The Mandalorian and Grogu looks set to succeed for Star Wars where the Marvel Cinematic Universe has recently faltered. As the first installment in the slate of upcoming Star Wars movies, there is a fair amount of pressure on The Mandalorian and Grogu to be a hit.
After all, The Mandalorian‘s success allowed Star Wars’ TV shows to become what they are today. Lucasfilm will thus hope that the story of The Mandalorian and Grogu will do the same for Star Wars on the big screen by reigniting the excitement for theatrical movies that has dwindled since the release of the sequel trilogy.
The film aims to achieve this by adapting an established Star Wars TV property for the cinematic experience. Therefore, many are wondering whether audiences will need to know what happened between season 1 and The Mandalorian season 3’s ending to understand The Mandalorian and Grogu. However, in this way, Star Wars may succeed where a franchise like the MCU has failed of late.
The MCU’s Interconnectedness Became A Problem
The Idea Of “Homework” Became The Norm For The MCU
Since 2019 and Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has become much more divisive than it once was. The reason for this was the increased output from Marvel Studios, which extended to several Disney+ shows and, in most cases, three or four movies per year. The MCU was once easier to follow when it was limited to theatrical movies between 2008 and 2019.
However, the MCU’s increased output meant a greater focus was placed on interconnectivity, which became somewhat of a problem for the franchise. Audiences felt that the stories they were going to witness on the big screen were tied to TV shows they had not yet had time to watch, be it The Marvels’ links to Ms. Marvel, or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ connections to WandaVision.
This led to a sense of MCU fatigue that has seen the franchise’s box office receipts dwindle, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige even admitting to this problem. One of the biggest reveals from Feige recently was that the franchise’s shift to increased quanтιтy post-2019 was as difficult as it was exciting.
Thunderbolts*, for instance, was commented on by Feige to Variety:
“But nobody knew that тιтle and many of those characters were from a [TV] show. Some [audiences] were still feeling that notion of, ‘I guess I had to have seen these other shows to understand who this is.'”
While Feige insisted that this is not how Thunderbolts* was crafted, he also admitted that this could have been made clearer to audiences. As a result, the interconnectivity that made the MCU so strong between 2008 and 2019 ironically began to hinder it, which is something Star Wars needs to avoid.
Star Wars Is Doubling Down On Interconnectedness… In A Different Way
The Mandalorian & Grogu Is Almost Like A Soft Reboot
Concerning how this ties to a galaxy far, far away, the aforementioned worries that The Mandalorian and Grogu will require “homework” as the MCU’s latest projects have are certainly valid, though perhaps needlessly. Interestingly, The Mandalorian and Grogu is both relying on interconnectivity and making it appealing to new audiences.
In terms of the former, anyone familiar with the story of The Mandalorian seasons 1, 2, and 3 will undoubtedly be excited for the upcoming movie. However, The Mandalorian season 3’s ending established a very clear status quo that means new audiences can easily get on board with The Mandalorian and Grogu.
The Mandalorian season 3’s ending saw Din Djarin moving to a home on the planet Navarro after formally adopting Grogu. Din returned to his bounty-hunting ways, only this time with rogue Imperial warlords as his targets. This basic set-up serves as an effective launchpad for new audiences, all while making sense to those familiar with the тιтular characters’ pasts.
If writer-director Jon Favreau succeeds in making the returning Star Wars characters of The Mandalorian and Grogu compelling for newcomers, any issues with interconnectivity will be even further lessened. The aspects that link to Din Darin’s past are there for those who value them, but the simple premise of the film means minimal “homework” is needed for those unaware.
Star Wars’ Next Movie Is Following George Lucas’ Lead
In a way, this approach by The Mandalorian and Grogu is emulating George Lucas’ Star Wars. When looking at the first movie in each of Lucas’ Star Wars trilogies, the filmmaker simply dropped audiences into an established universe.
A New Hope was especially like this, with Lucas referencing the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Order at its prime, and several other elements that refer to things audiences never got to truly see until the prequels. This did not lessen the enjoyment of A New Hope or the impact of its story, yet made it an interconnected part of a universe.
It is a form of world-building that offers room for exploration down the line…
The trick here was that audiences did not need to know exactly what these elements were, just that they happened. It is a form of world-building that offers room for exploration down the line.
The Mandalorian and Grogu can emulate this by taking its aforementioned starting point, building its story and characters for new and old fans alike, and referencing past events for the new fans to potentially go back and experience. If it does so, The Mandalorian and Grogu will not only be perfecting the MCU’s recent interconnectivity woes, but also aligning itself with Star Wars’ creator.
