In a year as awful as 2020, the bright spots shine a hell of a light brighter. It’s almost necessary to endure. You take whatever sliver of good you can get and you cherish the hell out of it. This year should be a lesson to an entire generation who will have this global pandemic seared into their collective unconscious.
Those bright spots have been few and far between, but if ever there was a reason to keep enduring 2020, it’s a new season of “The Mandalorian.” It seems so long ago, but it was less than a year ago when this show and Baby Yoda captured the hearts of everyone, and not just Star Wars fans.
It was always set up for another season. Despite all the horrible crap that has happened since this season concluded, fans are still eagerly waiting for this show to return. Well, it’s official now. The show is coming back at the end of October. In addition, just in case people forgot how cute Baby Yoda is, here’s the trailer.
In terms of bright spots, I don’t know how Disney could’ve made this any brighter. No matter how you feel about Star Wars, let’s be honest. We need this. Our world needs this. We need something cute, adorable, and hopeful. This show is all of that and then some.
It also has a chance to become even more with this new season. I think this show caught a lot of people by surprise last year. After all the controversy surrounding “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” many weren’t sure about the future of the franchise. Then, “The Mandalorian” proved that there was still a place for Star Wars in the current cultural climate.
Now that we have that proof, where does it go from here? That’s not an unreasonable question. The Madalorian is a badass. Baby Yoda is adorable. Cara Dune is awesome. That has all been firmly established. How does it build on that?
I have my theories. I’ll save them for another time. I also have larger hopes for this show. As someone who has a soft spot for Star Wars, I want it to keep succeeding. I want this show to be the template for how Star Wars will continue evolving for a new generation. Will it happen? I don’t know.
Some details can certainly help. The first season of “The Mandalorian” spent much of its time just creating the setting and putting Mando on the path he’s on. The second season has many other paths for him to follow. Here are just a few the things I hope that path includes.
Ahsoka Tano
Need I say more? Her star is rising again after the final season of Clone Wars.
More Cara Dune
Again, need I say more? Her dynamic with Mando and Baby Yoda is just too perfect.
Make Grand Moff Gideon a truly menacing villain
Seriously, you don’t hire Giancarlo Esposito if you don’t plan on making an epic villain.
More backstory on Yoda’s people and species
We all want to learn about Baby Yoda. Learning more about his species will certainly help. It could also shed new light on Jedi history.
More Heists/Prison Breaks
My favorite episode of the first season was “The Prisoner.” It gave Mando a chance to flex his thieving side. Plus, Bill Burr playing Mayfeld was just perfect.
I doubt I’ll get everything, but I’ll definitely be following closely. Like I said, we need to cherish the bright spots wherever we can. This is one of them and I’m ready to cherish.
Jack Fisher's Official Publishing Blog 