At its core Star Wars has always been about rebels and underdogs standing up to dictators using their own private armies to take over the galaxy. Since its debut in 2019, The Mandalorian strengthened those themes, centering on a ragtag duo of outcasts fighting the good fight against villains still trying their hardest to hold on to authoritarianism. Now the battle continues on the big screen as Din Djarin and Grogu return in The Mandalorian and Grogu!
From its first episode, The Mandalorian set itself apart by being one of the first Star Wars projects to tell a story set between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. To me, this was a brilliant choice because it showcased how, despite the good guys winning at the end of Return of the Jedi, all wasn’t just magically right with the galaxy. Just because the heroes beat the villains, doesn’t mean everyone and everything is fine. It put a ton of context into how complicated it is to try and fix the damage done by decades of dictatorship on the galaxy around it. It proved that just because legendary heroes exist, doesn’t mean they’re always looking out for the little guy, showing that much of the galaxy is still struggling to get by. Much like Andor, it explored this through the perspective of those underdog characters that weren’t “the chosen ones” who were part of any sort of special lineage.
Before we dive in, check out the trailer for the movie here:
It’s wonderful to see that the fight is carrying on to the big screen, as the trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu touches once more on the themes that made Star Wars so iconic. Let’s breakdown the latest trailer for the film, and how Din Djarin’s latest adventure contributes to the epic legacy of Star Wars:
The opening shot of the trailer evokes a classic shot from The Force Awakens, but with X-Wings of The New Republic instead of First Order Tie Fighters. It’s almost an inverse of, not only the shot, but also the situation that’s happening across the galaxy during this time period. Given the downfall of The Empire, The New Republic is flying around, patrolling the galaxy, as we’ve seen characters like Carson Tera and Trapper Wolf do in The Mandalorian several times before. In a way it’s a bit of a sad reminder that this sort of security won’t last, but also that things in the galaxy weren’t much better under The New Republic’s watch.
We get a glimpse of an R2-A3 from The New Republic’s Adelphi Base. It is approaching the new Razor Crest, which hopefully the movie will explain about. The next shot showcases a better shot of it. There is no way Peli Motto could reconstruct Din Djarin’s old ship, after it was blown to smithereens in Season 2. So they had to have acquired a new gunship from somewhere and just repainted it to look like Mando’s old Razor Crest.
Not long after we see Din doing what he does best, and tracking down a lead for information about The Hutts. It’s here we get a shot of a new character — an Ardennian played by none other than Martin “Absolute Cinema” Scorsese. We have seen Ardennians in the Star Wars universe before; notably in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Ironically enough the Ardennian in that film, Rio Durant, was played by Mandalorian co-creator and director Jon Favreau. As such we can safely conclude that all Ardennians in Star Wars movies will be voiced by famous directors. Just kidding. Maybe.
Speaking of The Hutts, we get Mando and Grogu approaching two Hutts at an undisclosed location. For those who follow the “Mando-verse,” you’ll recognize these as the Hutt Twins from The Book of Boba Fett. They previously resided on Tatooine, before being driven away by Boba Fett during the events of his series. We will presumably get information about where they’ve been and what they’ve been up to since they lost their battle for Jabba’s territory. Given the size of their new fancy digs, I assume they’re being well taken care of. Possibly by their cousin, Rotta.
Mando then describes having to overcome “war criminals.” Which is where we get our first glimpse of a council of pro-Empire zealots proudly declaring “Long Live the Empire” on, what appears to be, Hoth. While fighting against the Hutts is exciting, I can’t deny it feels inconsequential. Especially now in a post-Andor era for Star Wars. Whereas having the story of this film progress to a larger conflict in stopping followers of the Empire is precisely what this franchise is and should always be about. So, while it only encompasses a portion of the trailer, my hope is that the Hutt subplot is just a catalyst for a larger issue that leads to Hoth.
We have no real information about the Imperials featured in the movie. However the gentleman in the screenshot above is played by distinguished character actor, Jonny Coyne. Who his character is and what he has to do with Mando still remains shrouded in mystery. But naturally he still believes in supporting fascism, so Din’s gotta take out the trash.
And that’s what we see in this next scene. Din “John Wicks” his way through their base taking out Snowtroopers left and right (literally). It’s the type of action we rarely get in most Star Wars projects that only The Mandalorian can deliver on. It’s badass and genuinely why we love this character. Plus it’s pretty cathartic having him waste some space Nazis.
We next get a glimpse of Sigourney Weaver’s character, Ward. She is apparently the leader of the Adelphi New Republic rangers. And it’s clear from this trailer and the teaser that she seems to be Mando’s boss, giving him odd jobs to help The New Republic. Who knows if she’s one of the reasons he gets his gunship back. Ward says in the trailer, “This isn’t about revenge. It’s about preventing another war.” This makes me think there’s more to this story than just The Hutts.
We do get another shot of Mando — this time seemingly captured by The Hutts — either Rotta or the twins. They have ripped his helmet off to ensure Pedro Pascal gets some screen time. In all seriousness, those might recall that in Season 3, The Mandalorian Creed was amended to accept those who have removed their helmets once they’ve been bathed in the Living Waters of Mandalore, which Din Djarin did. So him removing his helmet is perfectly acceptable at this point, which is ultimately something fans of “Zaddy Pedro” will be thrilled about (this one’s for you, Laura).
This next shot got all of the hardcore Clone Wars fans buzzing. We got our first shot of fan-favorite character Embo. In Dave Filoni’s acclaimed animated series, Embo was a Kyuzo bounty hunter known for his skills with a bowcaster (voiced by Filoni, himself). Having him appear in the movie in live action was something fans absolutely lost their minds about. What role he’s going to play? No idea. But it’s great to have another one of Filoni’s famous animated characters come to life on the big screen!
We get a much better look at the Hutt twins here. Not too much else to comment on there.
In the next shot we see the returns of the Anzellans! We first saw them in Rise of Skywalker when we met Babu Frik. And the last time they were seen was in The Mandalorian Season 3, resurrecting IG-11 as IG-12. They’re back here, now giving Grogu a ride (after he gave them a ride by shaking them around). Thankfully this indicates that they’ve made some sort of peace with one another. Either way it’s nice to see the little geniuses back in action.
We then get a shot of Grogu in a forest-like area seemingly meditating. This is interesting because it very much is reminiscent of Dagobah in a way. We know Grogu’s powers haven’t faded, despite him deciding to give up the Jedi way for bounty hunting. However, he seems to be carrying what he learned from Luke with him, as evidenced by what we see here.
I have a sneaking feeling that the movie is going to split up Din and Grogu for a portion of it, likely with one having to try to save the other. I have a suspicion that Mando is going to be stuck with the Hutts, fighting tooth and nail to survive while Grogu hatches some plan to use his Jedi abilities to save his surrogate father. That being said, it looks like Din is giving Rotta hell in this image, using every trick in the book he can to take down the giant slug and his crazy jacked guns.
We do have another scene of Grogu in the forest. It looks like he’s made a friend, who, admittedly, I don’t recognize. He doesn’t seem like a particularly friendly chap, indicating that Grogu should be afraid. However, unless this critter is Force-sensitive, I think Grogu can handle himself.
In this scene, it looks like Din has is work cut out for him. While there are a multitude of serpent-like creatures in Star Wars — krayt dragons, Dagobah pythons, Akivan vipers, and others — this massive albino serpent is something we haven’t yet seen in live action, but have seen in Clone Wars. It’s a dragonsnake, which we saw Obi Wan fight in the series as well.
The next two shots were satisfying for fans of Rebels, as good old Garazeb Orrelios (aka Zeb) returns in live-action. While Zeb was last seen making a brief cameo in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, it looks like he’s taking a much more active supporting role in the film. We see him taking down a bunch of Imps, but also stating how much he likes Grogu (who doesn’t). Given his appearance here, as well as the return of Ezra, Hera, Sabine, and Chopper in Ahsoka, it’s not hard to imagine the next step in Favreau and Filoni’s master plan is to bring the Ghost crew back together again in stunning live-action. With Ahsoka Season 2 coming to Disney+ later this year, it’s safe to say The Mandalorian and Grogu will likely be the first step in setting up this long anticipated reunion.
The next shot showcases an assault on some sort of market or community that Din and Grogu happen to be frequenting. However upon showcasing some monsters attacking the venue, there is a sign above a doorway that reads “Weathers Apollo” in Aurebesh. This is, of course, a tribute to Greef Karga actor, Carl Weathers, who tragically passed away in 2024. Weathers was not only a legendary actor in cinematic history, but a staple of The Mandalorian series, making frequent appearances in each of the show’s three seasons, even being nominated for an Emmy in the show’s second season.
In the final shot of the trailer (excluding a cute tag), we see a baby Rodian and his mother fleeing the scene, abandoning a hover pram with jets, which Grogu promptly commandeers without hesitation. It’s an adorable scene but also serves as a true upgrade to the hover pram we’ve gotten used to over several seasons. With danger looming, the kid springs into action, followed by his mentor flying alongside him.
What lies next for Din Djarin and Grogu? Time will ultimately tell. But as long as they’re going around, taking down fascist thugs and their white-suited cronies, you can guarantee we’ll be there for all the Star Wars action!
The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters on May 22!