In their typical fashion, Star Wars fans all over the internet are raving about the newly released trailer for the upcoming film The Mandalorian and Grogu, which will potentially cap off the escapades of the beloved duo. These two fan favorites have kept viewers occupied during an uncertain era of Star Wars media characterized by complaints about prioritizing quantity over quality. I admit, I myself have been among the critics of this sort, especially in terms of the dialogue and narrative quality for recent projects. In all fairness, this fanbase, possibly more so than any other, is notoriously difficult to please. Despite this, everyone is flocking together to welcome this Beskar clad mercenary and his little green pal back to the screen, this time, in theatres.
The Mandalorian and Grogu’s second trailer, as you would expect, contains a lot to unpack. The opening shot depicts a squadron of X-Wings flying against the backdrop of the sunset; an image directly reminiscent of a similar shot seen in Episode VII: The Force Awakens, which featured TIE fighters instead. We are shown a new model of Din Djarin’s Razor Crest, his prized gunship which had been destroyed by Imperial Warlord Moff Gideon in the second season of The Mandalorian, and was therefore absent throughout all of the third season. We also see that Djarin is continuing to offer his services to the New Republic, motivated by his desire to protect Grogu and his homeland Mandalore from the Imperial Warlords. This continued alliance will likely pave the way for conflict in the film, as it appears that Djarin has been tasked with finding a certain unnamed Hutt — a job that’s certain to place him in treacherous circumstances. Speaking of Hutts, the trailer provides strong evidence to suggest that the big villains of this installment will be none other than The Twins, a pair of Hutt crime lords that ruled during the New Republic era and are cousins of the famed Jabba the Hutt.
At about the one-minute mark of the trailer, many faithful fans’ hearts likely skipped a beat, as we got our first look at another one of this film’s villains — the Kyuzo bounty hunter Embo from The Clone Wars television series, one of a handful of characters in this trailer new to the big screen. Likely hired by either the Imperials or the Hutts (who seem to be working in tandem, for reasons unknown) to take down Djarin and Grogu, he’s likely be one of the focal points of the action in this film — and I sure hope so, because I’m a sucker for Star Wars mercenaries.
This trailer also features several shots of Grogu on his own: wearing the Mandalorian foundling armor that he acquired in The Mandalorian Season 3, riding in a podracer with a few Anzellans (the species of Babu Frik from Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker), and meditating on a swamp-covered planet that bears a striking similarity to Dagobah, which was the dwelling place of Yoda after the fall of the Republic. These scenes are overlaid with dialogue from Djarin speaking of how he won’t always be by Grogu’s side. Based on this evidence, I believe we’re in for a good amount of Grogu-centered content in this film, where we may see him progress in his force-wielding ability and possibly even his maturity.
Another returning character from The Clone Wars series achieving his big screen debut is none other than Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta, whom I believe is likely the Hutt that Djarin has been tasked with tracking down for whatever reason. Though he was only an infant in The Clone Wars, he is now depicted as an enormous, muscular competitor in a gladiator arena, and Djarin somehow finds himself in the situation of having to take him head on in the ring. Following these scenes, as well as one in which Djarin appears, rather unfortunately, to be face to face with an albino Dragonsnake, viewers are greeted with the final returning character of interest: Garazeb ‘Zeb’ Orrelios, the crafty Lasat rebel who fought among the Ghost Crew in Star Wars: Rebels. Though this is not his live-action debut (he received a small cameo in Season 3 of The Mandalorian) this is his first time on the big screen, and Rebels fans everywhere would agree that he’d make a fitting ally to Djarin and Grogu with his physical prowess, battlefield cunning and intense loyalty to the New Republic. In fact, it’s basically confirmed that he will fight directly alongside the duo, given his voiceover exclamation “I like this kid!” towards the end of the trailer, in which he is almost certainly referring to Grogu.
Personally, I have high hopes for this film. I’m not going to pretend that I’ve been enthralled by every piece of Star Wars media from the past decade — far from it. Yet, something about the dynamic duo between these two iconic characters, as well as the apparent importance of Hutt crime lords to the film’s plot (villains that haven’t gotten a lot of attention in recent projects) makes me believe it’ll be an enjoyable viewing experience at least, if not a Star Wars project for the books.
Jordan White is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a staff writer for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at jiw39@cornell.edu.
