In the wave of new streaming shows coming out this fall, Disney’s “The Mandalorian” has returned to Disney+ after receiving critical acclaim for its first season on Friday, Oct. 30th. This season, which is set to be released every Friday, picks up right where the first season left off, with a brief recap for those who haven’t seen the series since the first season aired back in Nov. of last year.
Having left behind the fugitive story that dominated the plotline of season one, season two has shifted its focus to more of an adventure in search of more Mandolorians, as well as the home species of The Child, more commonly known by community nickname Baby Yoda. While the show’s focus has shifted, the heavy western influences remain, as the first episode kept to a small-scale conflict between an isolated town and an angry, large member of the local ecosystem.
The new season has plenty of content for fans both new and old to dig into, with an abundance of callbacks and subtle references to both moments from the first season, as well as nods to previous Star Wars films and spin-offs that came before it. Already characters from season one has returned, namely the smart mouthed mechanic Peli Motto, played by Amy Sedaris.
This premiere continued the show’s tradition of keeping the scale far smaller than Star Wars traditionally likes to be as a franchise, keeping itself to local conflicts and the aftereffects of the big events that get covered in the films. In season one, we saw the remnants of the Imperial Army after the fall of the Empire, from the perspective of people living on its outskirts. This season seems to be following a similar path, but with the titular Mandolorian having a more outspoken role, rather than simply keeping a low profile and avoiding those who are hunting him.
Despite the premiere’s story being a largely self-contained adventure, there seemed to be a number of plot points already being set up to last the length of this season. While newly introduced sheriff/gunslinger Cobb Vanth, played by Timothy Olyphant, parted ways with his “reclaimed” armor from classic character Boba Fett, his exiting line hoping they would cross paths again leaves the viewer wondering just when and how that might happen further along in the Mandolorian’s quest.
On top of that, longtime cast member Temura Morrison, known for playing Jango Fett and his many clones in the prequel trilogy of movies, made a surprise appearance at the end of the episode, leaving fans to speculate if he’s the presumed dead Boba Fett, or some other previously unknown character to keep with the show’s track record of preferring to introduce new but plot relevant characters over bringing in big name favorites.
Having gained a solid grasp of its identity and its place in the greater Star Wars universe, this new season of “The Mandalorian” seems to be capitalizing on what worked last season and using that as a foothold to further tell the story of the wayward mercenary and his adopted child. Whether it manages to live up to the expectations of the first season remains to be seen, but with a strong premiere, fans are left with the promise that this second season will deliver like the first.