The Mandalorian was arguably my Star Wars highlight of 2019 and I am so excited for season 2. With the show’s return just a month away, I wanted to prepare for the season by giving some of my hopes for this season.
Please be aware that I will be alluding to casting rumours and the recent trailer, as well as some of my own theories, so there is the potential for spoilers below if you are looking to go in blind.
Longer episodes
As great as season 1 was, I really wish the episodes had been longer. The majority of episodes fell in the 30-40 minute bracket, with the finale being slightly longer. While this is fine, I think that episodes that are 45 minutes to an hour long would be ideal. There were some moments that felt a little rushed in season 1 and this extra bit of time would help ensure that everything gets told at the right pace, while also giving us the time to get deeper into the supporting characters and their histories.
Limited cameos
If the rumours are to be believed, it’s hardly an exaggeration to say that every character in the Star Wars canon is set to make a cameo in season 2. Though Lucasfilm have stayed quiet regarding the rumours, a number of sites – many of which are usually pretty trustworthy – have mentioned a range of actors set to appear during the season, including but not limited to Bo-Katan Kryze, Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, Boba Fett and Captain Rex.
While I have no problem with familiar faces appearing, I don’t want it to be just for the hell of it, but instead relevant to the story being told. For me, there are 3 characters that I really think would be great to see in the series, and I think that there is a good chance of them appearing:
- Bo-Katan Kryze was (to our knowledge at the moment) the last wielder of the Darksaber before Moff Gideon and also the leader of Mandalore as they fought back against the Empire. At this point, all we know is that there was an event known to the surviving Mandos as “The Great Purge”, where the Empire appears to have all-but wiped out their people. At the very least, I would hope to see Katee Sackhoff reprising the role she voiced in the animated series in a flashback as me learn more about how Moff Gideon got the Darksaber, but ideally I would love to find some way that she has survived and can come into contact with Din Djarin (he wuld surely recognise her, having been taken in by Death Watch as a child), who could help her win freedom for what remains of their people.
- Boba Fett is an obvious choice to show up in the show. The original character with Mandalorian armour, he is the unaltered clone of Jango Fett. The Clone Wars suggested that Fett was not actually a Mandalorian, but there is room for clarification, while as a famous bounty hunter, he would fit into the show naturally. There have been hints that he survived his embarrassing fall into the Sarlacc and hearing that Boba Fett was in the show would certainly interest some people that aren’t currently watching. Would he side with the Mandalorians, or could he side with Moff Gideon given his history of working with the Empire, leading to the chance of a great showdown between him and Din.
- The final character could very easily be linked with the Boba Fett story, and I also think that this character is very likely. Reports have stated that Timothy Olyphant will appear wearing the Boba Fett armour, but not playing Boba Fett. To me, this screams the character Cobb Vanth, who appeared in the interludes of the Aftermath Trilogy. Vanth took a set of partially-corroded Mandalorian armour (heavily hinted to have been Boba’s) and became the sheriff of Freetown on Tatooine. The trailer has already shown we’re returning to Tatooine, while we still don’t know who it was that approached Fennec Shand’s body in the final moments of Chapter 5. It would certainly make sense for this character to be revealed to be Vanth, and I could easily envision Boba appearing in the episode as well, trying to get his armour back.
More Mandalorian stuff
I’m a sucker for lore and culture in Star Wars, and the Mandos are definitely one people that I always want to hear more about. From the identities and the pasts of characters like Din Djarin, The Armorer and Paz Vizsla, to the history of the Darksaber and the Great Purge, I’d love to get to know more about the Mandalorians.
The series has so far heavily set up the idea that Mandalorians never remove their helmet as part of their Creed, but this flies in the face of what we have seen in the animated series, so I would love to get more background to this, as well as confirmation as to Jango Fett’s status as a Mandalorian and what it was like for Din Djarin growing up among Death Watch.
An end for Cara
So this isn’t something I was expecting to write…
I’ve generally found myself able to separate art from the artist, but even I couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy seeing Cara Dune in the trailer for season 2. I really enjoyed the character in season 1 and was looking forward to getting more of her and (hopefully) more of her backstory in season 2. Unfortunately, I can’t ignore Gina Carano’s social media activity over the last couple of weeks, most notably her liking of transphobic tweets and her own comments that appeared to mock the trans community. As a result, I don’t feel comfortable seeing her continue in her role in future seasons of The Mandalorian.
Obviously, I understand that the character will be in season 2, but I now find myself sincerely hoping that the character ends the season in a position where she can be easily written out of the show without it feeling odd storywise. I’m not necessarily saying that I never want to see the character again – I would love to get more of her story in other media- but I would not feel comfortable with Gina Carano continuing to appear as Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan in future seasons while the situation remains as it is.
So that’s what I’m hoping for. How about you?
Thanks for reading.
I have spoken.
The Canon Padawan 