Mandalorian Breathes New Life into the Star Wars Franchise

Ryan Griffith '22 - Senior Staff Writer

With the ending of the latest Star Wars trilogy this past December, The Mandalorian brings a desperate breath of fresh air for Disney’s control over the franchise. It sets a gold standard for future installments of the franchise in a time of struggle for Disney’s future expansion.

The last three installments of the franchise have seemed to disappoint veteran fans, somewhat satisfy newcomers, and overall build disclarity for the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian brings a clear direction and aesthetic that will appeal to a broad range of audiences, garnering more support from all types of audiences, adopting elements of the western genre, and playing into aspects of a seemingly untapped side to the series. It brings audiences a glimpse of free reign in the far-reaching, outer rim. It also strays away for the good guy, bad guy trope seen in almost all Star Wars installments.

The Mandalorian’s central character is complex. He is forced to make decisions that blur the lines between right and wrong, who to save, who to let go, and what will affect him the least in the future. Besides the obvious tenets of a rogue bounty hunter in the outer rim, he lives by a code and culture, which if broken could make him a heretic to his cause. These cultural and identity aspects seen in previous Star Wars plots have been muddled by the main antagonist of the First Order. The last installment, The Rise of Skywalker, seemed to throw everything at the audience, feeling rushed and impatient throughout. It was as though the writers were told weeks before the release it was going to be the conclusion and worked hastily filling in the gaps. The Mandalorian brings a greater level of development and fluid motion of characters, allowing production teams to create on a new direction for the franchise.

Overall, Disney appears to be moving the Star Wars franchise in a more efficient, attainable direction. The series imitates the franchise’s original aesthetic but doesn’t make a mockery in straying away from the same format of the previous trilogy.