Disney Investor Day announced the new slate ofStar Warscontent as primarily shows forDisney+with a splash of movies. The TV shows announced wereAhsoka,The Rangers of the New Republic, season 3 ofThe Mandalorianwith a hushed surprise,TheBook of Boba Fett, revealed eight days later.The Mandaloriansuccessfully created the foundation for each of these shows. In some cases, it directly introduced the general audience to themain characters of each spin-off. The core creative and production team fromThe Mandalorianhave all split off to run the new series’ before coming back together forMandoseason three. How will all the shows tie-in together throughout? What could be the special purpose for the major crossover event? Could there be another surprise show in the future?
The first two seasons ofThe Mandalorianestablished the style and mode of the Disney+Star Warsuniverse, to be referred to as the Mando-verse. The success of season one allowed for a greater expansion and reach for the second season, which included the live-action debuts of Ahsoka Tano,Bo-Katan Kryze, and the revival of Boba Fett. The first of the Mando-verse shows will beThe Book of Boba Fett. Headed by Robert Rodriguez, it is the earliest to launch with a premiere date set for the end of this year. The subsequent three do not have a set launch date, except for rumors placing them in some order in 2022. Jon Favreau hinted thatMandalorianseason threewould follow Boba Fett’s series, so it can be certain that this show will be in early 2022. As forRangersorAhsokait really depends on the manner in which the Mando-verse is to unfold. One of the two must be the stage for the climactic crossover unless there is a nestled surprise for another new show in the future like the Boba Fett reveal.
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Marvel Template
As the leading competitor toNetflix, Disney+ has to install confidence in its service bycreating original and required content. What better way than to borrow its competitor’s own playbook? Marvel’s Netflix series’ originally ran their shows independent of one another with small allusions to a shared universe.
Steadily, they merged the characters and events until a major crossover series calledThe Defendersclimaxed. This is the exact same pattern Disney is establishing for its Mando-verse,except the characters all startedon the same show rather than finish altogether.
The Big Bad Evil Guy
The characters need to have a focal point to revolve around. This will mostcertainly be a shared villain. Moff Gideon has been established as a villain to most of the main Mando-verse characters. He is tied directly to Din Djarin and Bo-Katan via the Darksaber and the Great Purge of Mandalore. He is an enemy to Cara Dune andBoba Fett over the fateof Grogu, and his Imperial association makes him a foe to Ahsoka Tano in general. Moff Gideon was captured at the end ofMandalorianseason two, but no doubt he will escape and rally the forces of the tattered Empire once again.
Gideon, however, will likely be a minor boss in comparison to thename-dropped Thrawn. Thrawn poses the greater threat to the hero team, as he is the highest-ranked Imperial Officer left in the wake of the Emperor’s and Lord Vader’s deaths at the Battle of Endor. He was thrown into hyperspace at the end ofStar Wars: Rebelsto a fate unknown.Ahsoka Tano is lookingfor his location in Chapter 13 ofThe Mandalorian. Whether she is looking for Ezra Bridger, or just to make sure he is dead, is likely the plot of her show. The resurgence of Thrawn and his power would be an epic yarn for a major crossover, one the fans would go crazy for.
Once More the Sith Shall Rule the Galaxy
There is also the possibility the crossover event may revolve around the rise of the First Order and the detailssuggesting Darth Sidiousis still alive. It could almost be likeRogue Onein that the Mando-verse characters discover the truth behind Darth Sidious and have to get the information to the New Republic in time, but somehow fail. Though the Mando-verse takes place at thebeginning of the New Republic Era, there should be some continuity with the Disney Trilogy.
The bombshell inclusion of Luke Skywalker in the season two finale ofMandalorianopens the door for even more renownedStar Warscharacters to appear in the show. It would be redundant to have Princess Leia or Han Solo show up, as that is equivalent to Luke Skywalker, but perhaps someone like Maz Kanata? Or Moff Gideon could be affiliatedwith Allegiant General Pryde, who commanded the Sith fleet over Exegol against the Resistance.These characters must be aroundthe galaxy somewhere, why not incorporate them into the Mando-verse?
Whicheverdirection the Mando-versegoes in terms of a central villain, it is certain that the shows will allude to one another somehow. Sometimes they will guest star on each other’s shows, other times the events of one episode in a series will directly affect the events of another series. It is an exciting time forStar Warsfans to witness the construction of anew shared universeborn fromThe Mandalorian.
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