How The Mandalorian Energized a Troubled Franchise
*Season Two Spoilers Ahead*
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I hate that I’m doing this, because I’m sure hundreds of frantic TV writers and Star Wars fans have already said what I am about to say, and will probably go into deeper detail than me. I don’t want to just make something to toss in the internet that matches up with everyone else’s consensus. But nonetheless, after the second season finale, I still have to open my computer, and shout this. As a Star Wars fan, I have to.
The Mandalorian saved the Star Wars franchise.
I’ll take it a step further. Not only does it save Star Wars, redeeming it after the controversies of the films and company decisions post-George Lucas, but it pretty much sent a lifeline to Disney+, and cemented what Disney could and should do with the franchise moving forward. Without the Mandalorian, Disney+ would not be the top threat to Netflix. Without the Mandalorian, the purchase of Lucasfilm would have appeared to be a misguided decision that may not be worth the hassle and cost. The Mandalorian has reshuffled and reset everything Star Wars, and everyone within the House of Mouse has to be extremely grateful towards the writers and the staff that has made this show easily the most popular television event since Game of Thrones.
The season two finale wasn’t just a well-directed action-packed romp that sent Star Wars fans sobbing in the end when Din Djarin’s current mission was finally complete, but was the punctuation mark of a spectacular and all-too-short season full of memorable moments, memorable characters, and thrilling sequences. There honestly was not a single mediocre episode within Mando’s 2020. To add to that, just like most of the second season, it also gave us some of the content and storyline we had been craving since Return of the Jedi: we’ve finally seen a fully-realized Jedi Luke Skywalker in action; and this comes just a few episodes after seeing a Boba Fett unleash the terror that we used to imagine him being capable of despite his excessively small runtime in the original trilogy. And, this came episodes after Ahsoka Tano debuting on a live-action show saving a village in a Kurosawa-esque episode. This is fan-service done extremely well, and done with a proper consistency within the timeline of the saga.
Its this consistency and ability to properly connect the story of The Mandalorian with everything that had happened before, during, and after the original trilogy remains its greatest strength. Unlike what happened in the new trilogy, which felt disconnected from everything else in the universe (complete with tons of unanswered questions and unresolved B-plots), The Mandalorian wasn’t afraid to provide details and story beats that links it to Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and even some of the more controversial moments from the prequels (midi-count, recognizing the existence of the gungan in season one) even if the more casual fans aren’t as invested in the Star Wars universe. They’ve doubled down in season 2, with the addition of characters that don’t even get mentioned in any of the mainline films. This could have been a disaster, but additions like Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan haven’t hampered the pacing and quality of the show by any means.
Beyond revealing an uncertain world that just witnessed the fall of the second Death Star and the Empire, The Mandalorian also took the gigantic task of trying to lay the seeds for the blossoming plot points and plot locales that would sporadically emerge in the new trilogy (the potential connection between baby yoda and the creation of Snoke being an intriguing easter egg, and the rise of the First Order in on full display here). Part of the appeal of the original trilogy was its diverse landscapes and characters, as well as its approach to the sheer scope of the space covered by the heroes and villains traveling throughout the galaxy. Environments like Tatooine and Hoth became legendary locations in cinema history because the viewer spent time seeing how the planet behaved. This was sorely missing in the prequels and new trilogy (can you honestly remember any of the locations in Rise of Skywalker?), while in The Mandalorian we were re-acquainted with this sensation of seeing beautiful worlds in faraway galaxies, they weren’t just places to stop at to solely advance the plot.
Thanks to Jon Favreau (who clearly knows how to jump-start franchises) and Dave Filoni (who helmed the Star Wars cartoons), they’ve been able to carve out epic adventures while becoming approachable at the same time. It helps to have an adorable sidekick constantly stealing the show the first two seasons, but emphasis on character is what truly helps this show succeed. Backstories are properly fleshed out, there is a great variety of archetypes, and no character big or small is underutilized nor do they ever feel unnecessary or an annoyance. Dialogue is simple, nothing is overexplained, there’s no hand-holding, but the stakes always felt high, sometimes dire. There is a respect to the established rules set within the Star Wars content spanning decades and generations and a blend of official details and non-canon ideas Disney has silently yanked to immerse within the established timeline.
We finally have that excellent mix of directing, writing, and acting in a Star Wars property, which was something we had not witnessed since the original blockbuster trilogy (as a reminder, Lucas did not direct Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi). George Lucas’ prequel trilogy was full of great ideas, was ambitious, but was poorly directed and poorly written (FOUR Oscar-nominated actors in the prequel trilogy, they all deserved better). The Disney Star Wars trilogy had excellent acting and great production value, but the narrative was very uneven between films, and of course we had some major tragedies affect the trajectory of the storyline. The animated shows also had the ambition of the prequels, but the budgets of these shows really hurt the product up until their final seasons (looking at you, Clone Wars).
It feels like forever ago thanks to the recent election, the pandemic, the cruelty of 2020 overall, but Star Wars was in serious trouble. The Force Awakens and Rogue One were very successful hits, but the uneasiness began with The Last Jedi’s controversial narrative decisions. Not helping at all were the Last Jedi’s blu-ray special features unveiling deleted scenes and details that angered the fanbase. Then, Solo flopped at the box office, Rise of Skywalker underperformed, Galaxy’s Edge in the Disney parks had a very cold start, television shows and cinematic Star Wars projects were being cancelled left and right. Star Wars fans were at their most bitter and divisive, and to be honest nobody was sure what Disney was going to do next. But then came this show, which felt like this sigh of relief, that we’ve finally seen that special Star Wars magic that had been missing for so long. The formula was revealed, the fanbase was basically united---regardless of when they became a fan.
So basically, I am here writing about how much I appreciate how amazing The Mandalorian has become. Excellent characters, spectacular set pieces, brilliant minds writing the scripts and directing the action behind the camera, this is Star Wars on a cinematic scale but now as an extended television show on a streaming service that really could have been dead on arrival if this project had been botched. But Disney provided the space and money necessary, and Favreau and Filoni delivered with flying colors. I still remain slightly hesitant on the future of Star Wars after seeing how much content Disney has recently green-lit, but I know that as long as The Mandalorian is handled by the Favreau/Filoni duo, there will always be something to look forward to when utilizing the Disney+ streaming service.
May the Force Be with Them, Always.