Disney Plus will launch Tuesday with a slew of new content, including a brand new original “Star Wars” live action television show called “The Mandalorian.”
The new project will tell the story of a new bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal), who is a lone gunfighter traveling to the far outreaches to space working outside the bounds of the traditional New Republican government. The show will be set between the fall of the Empire and rise of the First Order (basically in between the original and sequel “Star Wars” trilogies.
Other characters included in the show include Cara Dune (Gina Carano), who is a war survivor of the Galactic Civil War and lives as an outcast, and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), who leads a guild of bounty hunters. Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), a gambler (Werner Herzog) and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), who is a hired assassin, will also appear in the show, along with aliens and droids galore.
We don’t know much about the substance of the show. We can assume that the Mandalorian character will seek out to collect a bounty. But other than there, there isn’t much to glean from early trailers and promotional photos. There seems to be some indication that the show will include easter eggs (like Life Day, the event seen in the “Star Wars Holiday Special).
So, we decided to list out 10 different predictions for the forthcoming series, which you can read below.
Boba Fett, Boba Fett, Boba Fett
This is the thought on everybody’s mind as the series kicks off. The Mandalorian character looks similar to Boba and Jango Fett, the two famous bounty hunters from the the original and prequel “Star Wars” trilogies. Given that the show is set after the events of “Return of the Jedi” — which saw the alleged death of Boba Fett when he fell into the sarlacc pit — it would be cool to see a nod to the famous character. It could be something as simple as a name reference or a shot of his helmet. Maybe even a painting of Fett would be a nice touch, too. Let’s get Boba Fett back in here.
Obscure prequel trilogy reference
The prequel trilogies were not as bad as you remember. OK, yes, the dialogue is wooden and that line about the sand — yikes. But the immense power from Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader in “Revenge of the Sith” still lingers with me today. The prequels have their own luster and appeal, and it’d be great to see some of those ties in the series. We have seen very little prequel references in the new sequel trilogy. So let’s throw some references to the Clone Wars into this new series. There were some screenshots indicating the battle droids would return. This is right on par with what I’d like to see in the new show, too. Let me get a Jar-Jar Binks shoutout.
Jedis (but not too many)
“The Mandalorian” appears to be a show that won’t have too many lightsaber references or nods to the Jedi order. After all, it’s taking place during a time that the lone Jedi in the galaxy (Luke Skywalker, have you heard of him?) is searching the galaxy for ancient Jedi texts. But it would be cool to meet a Jedi, especially if the Jedi has a bounty on his head and the Mandalorian needs to secure him for some coin. Heck, maybe there will be a Skywalker appearance later in the season, complete with his epic green lightsaber. That said, there shouldn’t be too many. “The Mandalorian” should exist on its own level as a shooter, action show more than a lightsaber fest. But a few winks and nods to the Jedi history might be fun.
Give me porgs
OK, this might get some people roiled up in the comments. But the porg creatures — those cute, furry animals in “The Last Jedi” — deserve another shot on the screen. Let’s get them into “The Mandalorian.” At the very least, the creatures will be comedic relief, right?
A nod to the sequel trilogy
This seems to be the most realistic of my predictions. “The Mandalorian” takes place in the aftermath of “Return of the Jedi” but before “The Force Awakens,” so it stands to reason that the new show would have some nods or winks to the coming events. And with rumors that the show will include a major spoiler for the entire “Star Wars” universe, this makes it an even bigger possibility that something is coming. Whether it’s the future of the Millennium Falcon or something to do with Rey’s parents, bring us into the sequel trilogy. My personal hope is that the character Lor San Tekka in “Force Awakens” factors into this new show.
A big-time reveal that will change the way you watch ‘Rise of Skywalker’
Sort of like the previous ask, it would be cool to see something in “The Mandalorian” that sheds new light on events in “Rise of Skywalker.” The Mandalorian will release two episodes after “Rise of Skywalker” debuts. So it would be quite a twist if something in those last two episodes is based off something in “Rise of Skywalker,” which may force a repeat viewing of the new movie.
Let’s visit the old planets, please
I’ve been, well, disappointed with the ongoing sequel trilogy’s nod to old planets. We spent time at Jakku (a desert planet) without getting a look at the OG Tatooine. Reports suggest we may get a look at Endor in the new movie, but even that’s up for debate. While it’s cool to see new worlds and environments, let’s take a step back and visit some of the old planets. I want the Mandalorian soaring through Coruscant. I want to see a blaster fight on the mean streets of Mos Eisley. Or what about a dash around Dagobah. Since this will be the first live action “Star Wars” television show, bringing us back to where we began may be the right way to help new viewers feel comfortable with the “Star Wars” universe.
A crazy cliffhanger
Disney already approved “The Mandalorian” for a second season — even though the first season hasn’t even launched yet. With that in mind, let’s get ourselves a crazy cool cliffhanger to launch us into the second season. Don’t end on a complete note like most “Star Wars” products do. Give us a crazy cliffhanger to lead into the second season.
Connections to ‘The Clone Wars’ and ‘Star Wars Rebels’
This seems like one of the more realistic possibilities for the new show. Dave Filoni — who produced the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” TV shows — will serve as one of the producers on the new project, which means we’ll likely see some call backs to those eras. It would be cool if an older version of Ezra (the main character in “Rebels”) dropped by for a moment or two.
Darth ... somebody?
OK. I know that the whole “Darth” moniker ended with the death of Darth Vader and that “Ren” is the new vibe (you know, Kylo Ren, the Knights of Ren, etc.). But it would be cool to meet another Darth Something, a hidden figure who exists to bring back the Sith. It’s unclear if the new show will have any references to the Jedi or the Sith, but if there is any, it should be a new Darth character — unless it’s someone from the path who happened to survive.