Dammit, on review of your movie 3, that idea of mine has an issue: Mando in Ep9 has the jetpack, mudhorn mark, and new Grogu basket, all of which he gets in Ep8.

However, watching your movie 3, I was also struck by how much of an ending Ep8 feels like, and how much of a new beginning Ep9 feels like.

So maybe here’s a solution: Split the Boba flashback content across both movie 2 and movie 3, and shift the Ep7/8 content into movie 2.

That way, movie 2 shows Boba and Mando both trying to find new homes (ignore that they’re not chronological tales, they thematically work together), then then they lose those homes (1h) then both characters nearly meet (20m), then Mando’s offered to take the job that’ll free him from pursuit and that plays out (including him getting his mission to get Grogu to the Jedi via finding more Mandos) (1h) including somewhere in there him healing Fennec (10m).

Then, movie 3 begins on Mando on his mission to find more Mandalorians. This is the focus of the movie, and the B-plot is the story of Boba’s armour. Mando gets his direction to Tattooine, where we see Boba and Fennec are still there recovering his ship, and then looking for his armour at the Sarlacc pit. When he accepts it’s not there, reveal Cobb in his armour, and play out the reveal story. Then follow Mando defeating the Krayt dragon and getting the armour, observed by Boba. End on the two frog lady episodes, and Mando finding his people (and striking at the Empire a little in the finale).

This achieves a couple more useful things: Gideon’s presence in movie 2 instead of movie 3, establishing him as the primary villain sooner. And having Boba an active main character from movie 2 onwards also. Further, every movie now actively progresses the Imperial-Mando plotline which seems to be the spine of the show.

I think that’s very strong after your excellent movie 1, which establishes Mando’s character, and would give both movies 2 and 3 a bit better balance and movie-structure pacing.