OK, so Where Did the Mandalorian Saying "This Is The Way" Originate From Anyway? Details

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for those not caught up on The Mandalorian Season 3 on Disney Plus.

From the moment we first met Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), it was evident that he was a devout Mandalorian, refusing to take his helmet off and treating figures like the mysterious Armorer (Emily Swallow) with reverence. Din's faith in his clan's culture is obvious, particularly when he says, "This is the way."

So why do certain Mandalorian clans say "This is the way," anyway? After all, Bo Katan (Katee Sackhoff) certainly never said it before she met Din, but she's just as much of — if not more of — a Mandalorian than he is!

Here's why Mandalorians say "This is the way."

The phrase "This is the way" refers to Din's Mandalorian clan's belief system – the way of the Mandalore.

As Bo Katan pointed out to Din in the second season of The Mandalorian, his clan was known as the Children of the Watch, a group of Mandalorians whose belief system was founded on the old ways, including never removing their helmets.

So when Din says to another Mandalorian, "This is the way," he's referring to the belief system he was raised up in as a young foundling.

However, as Season 3 of The Mandalorian made abundantly clear, not all Mandalorians follow every aspect of the ancient way of the Mandalore. Some Mandalorians even believe that Din himself has no right to call himself a Mandalorian!

In Season 3, Episode 6 of The Mandalorian, Bo Katan confronts Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides) to get her fleet back. After she bests him in combat, Axe retorts that Bo Katan won't be respected because she doesn't wield the Darksaber.

After Din offers it to Bo Katan (later revealing she won it rightfully from him), one of the Mandalorians rudely points out that Din doesn't actually have a drop of Mandalorian blood (it's like the "She doesn't even go here" Mandalorian version of Mean Girls).

Bo Katan defends her comrade, telling the other Mandalorians that Din took the creed and that he walked the Way, in her words, "As our ancestors did."

It's a far cry from the Bo Katan who referred to the Children of the Watch as an overzealous cult!

Now that Bo Katan's got the Darksaber, does that mean she'll actually be able to successfully unite every single clan of Mandalorians? Will the Children of the Watch be able to respect the Mandalorians who don't believe they have to keep their helmets on?

Will Din finally feel free to remove his helmet again without feeling the shame of being an apostate? Did Mandalorians actually free Moff Gideon? Hopefully we'll get some answers before The Mandalorian Season 3 ends because there are only two episodes left!

New episodes of The Mandalorian drop Wednesdays on Disney Plus.