Photo: StarWars.com
When Disney bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise in 2012, a world of expectations shot into our imaginations, reveling in a galaxy far, far away. Since then we’ve been given new stories featuring primarily old characters: a cinematic trilogy that continues the Skywalker family drama, two Darth Vader comics, and spinoff films wherein we see a rebellion rise and the Kessel run. Now our collective affinity for space opera and laser swords is being tickled again with the reveal of a forthcoming live-action series called The Mandalorian.
Before you jump into hyperspace and celebrate, keep in mind that the show won’t be available until at least the end of 2019. That’s around the same time Disney’s new subscription-based streaming service launches, and that’s where you’ll find episodes of The Mandalorian.
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At this stage, little about the show has been revealed. What we do know is it will follow the story of a warrior who comes from the same line as Jango and Boba Fett. You can see the resemblance in their armor.
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According to show creator Jon Favreau, the lead character’s story is set after the fall of the empire and the events of Return of the Jedi. The lone gunfighter’s adventures take place in the far reaches of the galaxy, outside the authority of the New Republic that took over following Emperor Palpatine’s demise.
In addition to Favreau, the show’s behind-the-camera crew is a fanboy dream team: Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones) have all signed on to direct episodes. Even Jurassic World‘s Bryce Dallas Howard is booked to sit in the director’s chair, following in the footsteps of her father, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard.
The possibilities are endless with what this show will produce in terms of storylines. One thing we can count on is a more detailed look at how a Mandalorian operates. They’re proud warriors whose people have seen conflict as a way of life for generations, and we can make a safe bet this won’t change with the upcoming series.
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What we can hope for is a dive into how the Mandalorians came to be in the galaxy. Their roots stem from the outer rim on a planet named Mandalore. Legend has as it the Mandalorians warred with the Jedi in years past, bringing in the possibility the lead character’s opposition might be the cloaked, Force-wielding knights. What makes this all the more exciting is whatever Jedi remained in hiding during the height of the Empire will have a chance to reveal themselves in The Mandalorian‘s timeline.
Another potential aspect the show can focus on is the Knights of Ren, a mysterious yet intriguing group who have gotten little to no attention so far in the latest trilogy. Kylo Ren is the leader of the group made of fallen Jedi who turned on Luke Skywalker. Sounds awesome, yet all we’ve seen in the films are brief moments of armored warriors in some dream sequences. We mention this group because of Ren’s mask, which looks similar to that of a Mandalorian. Could there be ties between the Knights of Ren and Mandalorians?
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With the Disney purchase of the Star Wars rights came a very sad and unfortunate situation for a lot of fans. The expanded universe was essentially deleted from the official timeline and almost everything outside of the six films that came out before April of 2014 was deemed “Legends,” no longer recognized as being canon. This pissed a lot of people off, leading to a never-ending revolt by fans who want to include stories like The Force Unleashed within the same universe. While these stories are largely swept to the side by Disney, every so often they pull certain aspects of Legends and bring them into canon. Hopefully, The Mandalorian will buck this trend and include the Old Republic and characters like Revan, who has a history with the Mandalorians.
At this point, you know as much as we do. We will all have to wait and see as Star Wars news trickles out on the interwebs but we will keep you updated right here on Mandatory. Until then, may the Force be with you.
