Season two of “The Mandalorian” successfully entertains viewers while simultaneously expanding the Star Wars franchise

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Photo Courtesy of Disney+, Decider

“The Mandalorian” can be streamed on Disney+ as well as other projects in the Star Wars franchise.

Blake Beashore, Editor-in-Chief

Following a strong season one debut and what seemed to spark a resurgence for the Star Wars franchise, “The Mandalorian” season two continued to build on its early success. The second season of “The Mandalorian” saw massive success as it pulled in a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The success of this series came thanks to the vision of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. Favreau and Filoni both have a history of incredible storytelling and success within the realm of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Favreau with “Iron Man” and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Filoni with popular titles such as “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” The combined ideas and creativity of Favreau and Filoni created the perfect storm for an incredible new series that expands the lore and opportunity of the already expansive Star Wars universe.

Season one of the Mandalorian was an incredible introduction to new characters and a new time period. Fans were introduced to Din Djarin, (The Mandalorian) played by Pedro Pascal, who was a bounty hunter of the Mandalorian Creed roaming the galaxy. Djarin quickly found America’s sweetheart, Grogu (Baby Yoda). Season one followed the story of Djarin and Grogu (called “The Child” at the time) as Djarin protected the child and looked to return him to a fellow Jedi who would be able to raise and train him.

In season two, we see the story of Djarin and Grogu continue. Throughout the season they go on many adventures and continue to slowly develop the storyline, while simultaneously developing the Star Wars universe and creating opportunities for other Star Wars stories. In their search for a Jedi, Djarin and Grogu had run-ins with other Mandalorians, characters from the original Star Wars movies like Boba Fett, as well as characters from Dave Filoni’s “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” like the Mandalorian Bo Katan, and the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano. All culminating with an incredible season finale that rivals some of the most acclaimed Star Wars movies as one of the best pieces in the franchise, pleasing both younger fans with references and expansion to the newer stories, as well as pleasing the older generations with the reappearance of iconic characters, a young Luke Skywalker in his prime and his droid friend R2D2

Favreau and Filoni did an excellent job with the writing and planning of the story and have left the fans impatiently wanting more. Pascal’s portrayal of Din Djarin was incredibly strong, and his ability to portray emotion, even under that beskar helmet was imperative in the development of the storyline and the character. The development of Din Djarin from a lone wolf who has never shown his face, to a loving father figure to a child that had no home was a story that had viewers wiping away tears at the end of the season when Djarin and Grogu said their goodbyes.

Following an ending that had Grogu leaving Din Djarin to go train with Luke Skywalker, it leaves many viewers wondering where “The Mandalorian” will go next. Without Grogu, Djarin’s quest to return him to those of his kind has been completed. After a season as good as this one, I’m sure Favreau and Filoni have something in mind, that will make for another incredible story when season three rolls around in late 2021 or early 2022.

Overall, “The Mandalorian” is a perfect example of the direction that the Star Wars franchise should go. Thanks to the widespread success of the show, multiple spin-offs have already been announced, like “Ahsoka”, “The Book of Boba Fett”, “Rangers of the New Republic” and more. “The Mandalorian” has been such a success story that the Star Wars universe and fandom are expanding, and people want more. With Favreau and Filoni at the helm, the expansion of the franchise should be incredible.