There was a time when it seemed like “The Mandalorian” was the thing that was going to unite the fractured “Star Wars” fanbase. 2017’s “The Last Jedi” changed “Star Wars” forever, for better or worse, and much of the franchise has had to live in the shadow of that movie’s divisiveness ever since.

However, when Mando and Baby Yoda (before he was named Grogu) first debuted on our screens in 2019, it felt like a return to “Star Wars” being loved near-universally. That continued in “The Mandalorian” Season 2, which concluded with “The Rescue,” an episode that delivered the crowd-pleasing return of Luke Skywalker that many fans had always wanted. This show almost felt like the Chosen One through its first two seasons.

Then came “The Mandalorian” Season 3, which was viewed broadly as a major step down by both critics and viewers alike. Season 3 was billed as the culmination of “The Mandalorian” of the series up to that point. It was, instead, overstuffed, tonally inconsistent, and far less cohesive than the seasons that preceded it. Creator Jon Favreau and his creative partner Dave Filoni, who now serves as the creative head of Lucasfilm, took a perceived step in the wrong direction.

So, what went wrong, exactly? How did a show that was so beloved go so far off course so quickly? The downfall of “The Mandalorian” as we once knew it can be traced back to a single decision, one that, on the surface anyway, had nothing to do with this show at all. When the planned spin-off “Rangers of the New Republic” was canceled, there were ripple effects that greatly impacted the show. The impact of that decision is impossible to ignore.

In December 2020, Disney announced two “The Mandalorian” spin-offs, “Ahsoka” and “Rangers of the New Republic.” The former centered on Ahsoka Tano eventually premiered in 2023 with Season 2 on the way in early 2027. The latter proved to be a doomed enterprise.

“Rangers” was going to center on Gian Carano’s Cara Dune, who was a popular character introduced in “The Mandalorian” Season 1. However, Carano was fired by Lucasfilm in early 2021 and was no longer part of “Star Wars” after that. It was an extremely messy situation and, without getting too deep into the details, it all had to do with social media posts that were labeled as anti-Semitic and transphobic in nature.

As a result, in May 2021 it was reported that “Ranges of the New Republic” was no longer in development at Disney+. This was later confirmed in November 2021 by the brass at Lucasfilm. “We’d never even written any scripts or anything on [‘Rangers of the New Republic’],” former Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy said at the time before adding: “Some of [Rangers of the New Republic] will figure into future episodes, I’m sure, of ‘Mandalorian.'”

Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni were mapping out a series of interconnected stories within “The Mandalorian” universe and “Rangers” was going to be a big part of that. As Kennedy said, some of those ideas were then folded into Season 3 of the flagship show, even if that wasn’t the original plan. That meant that Favreau and Filoni had to find a way to show ideas for another show into “The Mandalorian.” That sort of thing rarely goes well. It makes the messy nature of Season 3 make more sense, in retrospect.

It’s easy to sympathize with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, who were trying to make the most of an ugly situation. In light of how well the first two seasons were received, it’s hard to believe that they would wander so far astray independently. Having to reckon with Lucasfilm’s bigger plans for “Star Wars” at the time and a major character who was no longer there complicated matters.

“The Mandalorian” Season 3 sent Cara Dune off like Poochie from “The Simpsons” and that was that. Season 3 also gave us a taste of what “Rangers of the New Republic” could have been in the episode “The Pirate.” That episode felt like a backdoor pilot for a show that would never be.

Beyond all of that, Disney and Lucasfilm began rethinking its strategy with “Star Wars” more broadly. After shows like “The Acolyte” and “Skeleton Crew” failed to make as big of an impact as “The Mandalorian,” it felt like the call was made to focus less on live-action TV. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” movie was then announced, which essentially took the place of Season 4 of the show.

“The Mandalorian” Season 4 would have focused on Grand Admiral Thrawn, seemingly connected tightly to “Ahsoka.” Favreau has cast doubt on Season 4 ever happening. Disney and Lucasfilm seemingly believe that these characters have more value on the big screen than they would on TV. As such, Favreau and Filoni never got the chance to get the show back on track.

“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is in theaters now.