'The Mandalorian' Season 2 is bringing in a lot of history, but will that take away the show's charm?
'The Mandalorian' is currently the hottest 'Star Wars' property out there with a dedicated fan following and some great stories to tell. We've all been eagerly waiting for 'The Mandalorian' Season 2 but now recent comments by Giancarlo Esposito, who plays the villainous Moff Gideon, have raised the possibility that the show's popularity might decline a bit in its second outing.
Close on the heels of receiving an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, Esposito spoke to Deadline and revealed that Season 2 will dive deeper into the history of the Mandalorians and the darksaber, an all-black lightsaber that was last seen in Gideon's possession at the end of Season 1. “You’ll see more of the darksaber, you’ll get the explanation of this ancient weapon to the modern world, a collapsed world,” Esposito said. “Where did this saber come from and how was it revived? It’s a key in our second season, which will be back sooner than later.”
Season 2 is also reportedly tying in with a lot of the old shows and movies with a number of characters including Bo-Katan Kryze, Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex expected to appear. For a hardcore 'Star Wars' fan, that's all good news but it might not work out so great for the show.
A lot of the show's fans aren't people who have followed the franchise intently and quite a few of them have probably not even seen all the movies. That wasn't really much of a problem in Season 1 because the show remained mostly detached from the events of other shows and movies.
However, if the show really is going to go heavy on lore and bringing in elements from other 'Star Wars' projects, it could cost them their particular niche as the 'Star Wars' story that's more grounded and real than the fate-of-the-universe stories that the rest of the franchise is famous for. Of course, ultimately, it all comes down to the writers and directors to somehow strike the balance between fan-service, worldbuilding and good storytelling.
'The Mandalorian' Season 2 is expected to arrive on the Disney+ streaming service in October.