The Mandalorian and Grogurisks repeating the mistakes that plagued the TV show that spawned it, specificallyThe Mandalorianseason 3. As the most immediateupcomingStar Warsmovie,The Mandalorian and Groguis naturally garnering a high level of anticipation. The replacement ofThe Mandalorianseason 4’s storyis leading to many theories and questions about what will await the titular duo as they make the transition to the big screen, specifically how it will impact the wider era of theStar Warstimeline it belongs to.
The Mandalorian and Groguis set inStar Wars’New Republic era, meaning it has close ties to other stories set in this section of the timeline. From the connections it holds to shows likeAhsokaandThe Book of Boba Fettto deeper cuts likeStar Wars Rebels,The Mandalorian and Groguwill undoubtedly be a consequential stepping stone in the story Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are crafting. As such,The Mandalorian and Grogu’s storyrisks repeating a mistake that impacted the most recent installment ofThe Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian Season 3’s Biggest Mistake Undermined The Entire Show
The Mandalorian Became Something Entirely Different To What It Started As
The mistake in question thatThe Mandalorianseason 3 made was its decision to immerse itself much more heavily in wider aspects ofStar Warscanon. When the show began, one of its biggest strengths was how self-contained it was. Even someone who was unfamiliar with otherStar Warsprojects could have tuned intoThe Mandalorianseason 1 and understood the crux of its story, its central characters, and their relationships, making it a wonderful story that anyone could enjoy.
WithThe Mandalorianseason 3, the story took a turn that saw it connect immensely to other shows set in this section of theStar Warstimeline, notablyAhsoka, Star Wars: The Clone Wars,andStar Wars Rebels…
WithThe Mandalorianseason 3, however, this changed somewhat. Although prior seasons introduced some widerStar Warsconcepts like the Darksaber and characters like Bo-Katan Kryze, they were done so in a way that gave enough information for viewers with no prior knowledge while teasing connections to otherStar WarsTV shows. WithThe Mandalorianseason 3, the story took a turn that saw it connect immensely to other shows set in this section of theStar Warstimeline, notablyAhsoka, Star Wars: The Clone Wars,andStar Wars Rebels.
The Star Wars Timeline Explained, Completely & Succinctly
The Star Wars timeline is only going to get more expansive as the franchise continues, making it more necessary than ever to explore every era.
For instance, the inclusion ofThe Mandalorianseason 3’s Shadow Council included several references and cameos that will not create excitement unless viewers know what they are linking to. The mention of Grand Admiral Thrawn is one such reference, as is the nod to Project Necromancer and the inclusion of characters like Pellaeon and Brendol Hux. These elements, combined with other cameos likeStar Wars Rebels' Zeb and an entire episode dedicated to the aftermath ofThe Clone Wars, meantThe Mandalorianseason 3 became less accessible to casualStar Warsviewers.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Footage Hints At The Same Mistake
Star Wars' Next Movie May Have Elements That Are Unknown To Casual Audiences
Based on the earlyfootage ofThe Mandalorian and Grogufrom D23, it seems as though the film is making similar mistakes to those ofThe Mandalorianseason 3. One of these notable mistakes comes in the form ofStar Wars Rebels’Zeb being upgraded from hisMandalorianseason 3 cameo to a big-screen appearance inThe Mandalorianand Grogu’s story. While it is worth noting that Zeb’s inclusion in the film is incredibly exciting for those who have seenStar Wars Rebels,to anyone who has not he will simply be just another character.
Zeb will need to be given an arc that stands apart from his priorStar Warsappearances to give casual audience members the necessary backstory to make him compelling. Another interesting thing to note aboutThe Mandalorian and Grogu’s first footage is that it directly leans on ties to lesser-known animated stories to sell the story. While regularStar Warsaction sequences and pieces of iconography like AT-ATs were shown, the main selling point was Zeb’s inclusion.
The Mandalorian season 3’s more unfocused story saw it receive a 50% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a massive drop compared to the 92% and 91% of seasons 1 and 2 respectively.
This again was a strategy employed byThe Mandalorianseason 3, both in its marketing and the story itself. The teaser trailer forThe Mandalorianseason 3 focused heavily on Bo-Katan Kryze and the overall state of Mandalore as a planet, concepts that were introduced in animated projects. This extended to the overall tale told inThe Mandalorianseason 3, proving how the New Republic era shows are takingStar Wars’transmedia approach to an entirely new level.
Star Wars' Transmedia Approach Is A Huge Gamble
The Deeper Delve Into Transmedia Storytelling Is A Risk For Star Wars
All of this is to say that the transmedia approachStar Warsis taking is somewhat of a gamble regarding potentially alienating more casual viewers. In fairness,Star Warshas long been a transmedia franchise. For example, the prequel trilogy is made infinitely better as a piece of storytelling when the added context of seven seasons ofStar Wars: The Clone Warsis fresh in viewers' minds. With this, though,the key point is thatThe Clone Warsis not essential viewing to make the prequel trilogy make sense.
Every trilogy in theStar Warsfranchise still makes sense on its own merit, proving the right approach to transmedia storytelling…
WhileThe Clone Warsmay delve deeper into the psyche of Anakin Skywalker and explore his distrust of the Jedi and his brewing dark side tendencies in a lot more depth than the prequels do, it remains the case that the three-movie story George Lucas crafted still makes sense. The same can be said for shows likeStar Wars RebelsandStar Wars Resistance,both of which delve deeper into the original and sequel eras respectively. Regardless, every trilogy in theStar Warsfranchise still makes sense on its own merit, proving the right approach to transmedia storytelling.
WhereThe Mandalorian and Groguand the rest of the New Republic projects are concerned, however,Star Warscould be taking a risk by leaning more into transmedia stories.With the increased connectivity between the stories of the New Republic, the franchise is relying more heavily on prior knowledge of other projects than everbefore. Be it Thrawn’s resurgence inAhsokawhich followed his setup inThe Mandalorianseasons 2 and 3 and precedes his likely appearance in two upcoming movies to the strong ties toStar Warscharacters that debuted in animation, this new approach is evident.
Ahsoka season 2 is also expected to delve into the concept of the Mortis Gods, introduced in The Clone Wars, making that show more like essential viewing than supplemental material.
To anyone who is well-versed in all aspects of theStar Warsfranchise, this is incredibly exciting, but it risks alienating casual viewers. If someone who is not as big a fan of projects likeAhsoka,The Book of Boba Fett,orStar Wars' animated shows but likesThe Mandaloriangoes to seeThe Mandalorian and Groguin theaters, they may be lost due to the abundance of references to the former three. This could see the next aspect of the story - likely inAhsokaseason 2 - lose a viewer, which could spread to several other fans of the same preferences.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
Cast
The Mandalorian and Grogu is a Star Wars movie directed by Jon Favreau that continues Disney+’s immensely popular TV Show, The Mandalorian.
