A damaged ship flying through a planet’s orbit; ominous music plays in the background. “Show me the one who deemed so much destruction,” a voice over intones. Smash cut to our hero shot.
That’s how you open a trailer with some mystique.
Disney has long held firm that Season 2 of Disney+’s flagship series The Mandalorian would arrive this fall and, now, the streamer has delivered the first trailer for the upcoming follow-up.
Recently, we explored how Season 2 of The Mandalorian can improve on its rookie run. Our main suggestions was to pivot away from the episodic villains of the week and focus on a more serialized narrative that carried over throughout the season. While this teaser trailer doesn’t confirm that approach, it does hint to a larger overarching storyline driving Season 2.
“You must reunite it with its own kind,” the voice over instructs Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal). Crucially, George Lucas never revealed any information about the origins of Yoda’s species throughout the 40-plus year history of the Star Wars franchise. Now, Din must find The Child’s homeworld and, in doing so, illuminate a mysterious chapter in Star Wars lore that has fascinated fans for decades.
“The song of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore the Great and an order of sorcerers called Jedi,” the voice-over says.
Thus far, The Mandalorian, which takes place roughly five years after Return of the Jedi at a time in which Luke Skywalker is likely busy attempting to revive the Jedi Order, has stayed away from the Jedi. As we know from Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy, Luke was unsuccessful in reviving the Order (thanks, Kylo Ren). But that doesn’t mean that Force sensitive beings who still believe in the old ways are not still lurking about the galaxy. Just because Baby Yoda didn’t pop up in any of the movies, which take place roughly 25 years after The Mandalorian, doesn’t mean he isn’t still around. Connecting these two points in time would be a fascinating use of cross-platform storytelling.
Season 2 could explore a loose collection of underground Jedi and Force sensitive beings still operating in the universe. Uncovering the origins of Yoda’s species and their place in the galaxy would be an added bonus. Throw in what we presume to be a greater focus on Giancarlo Esposito’s villainous Moff Gideon and it does appear as if Season 2 has more on its mind than just spectacular action and endless Easter eggs. Sadly, we do not catch a glimpse of Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano here, but her role in Season 2 also promises to be elevate the narrative. All in all, this is a solid first trailer that suggests a bit more depth and revelation this time out.
Season 2 of The Mandalorian will debut on Disney+ October 30.
