wife, Princess Leia, and young son. If Ben Solo factors in any way in Luke's fledgling Jedi Order, it's possible Han Solo could, too. Han might be interested in the return of Boba Fett, or perhaps the bounty hunter will seek to exact some kind of revenge on the former smuggler.
There are many unresolved Skywalker Saga storylines that The Mandalorian could explore, including what exactly happened between Han Solo and his son, Ben.
Any involvement of Han Solo and Boba Fett might also bring in the bounty hunter Dengar. Dengar was a Corellian bounty hunter who briefly appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and later the Clone Wars.
After the fall of the Empire, Dengar worked on a crew for Jas Emari and remained involved in bounty hunting after the Battle of Jakku. He could potentially leave Jas Emari for Boba Fett's crew or depending on what happens with Din Djarin, come looking for a bounty on his head.
Embo is another bounty hunter who was on Jas Emari's crew, detailed in the Aftermath trilogy of novels by Chuck Wendig. He is a bounty hunter from some of the best Clone Wars episodes. The Kyuzo bounty hunter carried a bowcaster, not unlike Chewbacca's, and wore a large-rimmed circular hat, which he often used as a shield. A fan favorite from the animated series, he would be a great character to bring into live-action in season three.
Lor San Tekka was a member of the Church of the Force who accompanied Luke Skywalker on many of his journeys to discover Jedi artifacts in the New Republic era. It's not clear when he and Luke Skywalker first meet, but it's possible the two are already connected by the time frame of The Mandalorian.
Legendary actor Max von Sydow played Lor San Tekka in The Force Awakens. Tekka wasn't Force-sensitive, but he kept Jedi knowledge and artifacts safe from the Empire.
The Darksaber is at the heart of The Mandalorian's overarching plot. Many characters in Star Wars have wielded the ancient Mandalorian weapon, and Sabine Wren is perhaps the most significant who hasn't appeared yet in the series.
Star Wars: Rebels showed the character handing the Darksaber to Bo-Katan—a potential plot hole—and it's possible she will have a vested interest in who has it now. She also has her own mission with Ahsoka Tano to find Ezra Bridger, of which there are many questions Ahsoka's upcoming solo series could answer.
Now that Luke Skywalker has appeared, the most likely major original trilogy character who could appear is his sister, Princess Leia. Leia trained as a Jedi, is the mother of one of Luke's disciples, and, as a member of the New Republic's fledgling government, has a vested interest in the actions of the Imperial Remnant in the Outer Rim. Depending on how the show decides to portray her, she could be a major factor in the story or perhaps just a welcome cameo.