Disney Investor Day announced the new slate of Star Wars content as primarily shows for Disney+ with a splash of movies. The TV shows announced were Ahsoka, The Rangers of the New Republic, season 3 of The Mandalorian with a hushed surprise, The Book of Boba Fett, revealed eight days later. The Mandalorian successfully created the foundation for each of these shows. In some cases, it directly introduced the general audience to the main characters of each spin-off. The core creative and production team from The Mandalorian have all split off to run the new series’ before coming back together for Mando season three. How will all the shows tie-in together throughout? What could be the special purpose for the major crossover event? Could there be another surprise show in the future?
The first two seasons of The Mandalorian established the style and mode of the Disney+ Star Wars universe, to be referred to as the Mando-verse. The success of season one allowed for a greater expansion and reach for the second season, which included the live-action debuts of Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze, and the revival of Boba Fett. The first of the Mando-verse shows will be The Book of Boba Fett. Headed by Robert Rodriguez, it is the earliest to launch with a premiere date set for the end of this year. The subsequent three do not have a set launch date, except for rumors placing them in some order in 2022. Jon Favreau hinted that Mandalorian season three would follow Boba Fett’s series, so it can be certain that this show will be in early 2022. As for Rangers or Ahsoka it really depends on the manner in which the Mando-verse is to unfold. One of the two must be the stage for the climactic crossover unless there is a nestled surprise for another new show in the future like the Boba Fett reveal.
Marvel Template
As the leading competitor to Netflix, Disney+ has to install confidence in its service by creating original and required content. What better way than to borrow its competitor’s own playbook? Marvel’s Netflix series’ originally ran their shows independent of one another with small allusions to a shared universe.
Steadily, they merged the characters and events until a major crossover series called The Defenders climaxed. This is the exact same pattern Disney is establishing for its Mando-verse, except the characters all started on the same show rather than finish altogether.
The Big Bad Evil Guy
The characters need to have a focal point to revolve around. This will most certainly be a shared villain. Moff Gideon has been established as a villain to most of the main Mando-verse characters. He is tied directly to Din Djarin and Bo-Katan via the Darksaber and the Great Purge of Mandalore. He is an enemy to Cara Dune and Boba Fett over the fate of Grogu, and his Imperial association makes him a foe to Ahsoka Tano in general. Moff Gideon was captured at the end of Mandalorian season two, but no doubt he will escape and rally the forces of the tattered Empire once again.
Gideon, however, will likely be a minor boss in comparison to the name-dropped Thrawn. Thrawn poses the greater threat to the hero team, as he is the highest-ranked Imperial Officer left in the wake of the Emperor’s and Lord Vader’s deaths at the Battle of Endor. He was thrown into hyperspace at the end of Star Wars: Rebels to a fate unknown. Ahsoka Tano is looking for his location in Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian. Whether she is looking for Ezra Bridger, or just to make sure he is dead, is likely the plot of her show. The resurgence of Thrawn and his power would be an epic yarn for a major crossover, one the fans would go crazy for.
Once More the Sith Shall Rule the Galaxy
There is also the possibility the crossover event may revolve around the rise of the First Order and the details suggesting Darth Sidious is still alive. It could almost be like Rogue One in that the Mando-verse characters discover the truth behind Darth Sidious and have to get the information to the New Republic in time, but somehow fail. Though the Mando-verse takes place at the beginning of the New Republic Era, there should be some continuity with the Disney Trilogy.
The bombshell inclusion of Luke Skywalker in the season two finale of Mandalorian opens the door for even more renowned Star Wars characters to appear in the show. It would be redundant to have Princess Leia or Han Solo show up, as that is equivalent to Luke Skywalker, but perhaps someone like Maz Kanata? Or Moff Gideon could be affiliated with Allegiant General Pryde, who commanded the Sith fleet over Exegol against the Resistance. These characters must be around the galaxy somewhere, why not incorporate them into the Mando-verse?
Whichever direction the Mando-verse goes in terms of a central villain, it is certain that the shows will allude to one another somehow. Sometimes they will guest star on each other’s shows, other times the events of one episode in a series will directly affect the events of another series. It is an exciting time for Star Wars fans to witness the construction of a new shared universe born from The Mandalorian.