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Nov 27, 2020 · The return of Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson, on The Mandalorian season 2 brings with it big implications for the future of the show and the Star Wars universe. By Megan Crouse |...
- Mando has taken his first step into a larger world.
- What's Next for Din Djarin?
- The Darksaber and Mandalore
- What Is 'The Book of Boba Fett'?
- The Fate of Moff Gideon
- Will Baby Yoda and Luke Skywalker Return?
By Jesse Schedeen
Posted: Dec 21, 2020 7:45 pm
The Mandalorian just ended its second season with one of the best episodes of Star Wars television to date. And just as with the Season 1 finale, there are plenty of new revelations and new mysteries for fans to ponder over in the months to come.
If some of the big twists in the finale have you confused or wondering just where the heck the series is headed in 2021, fear not. We're breaking down what we learned from the finale, why the series may undergo a drastic transformation in Season 3, and how some of these loose ends will play into the growing lineup of Star Wars TV spinoffs on Disney+.
Note: we've updated this article now that Disney has clarified The Book of Boba Fett is a separate spinoff series.
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for The Mandalorian's Season 2 finale!
Season 2 caps off a pretty cohesive character arc for Din Djarin. He fulfilled his mission of finding Grogu's "people," ensuring his little buddy has a safe home with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and will be safe from the machinations of the Empire. He also once again proved his commitment to Grogu is greater than his need to adhere to his rigid Mandalorian code, revealing his face in the presence of multiple outsiders so he could say a proper goodbye.
The question now is where Din's story will go in Season 3. Has his arc been completed? Is it time for a different character to step into the spotlight? While we now know Boba Fett is getting a separate spinoff series rather than becoming the main protagonist in The Mandalorian: Season 3, that doesn't mean The Mandalorian couldn't pivot to Bo-Katan Kryze or another character in future seasons.
The Season 2 finale also leaves a major plot thread dangling when it comes to the future of Mandalore. By defeating Moff Gideon in one-on-one combat, Din has now come into possession of the Darksaber. And with that blade, he's technically the rightful ruler of Mandalore. He clearly doesn't want the blade or the responsibilities that come with it, but giving it up may prove far easier said than done.
You might be wondering why Bo-Katan is so reluctant to accept the blade when recovering that priceless artifact has been her main goal all along. As we learn, "the story" behind the Darksaber is as important as the blade itself. Bo-Katan needs her people to know she won the blade in honorable combat, proving that Mandalore has a strong, righteous leader again. The fact that she previously accepted the Darksaber as a gift from Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels may play into that desire. Bo-Katan took the easy way once, and the end result was Mandalore falling back into Imperial hands. She may actually see her planet's downfall as a consequence of her personal weakness, making her all the more determined not to repeat that mistake.
As if seeing a young Luke Skywalker back in action and saving the day wasn't enough, Season 2 also ended by returning to one of the most iconic locations in the original trilogy. The post-credits scene shows Boba Fett and Fennec Shand paying a visit to Jabba's palace, now ruled by Jabba's corpulent, former majordomo Bib Fortuna in the wake of the Hutt gangster's demise. The two waste no time before killing Bib and his cronies and claiming Jabba's throne (and extensive alcohol supply) for themselves.
That post-credits scene ends with the tease "The Book of Boba Fett: Coming in December 2021." While it was initially unclear whether The Book of Boba Fett is a separate spinoff series or a direction change for The Mandalorian itself, we now know it's the former. Boba Fett and Fennec Shand are getting a spinoff set during the same time period as The Mandalorian. The spinoff series looks to be replacing The Mandalorian in 2021, as production on Season 3 won't begin until The Book of Boba Fett has wrapped.
Moff Gideon may have been defeated in the Season 2 finale, but he's clearly not dead. Cara Dune made sure of that when she stopped Gideon from shooting himself, Black Panther-style. Given his high rank and his involvement in all sorts of top-secret Imperial projects (cloning Emperor Palpatine, perfecting the Dark Trooper), Gideon is too valuable a prisoner to the New Republic.
The fact that Cara was the one to spare Gideon's life is a hint that their stories may continue to intertwine, even if it won't necessarily be in The Mandalorian: Season 3. Cara seems destined to play a key role in the upcoming spinoff series Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic. Gideon's capture may help drive the storyline in that series, as the New Republic interrogates him and tries to act on the intelligence he provides. Of course, we'd hardly expect someone as devious as Gideon to simply cooperate with his captors. He may have a long game planned, and we could easily see him playing the manipulative, Hannibal Lecter-esque villain in Rangers of the New Republic. We may also learn what he was able to accomplish with Grogu's DNA and how that sets the stage for the rise of Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order.
Whatever happens in Season 3, it's clear we're in for at least one huge change to the series' formula. Baby Yoda is no longer going to be one of the main characters. Grogu is off with Master Luke now, likely making him one of the first recruits in Luke's Jedi Academy. Season 3 either needs to find a new plot catalyst or, as we've discussed, shift focus to a new main character.
We highly doubt Grogu is being permanently shuffled off-stage. He's a popular character, and quite possibly Disney's biggest Star Wars merchandise money-maker right now. Din's vow that he and Grogu will see each other again seems confirmation enough that Baby Yoda will return before The Mandalorian wraps up for good.
Grogu may well return in a future episode, but the character seems destined to play a larger role in a spinoff series focused on Luke's Jedi Academy. That's a story that needs telling sooner or later. We've seen glimpses of the events that led to the destruction of the school, both in the sequel trilogy and in the prequel comic Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, but we've seen little of the Academy in its prime, and nothing of its origins.
It doesn't seem like much of a stretch to assume we'll get a Jedi Academy series on Disney+, one that shows Luke training Grogu, a young Ben Solo, and other fledgling Jedi. However, that series will almost certainly be animated rather than live-action. No doubt the process of de-aging Mark Hamill through CGI was incredibly time-consuming and expensive. Repeating that process for an entire series rather than a handful of shots in a single episode is surely impractical. And if Disney had any intention of recasting the Luke Skywalker role as they did with Han Solo, they probably would have done so in this episode. An animated series offers a much simpler workaround, and it allows for Hamill to either reprise the role in vocal form or another actor to take over in a less distracting way.
In short, we may see that adorable Grogu puppet return in a future season, but we're anticipating a Jedi Academy series to be the next animated project announced after Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
For more Mando goodness, find out how old these returning Star Wars characters are in the era of The Mandalorian, and why it matters that the series showed us Baby Yoda's dark side.
Oct 5, 2023 · Season 2 will explore Ahsoka and Sabine’s struggle to find some way of returning home. Meanwhile, we’ll no doubt see Ezra and Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Hera continue to plead with the New...
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Nov 27, 2020 · Warning: This is the Way to ourThe Mandalorian season 2, episode 5 review which contains major spoilers – turn around to avoid having the new episode ruined! The Jedi has arrived. After months ...
- jack.shepherd@futurenet.com
- Jack Shepherd
- Freelance Journalist
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Nov 27, 2020 · recap: Mando meets a Jedi legend — and learns Baby Yoda's name. Mando meets the legendary Ahsoka Tano and Baby Yoda finally gets a name! After last week’s pit stop in Nevarro, Mando finally ...
Dec 22, 2020 · Will Ahsoka Tano be drawn to meet her former master, Anakin Skywalker’s, son? And will he be able to help her in her mission to find Imperial commander Grand Admiral Thrawn?
