You can imagine my shock when I watched American novelist Jason Pargin’s Star Wars critique centered on The Mandalorian, in which he states outright that “The Mandalorian is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.” I consider myself to be one of The Mandalorian‘s biggest fans, having followed the Star Wars TV show since before its release in November 2019. I’ve rewatched it countless times since then, and will certainly be seated in the movie theater when The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives next year. It’s my favorite Star Wars project ever, even as a lifelong fan of the franchise.

Pargin’s critique, shared on his Threads account, focuses mostly on where he thinks Star Wars has gone wrong with the mᴀssively successful TV show. He states that The Mandalorian should have remained a TV show that ran for hundreds of episodes, much like the Western and sci-fi TV shows of old – including the original iterations of Star Trek. Pargin makes the claim that, because Star Wars decided to end The Mandalorian with 24 episodes and pivot into a movie, “The Mandalorian is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.”

This, of course, is quite a bold claim that ought to be considered. The Mandalorian is what most modern Star Wars content is now hinging upon, something even Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has shared recently by stating that the TV show’s era is the franchise’s current main focus. Din Djarin and Grogu have become some of Star Wars’ best and most beloved characters. That’s why I think it’s important to take a deeper look at Pargin’s critique and truly determine whether he’s right or not.

The Mandalorian TV Show Should Have Run For Much, Much Longer

This Format Was Perfect For Their Story

I’d first like to discuss the part of Pargin’s critique that I do agree with. I think he’s right in saying that The Mandalorian should have been a continuous TV show that went on and on in the same fashion as season 1, where Din Djarin and Grogu were constantly meeting new faces on exciting adventures. The stakes would still be high if Din had to keep protecting Grogu and finding ways to provide for the two of them, the same way he does throughout season 1 and, in a way, season 2 as well.

As Pargin points out, this would have been a hugely successful formula. In fact, this exact kind of thing is what Star Wars viewers are already asking for, myself included. It’s the reason why I’m not as opposed to the idea of Din Djarin’s Razor Crest coming back in The Mandalorian and Grogu as I probably should be. We all want the vibes of season 1 back, and we all want to just see these two adventuring together again. Based on The Mandalorian season 3’s ending, Star Wars understands this, too.

After having Din take a step away from bounty hunting in seasons 2 and 3, The Mandalorian is bringing that type of storyline back for the тιтular Mandalorian by having him do “bounty hunting” work for the New Republic, targeting members of the Imperial Remnant. Grogu’s Mandalorian apprentice journeys guarantee that the two of them will be back to adventuring the way they did in season 1, too. Unfortunately, however, they’re not using the correct medium for such adventures.

Star Wars Did Make A Mistake In Expanding The Mandalorian Too Much

Its Contained Story Is What Made It Such A Success

Star Wars did so much so quickly with The Mandalorian that now, they’ve already outgrown the small screen, and they’re making a leap to the big screen before they even began to maximize the potential of their tenure in TV. This has so much to do with The Mandalorian season 2; tying in characters like Bo-Katan Kryze, Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, and Luke Skywalker blew The Mandalorian‘s contained story out of proportion. As Pargin points out, by The Mandalorian season 3, the show’s viewers were utterly lost.

It looked nothing like it did at the time it started, and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Comparing The Mandalorian season 1 with season 3 is jarring. It goes from being a spaghetti Western that takes place in Star Wars to just… well, Star Wars. Because so much of The Mandalorian season 3 was set up in another show (The Book of Boba Fett), audiences are just confused in general, too. Pargin accredits this to “corporate synergy,” something that’s affecting everyone in entertainment media, before he brings up The Mandalorian and Grogu movie.

This is where Pargin makes his claim that “The Mandalorian is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ,” as he insists the story will end with this movie. Now, we know the latter isn’t true; Din Djarin and Grogu are expected to be a part of Dave Filoni’s culmination movie that will take place after The Mandalorian and Grogu, and with more projects in development in this era, I’d be shocked if Din Djarin and Grogu’s story truly ended here. He is, however, right in the sense that The Mandalorian TV show specifically could be “ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.”

The Mandalorian Franchise Is Still Far From Being ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

Demands For These Characters & Their Story Remains Strong

In the grand scheme of things, however, I think Pargin is very wrong to say The Mandalorian as a whole is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, especially when he suggests that “everybody has already stopped caring about” their story. The reason why The Mandalorian season 3 caused such an uproar is because people did, and still do, care so much about these two characters and their story. They felt as if Din Djarin and Grogu were done an injustice by taking a backseat in season 3 and straying too far from the TV show’s original formula.

Plus, there’s still plenty of demand for The Mandalorian as a whole. We know this because Star Wars continues to put these two characters everywhere; Grogu is inescapable in merchandise, and the pair will have a storyline added to the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in the U.S. Disney Parks next year. They wouldn’t invest such energy and money in these two characters if there wasn’t a demand for them.

In fact, despite The Mandalorian season 3’s mixed reviews, it was still the biggest success of Star Wars and Disney+ as far as streaming goes in recent years – and it wasn’t really that close. In fact, The Mandalorian season 3 was the most-watched streaming original in 2023 on any platform, surpᴀssing everything from Loki season 2 to Ted Lᴀsso season 3. Even in 2024, The Mandalorian season 3 was in the top 10 most-watched TV shows on Disney+ with no new releases. Again, if there wasn’t a demand for that story, then this wouldn’t have been the case.

If The Mandalorian was truly ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, then a movie would be the last thing it would get. I truly only understand this bold statement from the view that the TV show is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, because I do see how it would be hard to go back to TV after elevating Din Djarin and Grogu to movies – and movies are not the right medium to bring back the true spirit of the show. In terms of success, however, I think The Mandalorian will continue to be just fine. Star Wars knows they have a hit on their hands no matter what.

People Still Care About The Mandalorian & They Always Will

These Characters Have Captured Fans’ Hearts Forever

I have no doubt that people will continue to care about the story of The Mandalorian for years and years to come. Think about it: Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo continue to be beloved characters with stories people care deeply about, despite how fans may disagree with the way their stories were handled in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Din Djarin and Grogu have earned a similar kind of love from Star Wars fans. People will always care, and they will do so very pᴀssionately.

I have closely followed the highs and lows of The Mandalorian over the years. I was celebrating The Mandalorian season 1’s unprecedented success and incredible storytelling, and doing just the same when season 2 expanded its horizons in an exciting way. I was then conflicted and, later, disappointed by season 3 during the course of its release. Still, though, I’ve never given up on it, and I don’t intend on doing so any time soon. The Mandalorian may always have some lost potential, but it is very far from being ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.