It now feels like a universal opinion that The Mandalorian is one of the greatest Star Wars projects released in the past decade, and that's thanks in no small part to the work of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. The two have deepened and expanded the lore of Star Wars in two short seasons on Disney+, and it's especially impressive given how they've woven the story of Din Djarin into the existing canon.
It's a feat that may sound challenging given the fact that The Mandalorian takes place between the events of Episode VI and VII in the Star Wars saga, but Jon Favreau recently said that's not the case. The director and showrunner told the Writers Guild of America West about just how much runway Lucasfilm and Disney has given him and Dave Filoni:
We have a tremendous amount of freedom afforded to us because of the gap in time between the films. Dave Filoni and I are in constant discussion regarding how each story choice is impacted by, and would impact, existing Star Wars material.
So while The Mandalorian may not be as wide open as Star Wars' newest era to be explored, The High Republic, it still seems plenty open and free to Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. It's also familiar territory for the latter of the two, considering Filoni's legacy in Star Wars has been bridging the gaps between Star Wars films via television shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Those shows were able to blend new stories and characters with existing content, so it's no surprise The Mandalorian has done the same.
This is a little bit surprising, considering Jon Favreau didn't have a specific era in mind when he originally wrote spec episodes for The Mandalorian. Favreau further shared that once that was decided, other ideas sprang up that naturally aided the story because of the rich universe the franchise has. Had The Mandalorian not been set smack dab in the middle of The Skywalker Saga, the show may not have had the opportunity to use Luke Skywalker for that sweet cameo.
So if any fans are feeling like The Mandalorian is running out of runway, that's apparently not the feeling from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. They've done a great job so far with the space they've been given, so there's no point in questioning it until the series starts to struggle. Or if all these spinoffs arrive and it seems these shows are all hitting a lot of the same territory with not a lot else to say.
The Mandalorian may not air Season 3 in 2021, but another new Star Wars spinoff will premiere this December. For more on Star Wars and The Mandalorian, be sure to read about how Sasha Banks' guest role in the series apparently made her a better wrestler.
