Commentary — ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu’ Wisely Chose An Isolated Adventure
by Frank Martin
It’s always difficult creating a film from a television show. It might have a continuous story that may leave audiences unfamiliar with that tale at a loss. This is especially true for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. As a film set in that fictional universe, it’s undoubtedly going to attract a wider audience than just those who tuned into The Mandalorian television show. Grogu alone is enough of a draw to get people interested who otherwise may be unfamiliar with the backstory. So the film wisely chose a plot that was isolated from the rest of the progeam’s story to not leave those people confused.
The movie takes place after the events of the show as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), he Mandalorian, and Grogu work as independent contractors hunting down rogue Imperials for the New Republic. Their main mission here sees them working with Hutt twins who want their nephew, Rotta (Jeremy Allen White), to solidify their place at the head of the Hutt criminal network. After realizing he could complete his mission without handing Rotta over to them, Din ignores the Hutts’ wishes, which leads them to seek revenge.
The Mandalorian television show had a very rich mythology involving the larger Star Wars mythos. It featured Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the Darksaber, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), and the larger Mandalorian culture, none of which was featured in the movie. Instead, it pretty much had brand-new characters and a self-contained mission. That’s not to say fans of the series won’t see little homages and callbacks to the show, but it’s absolutely possible to enjoy the film without any prior knowledge of the characters in the universe. The film made a wise choice to isolate its adventure from the rest of the characters’ backstories.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is now streaming on Disney+.
