By Grace Kelly Phillips
In a galaxy far, far away we are introduced to adventures, tales, tragedies, and sagas of various kinds. Or, at least, that’s what The Mandalorian TV show, its upcoming 2026 tie-in film, and the entire Star Wars franchise strive to achieve for their audiences.
The official Star Wars website states that the show “takes place twenty-five years prior to The Force Awakens and five years after Return of the Jedi,” also known in-canon as 9 ABY (9 years After the Battle of Yavin, the final battle in A New Hope), as we are introduced to an original character, Din Djarin. As the titular Mandalorian, he is a lone bounty hunter that does not align with the New Republic, the government force that is currently attempting to govern the galaxy after the Empire’s defeat. He’s soon hired by remaining Empire sympathizers and sent to retrieve a bounty, who is believed to be a helpless child, later found to be a Force user named Grogu.
It’s important to note that many casual viewers don’t criticize repetitive plot devices that are present in huge franchises because they are often expected in 100+ million dollar series, especially when a specific business bought a specific franchise (*cough*, Disney buying Star Wars, *cough*), as the showrunners often use whatever easy attention grabber the publishing company can benefit the most from. That is exactly what has happened with this show, and many fans do not care for this creative decision that has reoccurred yet again in recent Star Wars media. However, the show’s declining plot quality can still be rebuilt by taking creative risks, expanding on the Mandalorian lore, and creating satisfying conclusions to lingering character arcs when a chapter in the story has closed.
John Favreau has taken many risks already by creating this show, specifically by beginning to introduce more of Yoda’s species with Grogu. He states in an interview, with the Hollywood Reporter,
“When you are promoting a film, you are putting your best stuff out there in the marketing campaign because you want everybody to show up that Friday…you want people to tune in and know that something is going to happen that they are going to want to talk about.”
As a huge fan of the franchise and, as such, unswayed by how cute Grogu’s design may be, the choice of the showrunner to use Grogu as a major plot device in a show about Din Djarin has quickly become repetitive and needs closure after three seasons. Instead of learning more about Din and his creed/race, we’ve been treated to far too much of Grogu’s side plots; that is, until the show’s third season.
In season three, the value of the Mandolorian creed becomes crucial, as its values and followers, as well as some explanation of Din’s induction into the it, finally become more evident in the plot of the show. In fact, in the third episode of the season, Din talks about his homeworld, the moon Concordia, further stating that he had never been to the planet Mandalore, where all previous canon Mandalorians had come from. These are prime examples of what expansion should be present in the upcoming movie, not reverting back to the earlier seasons’ choice to sidetrack into focusing on Grogu and what his Jedi powers are.
When the writers choose to focus on the lore behind Din Djarin and his people, questions that fans have harbored since the show’s announcement years ago are answered. Instead of relying solely on theory and hypotheses on the origins of the titular character in the show, fans can get confirmation from the show itself: the can of worms that is the plethora of “what ifs” can be closed.
Another point of contention the writers should address is the issue of many lingering character arcs; Grogu once again comes into play here. Most casual audiences view Grogu as an adorable side character and not an important contributor to plot points; even for hardcore Star Wars fans, his importance to the plot ended when he decided not to master the Force with Luke Skywalker at the end of season two.
Yet, John Favreau and the other showrunners still choose to continue Grogu’s story, instead of adding something/someone to the show that could develop plot and lore. Why can’t there be another Mandalorian race or creed? Why can’t the audience have a plot twist revealing that the destruction of Mandolore has been used as propaganda to keep some surviving Mandalorian creeds left alone to rebuild their home planet? These questions and more are left completely unanswered for fans as the creators choose to ignore options that could make The Mandalorian one of the greatest Star Wars shows of all time. Instead we still to this day have Grogu tagging along with an unfinished character arc, bleeding into what should now be Din Djarin’s time to be explored as a character.
Despite all of these complaints, The Mandalorian has plenty of fantastic qualities that set it up to succeed. The music production and overall ambience is raw and unfiltered, implementing the exact emotions needed for all the varying situations the characters find themselves in. The digital graphics are beautiful, with landscapes that originate from dreams and minds of the most creative. The characters are very well-cast, and the writers continue to give them intriguing personalities. All of this to say, there are no complaints from the audience as far as aesthetic quality is concerned. Even Grogu’s cuteness helps give dark moments in the show a more lighthearted approach and comedic relief.
All the fans want is for the producers and writers to stop using such a cliché plot device and hammer the nail over, and over, and…over. Give us more about the Mandalorian in The Mandalorian and we’ll be happy!
