We’re in no man’s land for war of stars Fans, especially those who have come to love The Mandalorian. Season 2 has finished its run and we may have to wait a long time for season 3. But that gives us enough time to think about what’s to come. What we know for sure is that when the show comes back it will be radically different and there is one key question; Can it survive without Baby Yoda?
Warning: This post contains massive spoilers to the The Mandalorian Season 2. Be careful. From the end of the first episode of the series, The Mandalorian mainly dealt with the adventures of Mando and Baby Yoda. We now know that the lovable little alien creature has a name, Grogu, but it is still fondly mentioned by its title given on the internet. In any case, the season two finale, in many ways, closed that pivotal journey and prepared a big change when the series returns for its next round of adventure. Namely, it appears that Pedro Pascal’s bounty hunter will traverse the galaxy without his trustworthy, force-sensitive buddy.
To recap, in the season two finale, Mando and his crew broke into Moff Gideon’s ship to get Grogu back after he was kidnapped. After a harrowing fight, they had the child secured and Moff Gideon was handcuffed on the bridge. But a legion of Dark Troopers would spoil the whole thing as they prepared to tear down the door and kill the lot of them. Then a lone X-Wing appeared, none other than Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing. Luke ripped through the Dark Troopers the Jedi way. Then he makes his way to Grogu and offers to train the young (relatively speaking) alien in the ways of power. In the end, Mando saw that it was the right thing to do, and Grogu set off with Luke.
It was a fitting and logical step for Grogu’s journey. He is strong with the force. During this period, which is roughly five years after the events of, there are only a few Jedi left in the galaxy Return of the Jedi. At this point, Luke was trying to rebuild a new generation of Jedi. Din Djarin, as much as he loves Grogu, cannot train him properly. As heartbreaking as it was, it was the right narrative choice for fans and the characters.
But that leaves us in an interesting place on season 3 of The Mandalorian. There’s no question that Baby Yoda’s surprise reveal and instant popularity helped make the show bigger than expected. It strengthened Disney + as a streaming service and united the war of stars Fan base under one roof. This little green alien almost single-handedly paved the way for the future of the franchise. That may sound dramatic, but it’s hard to imagine the show would be so successful without its secret weapon.
Executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have cemented themselves as brilliant war of stars Storyteller. There was tremendous pressure to create the first ever live action war of stars Series, especially one that wouldn’t rely on legacy characters. It’s hard to argue with results. They did it in a big way, not least through creating Baby Yoda. But The Mandalorian has also performed well because its stories have drawn the fan base and appealed to casual viewers as well as hardcore fans. Still, it’s hard not to wonder if the show can be successful on the same level without the ace up its sleeve. Will fans be forced to see how Din deals with his life without protecting the child? Or will some of them lose interest in grogu? To quote Yoda, “Impossible to see the future is.”
What we know for sure is that Disney and Lucasfilm are doubling up war of stars on the small screen. The success of this show caused her to expand on television over the next several years. As the movies continue, streaming is the immediate future. Disney + will host a variety of new shows, including The book by Boba Fett, Ahsoka, Rangers of the New Republic, The acolyte, Andor, Obi Wan Kenobi and more. Several of these shows take place in the same timeline as The Mandalorian and it is planned that they will build an “Event” series later. What exactly that will be remains to be seen. Although there is at least one reason to believe it will be Grand Admiral Thrawn, given the season 2 name loss.
The key point is that war of stars found a new way, thanks The Mandalorian. Baby Yoda helped unite a divided fan base. Another key to the show’s success is that it really felt like something new in a galaxy far, far away, while weaving in elements that felt familiar. Grogu himself is known to be of Yoda’s species, but new in that we have never seen a younger version of that species. These shows have the opportunity to break new ground. The Mandalorian Season 3 can also reinvent itself in bold new ways that viewers may never expect. A new storyline or character that none of us can fathom could fill that void. It is very possible that this show would be successful without Baby Yoda. Difficult? Yes. But possible. Favreau and Filoni seem to be up to the challenge.
It’s also important to remember this even when he’s not around The Mandalorian Season 3 we almost certainly didn’t see the last of Grogu’s. This is a creature that could live another 700 years. Disney and Lucasfilm will no doubt use this to their advantage in the future, be it in some of these upcoming Disney + shows or elsewhere. Even if the show that introduced him to the franchise has to go on without him, Grogu will most likely be an important part of it war of stars for years to come. But Mando has to look for a new companion and a new search in the meantime. The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2 are now available from Disney + streaming app. The release date for the 3rd season of Mandalorian is set for Christmas 2021.
Subjects: The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda
