The Mandalorian Showrunners Regularly Asked Katee Sackhoff For Insight Into Bo-Katan

Katee Sackhoff first gave her voice to the fan-favorite Mandalorian warrior Bo-Katan Kryze in the fourth season of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" just over 10 years ago. Even though she has had plenty of live-action experience under her belt (most notably on the hit sci-fi series "Battlestar Galactica"), not many could have guessed that Sackhoff would eventually be granted a special opportunity that few voice actors are allowed: the gift of reprising their character in live-action.

In one of the standout episodes of "The Mandalorian" season 2, Sackhoff made her very first physical debut as Bo-Katan, complete with screen-accurate armor. Alongside Rosario Dawson's portrayal of Ahsoka Tano, fans of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels" were ecstatic to see these characters brought to life. Now that the pieces are starting to fall into place, showrunner Jon Favreau has much more in store for Bo-Katan in live-action — so long as Sackhoff is still on board to give her approval on where to take the character next.

This week, for a special "Star Wars" issue of Empire Magazine, Katee Sackhoff was asked about her new, expansive return as Bo-Katan in season 3 of "The Mandalorian." Sackhoff bared her soul about her special connection with the character of Bo-Katan, and how showrunners Job Favreau and Rick Famuyiwa consult her directly before making choices on the character's behalf.

"I've lived in this woman's skin for a long time now," Sackhoff explained. "One of the things that Jon [Favreau] and I focus on is where she is in the moment, what peppers her experience. Jon and Rick [Famuyiwa], every single day, defer to me, which is a crazy experience, to have these masters asking me what I feel."

Premiering next month, season 3 of "The Mandalorian" promises to take us to Mandalore and beyond. The show will pick up where "The Book of Boba Fett" left us with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu's reunion. The titular Mandalorian is now the true owner of the legendary Darksaber, and he is sure to find himself at odds with Bo-Katan, who seeks the Darksaber for her own personal mission. This season is shrouded in secrecy, but we can bet that the series will continue to delve deeper into the depths of "Star Wars" lore that was previously only touched in both of the animated shows.

When Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni initially revealed to her the direction Bo-Katan's character would be headed in season 3, Sackhoff was both surprised and elated. "[I was] texting Jon and Dave, 'Are you serious?' This is an epic season — it's so big and so bold and so different," Sackhoff told Empire. "We know the family that she was born into; now what's the family that she's going to choose? What does that look like?

For Sackhoff, it's an honor that the show's creators harbor genuine admiration towards all the time she's invested into creating Bo-Katan into a full-bodied character, and that they would take the time to consult her as a creative equal. "It respects the craft and the years that I have put in," said Sackhoff. "I really do know her — her pain is my pain. When she experiences something, I really feel it."

Sometimes that shared "pain" was in the literal sense. According to the feature, there were five different actresses donning the suit throughout the filming of season 3, but that didn't stop Sackhoff from willingly performing some of her own stunts. Sackhoff shared with Empire:

"If one person has a better skill set than the other, well, that person needs to put the suit on that day. That being said, I have a wicked knee slide. I've been practicing my knee slides in my mum's kitchen with dish rags since I was five years old, so when that knee slide comes up, you'll know: that's me. There are holes in my suit because I had to do that so many times. I came home with so many bruises on my knees. But I love that. If I came home with bruises, it was a good day!"

Next month, "The Mandalorian" will finally fulfill the entire promise of its title, expanding on Mandalore and Mandalorian culture on a thrilling, massive scale as our hero evolves from lone wolf to stepping into a leadership position. We're curious to see how Bo-Katan's fate continues to be intertwined with Din and Grogu's journey, or whether or not she can put her ambitions aside to protect her kin. In the meantime, let's celebrate Katee Sackhoff's admirable commitment to one of the more beloved characters in the "Star Wars" extended universe. 

Season 3 of "The Mandalorian" will debut on Disney+ on March 1, 2023.