On Oct. 30, the first episode of the second season of “The Mandalorian” was released on Disney+. This most recent episode is Chapter 9 in the series created by actor and director John Favreau.
“The basic plot of the show is that the Mandalorian (a very skilled bounty hunter of the galaxy) is assigned to kill a target, but upon meeting the target, he sees that he’s just a baby (he’s come to have been called Baby Yoda by fans, but aka The Child),” said senior Hope Lecours.
The new season includes some of the characters that made appearances in the first season and in many other “Star Wars” films. Some of the key characters include Din Djarin or The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), The Child (affectionately known as Baby Yoda), Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Ashoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers).
According to “Elle,” the first episode of the new season, “The Marshal,” begins with the main character Mando, short for the Mandalorian, and Baby Yoda meeting Gor Koresh (John Leguizamo). Mando is trying to gain info about where the other Mandalorians are. Mando and The Child then journey to Tatooine to find a Mandalorian out in Mos Pelgo, a mining facility.
“I was really looking forward to the premiere of ‘The Mandalorian.’ I think we all had high hopes going in because we were all so excited after waiting for so long,” said Lecours. “The show definitely delivered, and I really liked the first episode. It already has me hooked.”
Aside from the plot itself, the setting and music also made an impact on the episode.
“I thought the season premiere of the second season of ‘The Mandalorian’ was fantastic. It boasted amazing sights and fantastic musical scores. The sights that were displayed are sure to please all ‘Star Wars’ fans,” said sophomore Eric Sotolongo.
While “The Mandalorian” is related to the classic “Star Wars” films, there are some new features and differences.
“It takes place in between the traditional ‘Star Wars’ saga movies, but so far hasn’t had any particularly obvious ties to the plots of the original movies,” said Lecours. “People are speculating some ideas they have as far as possible links, but as far as we know, right now, they’re just happening at the same time period. Some of the places and races of characters are also recognizable from the original films.”
However, this series does have some clear similarities with the “Star Wars” films.
“It is related to the ‘Star Wars’ films by fitting itself into the universe’s cannon. It is placed after the original trilogy and continues to develop plot lines left unfinished in those films,” said Sotolongo. “Also, it serves to bridge the gap between the original trilogy of films and the newer trilogy.”
While some characters in this series were not in the films, viewers were pleased to see some characters from the original films make appearances.
“Overall, it’s an interesting show because it follows a Mandalorian bounty hunter and characters like Boba Fett and Jengo Fett who don’t get much screen time in the ‘Star Wars’ movies, as they are side characters,” said senior Vincent Avallone. “It’s an interesting perspective to follow in the ‘Star Wars’ universe, and so far, the series has been executed well.”
Unlike most shows that launch full seasons directly to streaming services, “The Mandalorian” will be releasing one episode weekly on Disney+ every Friday until Dec. 18.
