'The Mandalorian' Season 2: Show is blueprint for 'Star Wars' to drop films and take minseries route in future
'The Mandalorian', safe to say had a better response than 'Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker'. The 30-minute weekly piece of content on Disney+ had just about every ingredient that made the franchise a pop culture cult classic. 'The Mandalorian' was one of those series that was made for a new audience. A category of people oblivious to the decorated history 'Star Wars' boasts of. With the movie landscape changing and the ongoing pandemic forcing filmmakers to move in a new direction, a new platform and a reason to give something of a novelty after decades of big-screen features, are more than just dire need.
As Season 2 of what has been 'Star Wars' vastly successful series looms large, the thought of the critical and fan acclaim it received is inevitable. It's also a roadmap to the future. The series was ample proof that there's more the franchise has to offer than focus on the perennial characters who filled the screen in all movies made so far. There's no 'Star Wars' movie until 2022 and that's at least a good 24 months the franchise could use to generate more gripping content that's one the same line as 'The Mandalorian.'
Parallels can be drawn with Marvel who after the enormous success of 'Avengers: Endgame' lined up a string of miniseries on Disney+ that, in a way, contributes to the major releases they have on their silver screen roster. 'The Mandalorian' follows a similar template as the show, set five years after the events of 'Return of the Jedi' (1983) follows the journey of a lone gunfighter makes his way through the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.
And along came Baby Yoda/ The Child the most adored celebrity of 2019. The little green force-sensitive, frog munching, knee-high character had fans swooning. Hasbro dashed to make toys followed by some intense competition and Jon Favreau's brainchild was an absolute success. There was no doubt the action series was ambitious and audacious. With Ludwig Göransson conjuring up the score, the usage of modern filmmaking techniques, there was more depth to the show and it wasn't a filler as we waited for the next 'Star Wars' movie.
The benefits far outweigh the setbacks in this case. To start off, the franchise can look at this series as a blueprint for the future. There was less room for error and it never had to face the wrath of 'Star Wars' ardents who meticulously dissected the series just as they did the movies. No issue of prequels, or with storylines. It was a new adventure almost every episode with some feverish excitement and Easter eggs to boot. If fan service was a key component to be ticked, then it was one box checked.
With the success of 'The Mandalorian', there's room for some tinkering. With Disney+ as a readily available streamer, 'Star Wars' bringing out a miniseries on Death Troopers probably would be a new direction as the element of horror could inject freshness into the universe. It would also mean different, quirky, yet fun, and equally mesmerizing content the franchise could continue to provide while larger movies could simultaneously continue developing.
For that matter, any Kyle Katarn series could work wonders maybe. While there is that theory there would be a rush of content, and maybe even an overload in order to continue engaging fans, there have been other big players who have pulled this off. The MCU with 23+ movies and a slate of miniseries that include, 'The Falcon and The Winter Soldier', 'Hawkeye', 'Loki,' and 'WandaVision' is a classic example. The 'Fast & Furious' franchise with eight films (with a ninth vrooming in) and a spin-off is can be added to further showcase the success.
If 'Star Wars' after the mixed response to 'Rise of the Skywalker' intends to make good with some quality content, it's got the greenlight with 'The Mandalorian's staggering positive response as proof. With uncertainty being the keyword, courtesy of the way the year's been, miniseries as a way forwards just might be the way to go.
'The Mandalorian' Season 2 premieres on October 30 on Disney+.