Remember all those Star Wars Celebration announcements that never came to be? It seemed like Disney/LucasFilm was throwing everything they had at the wall, and little was sticking. I thought for sure a Mandalorian movie would also end up on the cutting room floor. But here we are, it’s 2025, and we have a trailer for the movie. Is it possible that the a Mandalorian movie could save the galaxy far, far away?
Official Trailer Still Blockaded by Disney
It’s May 5th, 2025, and I expected the official trailer to be released yesterday as a way to celebrate May 4th. But, Disney/LucasFilm are keeping a tight lid on things. It’s almost impossible to see the leaked version of the trailer anymore. However, the YouTube video below does a great job of breaking down the video that was released during Star Wars Celebration.
Its Been a Million Years Since Star Wars was on the Big Screen
The last time a Star Wars movie was on the big screen (not counting re-releases) was 2019 with the release of Rise of Skywalker. So why so long? It has to be because Disney realized it f’ed up. The movies that followed The Force Awakens but a nail in the coffin of the legacy characters. It wrapped up their storylines, and in ways that pissed off many fans. Don’t even get me started about The Last Jedi.
Rey Skywalker, No More. Fans Want Baby Yoda
It was during the 2023 Star Wars Celebration that we were told a Rey movie was on the horizon. Since then, the movie hasn’t seen the light of two suns. The Obi-Wan looking YouTuber in the video below does a great job explaining why fans could care less about a Rey movie. Spoiler alert: it’s not because fans are misogynistic pigs. It’s because Disney never gave us anything compelling about the character. At the end of Rise of Skywalker, she walks off into the sunset. Everything has been defeated – that was once defeated before (“Somehow Palpatine Returned”). End of story.
The Mandalorian is Made for TV, Maybe Not the Big Screen
After seeing The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, my Star Wars gas tank was at an all time low. My hope for the franchise was restored by The Mandalorian. Every release night my family and I gather around the TV to see what trouble our gun-for-hire was in now.
The Mandalorian felt like the perfect marriage between Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and 80s serialized TV. It had mystery, mysticism, action, adventure, and humor. And best of all – it wasn’t tied to anything legacy. It was easy for my young son and wife (who could care less about Star Wars) to understand and enjoy all things Star Wars.
That is until the end of Season 2. And it was at this moment you knew Disney done f’ed up again.
Disney F’ing Around With Corellian Spice
The Mandalorian had all of the ingredients to make it a success, and it was. But too much spice was added with the introduction of Luke Skywalker. It didn’t need a Skywalker shoehorned in. No matter how much you try to fix Luke’s image via prequel material – the fact remains that he tried to murder his sleeping nephew. Don’t even try to come up with some lame theory as to why this “works” within the context of The Rise of Skywalker.
Looking back, the instruction of Luke was abandoned a few episodes later, so what was the point? It was fluff that wasn’t necessary. Speaking of fluff, tying the Mando show to the Boba Fett show was a huge mistake. Things got complicated at that point and I am sure newer fans got confused and frustrated.
Disney Got Greedy Like Greedo
In order to understand the new Mando movie, at a minimum, you should have watched:
- The Mandalorian (Seasons 1, 2, 3) – last aired March 2023
- The Book of Boba Fett – last aired December 2021
- Ahsoka – last aired August 2023
I don’t know about you, but it feels like a millennium ago that these shows aired. Do you even remember what happened? Do you even feel compelled to go see it in the theater?
The fact that you had to watch two tie-in shows makes this all feel like a cash grab. And what is the payoff to all of this?
What is the End Game?
As the Mandalorian show has been bogged down by more Clone Wars tie-ins and Star Wars legacy material, it has become a chore to follow. And for what purpose are we watching? Yes, for entertainment, but Star Wars has always been about more than that. It had a message. It inspired. It was always going somewhere. Right now, we are headed into an astroid field of tie ins and a movie that nobody asked for. And we still don’t know what’s up with Grogu – the mystery that fans cared about years ago but might not any longer.
Regardless, the Mando and Grogu movie will either save Star Wars or keep it limping along. I hope it saves it.
Check out this week’s podcast episode I do with my good friend Eric as we discuss the Mando movie news!
I blog and podcast with my life-long friend. Enjoy the ride before it’s over!
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