"The Mandalorian" season 3 hit the ground running. After a so-so second season, the new one already introduced the best new character in the franchise with Captain Space Swamp Thing, showed hugely important locations brought to live-action, brought body horror to "Star Wars," and gave us plenty cute Grogu moments all in the first two episodes.

Episode 3, however, pivots. Sure, Grogu and Din Djarin still show up, but the star of the episode is Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi), the cloning scientist we met all the way back in season 1. Pershing is navigating the changing landscape of the galaxy now that the New Republic is in charge and trying to erase everything to do with the Empire, while nevertheless falling into old and nasty habits.

Exploring the New Republic politics means returning to an iconic location — Coruscant, the planet that is also a city. Forget Tatooine, this is the best place in the galaxy (although Naboo is not bad either). From the lack of a surface to the towering skyscrapers and the seedy underworld that runs to the very center of the planet, there is plenty to like about Coruscant. Perhaps the best moment in the episode, however, will also prove to be an important one, as we return to a fateful location from the prequels — The Galaxies Opera House.

'You Ever Hear The Tragedy Of Darth Plagueis The Wise?'

Once we move away from Mandalore, we go straight into the familiar red carpet of the Galaxies Opera House, where Dr. Pershing is essentially doing a space eugenics TED Talk, convincing an audience of rich people that he was very sorry for the atrocities he committed, but nevertheless believes his research was important and good, actually. 

Turns out, Pershing was working on cloning research, trying to pull DNA not from one source, but from several, then fusing it to create something new. This explains what we learned in season 2 about using blood from baby Grogu in experiments to create ... something.

Cloning has been a very important part of the "Star Wars" canon in recent years, particularly this year with "The Bad Batch" bringing the idea that the Empire is very, very interested in secret cloning research personally approved by the Emperor. That we're bringing cloning back after Palpatine's death, however, gives room to think the show is building up to an "Heir of the Empire" adaptation, where cloning plays a big part in the plot.

It is unfortunate that this nazi apologist TED Talk takes place in the Opera House, because as magnificent a building as that is, it has also a rather unfortunate place in the history of the galaxy far, far away — and it has to do with the tragedy of Darth Plagueis, the Wise.

'Not A Story The Jedi Would Tell You, It's A Sith Legend'

You remember the Opera House, right? It's a place where the rich and famous of Coruscant all converge to enjoy prestigious stage productions from all over the galaxy. These include such hits as the Mon Calamari ballet "Squid Lake" which was performed shortly after the Battle of Coruscant, before the end of the war.

Unfortunately, it is also the place that saw the beginning of the end of the Jedi Order. You see, it was during a performance of "Squid Lake" that then-Chancellor Sheev Palpatine told the crucial (and hilarious) tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise to one Anakin Skywalker. His ominous talk about saving people through the power of the dark side of the force succeeded in tempting Skywalker to later join Palpatine as his apprentice and making him a Dark Lord of the Sith capable of killing younglings.

For everyone else in the performance of "Squid Lake," it was just another night, another stage production. For those in and around Palpatine's private viewing box, however, it was the moment when everything changed. Now, "The Mandalorian" season 3 may once again make the Opera House the site of a fateful event with cataclysmic consequences to the galaxy at large.

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