Fans are chomping at the bit for more of The Mandalorian. It’s been half a year since the second season finished out, but Disney has hardly released any details about the inevitable third season. That’s not to say they aren’t busy creating loads of new Star Wars content. There are more Star Wars shows planned for Disney Plus than anyone can really track.
The Mandalorian may not be returning anytime soon, but some of the second season’s best characters will be back on Disney Plus later this year. The Book of Boba Fett will pair its titular character with Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand. While it won’t be quite the same as an official check-in with Din Djarin, fans can still hope for a cameo appearance from their favorite Mandalorian.
The ending of The Mandalorian season two wrapped up many of the show’s various plot threads. That doesn’t mean lingering questions aren’t still haunting fans. Does Moff Gideon have some evil schemes still in motion? Will Grogu’s training progress smoothly? And what will Din do now? Disney could approach these questions, and introduce more, in a million different ways through The Mandalorian’s third season, whenever it arrives. Not all approaches are made equal. Disney should take some lessons from the latter half of season two and continue to build on the serialized elements of The Mandalorian.
Changing Tactics
When The Mandalorian first aired, its standalone stories helped make it such a compelling show. For decades, most on-screen Star Wars stories have revolved around overarching, grand narratives of the galaxy far, far away. Because of that, The Mandalorian felt like a breath of fresh air. After the series premiere introduced the show’s characters and established the world, The Mandalorian proceeded with exciting, one-off adventures that continued to develop the minute main cast.
Throughout the entire first season, The Mandalorian kept serialization to a minimum. Characters were introduced and reappeared, but the show’s plots were mostly kept to an episode-by-episode basis. The first season finale introduced Moff Gideon and necessarily created within the show an element of serialization. The “main” plot of the show, which had been resting in the background since Din met the Child, got pushed to the forefront to build excitement for what was to come.
As The Mandalorian progressed through its second season, the serialized elements of the show slowly began to take center stage. With a less talented production team, the shift to a fully serialized story could have ruined the show. Instead, the show’s second season gave viewers some of the most engaging moments of The Mandalorian so far.
When The Mandalorian began focusing on its own overarching narrative, it felt more exciting than ever. Seeing all the old faces from one-off adventures brought back to contribute to a larger plot gave the show a sense of scale that didn’t sacrifice the deeply personal story at its core. If anything, the epic-ness of the season’s conclusion made Din and Grogu’s personal relationship and journey even more impactful than it had been before. If The Mandalorian can keep that energy going, season three will without a doubt be the best one yet.
Avoiding The Struggle
Other shows, like Dan Harmon’s and Justin Roiland’s Rick and Morty, have struggled to find a balance between serialization and one-off adventures. The two modes of storytelling might seem to compete in a zero-sum game. Viewers are hooked with bite-sized episodes, but stick around for the long-lasting plots. Over time, it becomes harder and harder to rope in new viewers without falling back on rote one-offs.
The Mandalorian has an opportunity to avoid that exact problem as it heads into its third season. Season one hooked fans with one-off adventures and a compelling background narrative. Season two brought the narrative to the forefront, but it also gave most of its ongoing plot threads a satisfying conclusion.
Now the playing field is entirely open for The Mandalorian to do a bit of everything. Season three needs to introduce some new characters and bring in some new locations. The serialized narrative is now a part of the show’s DNA. The new season can and should make its introductions through bite-sized adventures, but those adventures should quickly be pulled into a larger narrative for the season.
When The Mandalorian first aired, it seemed that the show succeeded because it told one-off stories that didn’t immediately become centered on the fate of the galaxy, like so much of Star Wars long has. The second season revealed that it’s really the show’s emphasis on personal, small-scale stories that makes it so compelling. The serialized narrative doesn’t immediately have to go to the scale of a silver-screen Star Wars trilogy. However, adding serialization to the show’s most personal plotlines builds momentum throughout a season and keeps viewers coming back for more, week after week.