Even though so many things about 2020 have been unpredictable and often disappointing, Star Wars fans have been able to take comfort in knowing The Mandalorian Season 2 is confirmed to make a Halloween-adjacent debut in October. Considering Disney+ has yet to release any trailers or major story details, fans are still somewhat in the dark about what to expect from the new episodes. Thankfully, the cast and creative team recently loosened their lips in that respect, and Jon Favreau revealed how The Mandalorian was meant to feel more like Game of Thrones this season.
Though many fans might think that any Game of Thrones comparisons with The Mandalorian might have something to do with lead actor Pedro Pascal's involvement in both projects, that's not the case. As creator Jon Favreau put it to EW, he wanted to widen the narrative and character scopes so that viewers would feel as if they were on an epic GoT-esque journey. In his words:
The new season is about introducing a larger story in the world. The stories become less isolated, yet each episode has its own flavor, and hopefully we’re bringing a lot more scope to the show. . . . As we introduce other characters, there are opportunities to follow different storylines. The world was really captivated by Game of Thrones and how that evolved as the characters followed different storylines — that's very appealing to me as an audience member.
No one should expect to see Mando and The Child taking a trip to King's Landing or worrying about taking on white walkers, but perhaps fans can anticipate Mando continuing on a character arc that can be comparable with Kit Harington's Jon Snow or Maisie Williams' Arya Stark. (In contrast, I don't see Mando matching up with Sansa's or Cersei's arcs for one reason or another.)
Though Season 1 truly brought everything together in the latter episodes, the first several installments made The Mandalorian feel more like an adventure-of-the-week series. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, don't get me wrong, but that's definitely not the kind of format that people expect to see from this franchise, which essentially kept one multi-threaded story going across a 40-year time span. It sounds like Jon Favreau was more interested in telling a more expansive, but still inclusive, story with not just Mando, but also other characters. For instance, Giancarlo Esposito's darksaber-wielding Moff Gideon is definitely getting a larger arc for Season 2, and viewers can look forward to seeing introductions for other mythology-heavy characters such as Ahsoka Tano.
Star Wars' heir apparent Dave Filoni, who is a big part of The Mandalorian's creative team, pointed out that even if the characters' stories are getting bigger and more different for Season 2, that doesn't mean the show's fan-favorite companionship is getting left behind. In Filoni's words:
Everything gets bigger, the stakes get higher, but also the personal story between the Child and the Mandalorian develops in a way I think people will enjoy.
After getting our fix of Bill and Ted again with Bill and Ted Face the Music, the next duo we need to spend time with is Mando and Baby Yoda, so I'm definitely hoping that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni helped craft a solid sophomore season story that doesn't Force-jump the shark. However it goes, we're certainly hoping that The Mandalorian's fandom (and stars) won't end up turning its back in later seasons over overwhelming (if not unjustified) criticisms.
The Mandalorian will kick off Season 2 on Friday, October 30, so plan on doing some trick-or-treating around the house with everyone dressed like Baby Yoda. Yes, everyone. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage, and in the meantime, head to our 2020 Fall TV premiere schedule.
