‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Trailer – Fun Action and Nostalgia, but What Is The New Movie About?
The latest trailer for “The Mandalorian and Grogu” just dropped. The first theatrical “Star Wars” movie since 2019 is a continuation of the hit Disney+ show, “The Mandalorian,” though many fans would probably prefer an original story to a mere continuation of a TV show. So, what does the trailer have to offer?
Highlights from “The Mandalorian and Grogu” Trailer
The trailer opens with a nostalgic shot of what looks like a bunch of X-Wings flying in the sunset with their wings closed. While it’s nice, Disney has tried to lure people in with nostalgia bait so many times by now, and fans might be numb to it. The nostalgia bait continues with a shot of an astro droid who looks similar to the beloved R2-D2. Then, we have Din Djarin (played by Pedro Pascal) trying to start up his ship, but thanks to Grogu (known as “Baby Yoda” to a large portion of the internet) messing with the controls, he’s having difficulty. Disney is clearly trying to remind people of why they thought Grogu was adorable in the first place.
We then see Din flying his ship to the planet Coruscant, which was a prominent planet in the “Star Wars” prequels. Din is asking for information about a Hutt, who will likely be Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta. Rotta was a baby in the animated series, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” so in addition to original trilogy fans, Disney is trying to draw in prequel fans and “Clone Wars” fans. We also see Zeb, who was one of the main characters in the animated show, “Star Wars Rebels.” Disney seems to want to draw in as many “Star Wars” fans as possible by catering to their nostalgia.
In addition, the villains remove Din’s helmet. Anyone who’s familiar with “The Mandalorian” show will know that if a Mandalorian removes their helmet in front of someone, it dishonors them for life. It will be interesting to see how he deals with this. Perhaps he will end up leaving the Mandalorians and starting a new life with Grogu. Din also seems to have fully embraced his role as Grogu’s adopted father. We hear him talk about how Grogu will live centuries beyond him, so Din’s mortality might play a prominent role in the story.
Okay, so What’s the Plot?
Well, Din appears to be collecting bounties on Imperials. We see Sigourney Weaver’s character talk about preventing another war, but of course, we also know that there will be another war anyway because the sequel trilogy exists. The story seems to involve something about Din and the Imperial remnant, but it’s hard to tell anything beyond that. The movie comes out in May, and we still don’t know the movie’s main plot beyond some vague fighting with Imperials.
Despite Disney’s nostalgia baiting, the movie still largely looks like a long episode of the show, which means it will be a hard sell for people who aren’t already “Mandalorian” fans. Even though the show was a big hit, not every “Star Wars” fan watched it or cared about it, and Season 3 received a mediocre reception. It might have been smarter to make “Star Wars: Starfighter” (due out in 2027) the big theatrical return for “Star Wars,” since that movie will have a completely original story.
A New Era for “Star Wars”?
Since the sequel trilogy ended in 2019, Disney has been oversaturating Disney+ with “Star Wars” shows, some of which were better received than others. “Star Wars” returning to the big screen could mean that the franchise is getting back on track. While “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is unlikely to draw in fans who don’t care about the show, it still looks like an action-packed romp through the galaxy far, far away. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” comes to theaters on May 22.
