Star Wars' Next Movie Officially Has the Greatest Secret Weapon of the Disney Era

The first trailer for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu has been out for some time now, and it's simple to say that the reception to it was lukewarm. The Star Wars fandom is fickle and impossible to please, yet The Mandalorian and Grogu ​​​​​​seems like it should be an easy win. It seems that many fans have not only forgotten about what a phenomenon The Mandalorian was, even Season 3, but also what made the show such a sensation among fans.

No one saw Grogu coming when the first episode of The Mandalorian ended and revealed the "baby Yoda" character. There were no leaks, no spoilers, and it revolutionized the franchise in a singular moment. That kind of impact and storytelling power is not easily forgotten or pushed aside. If Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni were able to accomplish that with a single episode of TV, imagine what can be done with a full feature film.

The Mandalorian Remains a Pop Culture Cornerstone

For almost 50 years, Star Wars has been shaping the pop culture landscape. First with groundbreaking films and in the modern era with TV shows. Live-action and animated shows have driven most of the Star Wars storytelling since The Rise of Skywalker, and it has certainly left a lasting impact on audiences everywhere.

Yet, the most defining part of Star Wars television is undoubtedly The Mandalorian. When the series premiered in 2019, the excitement was off-the-charts. By December 2020, audiences had already streamed over a billion minutes of the hit series. The show was and is an unstoppable juggernaut that fans have enjoyed over and over again.

The biggest part of the series, Grogu, is what helped to establish the series as a must-watch part of the canon. Grogu's reveal in Season 1 was a mind-blowing experience, akin to watching the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones. It instantly became an iconic TV moment that set the Star Wars series apart from the films and other shows.

That was also one of the best-kept secrets of the entire franchise. No one in the public knew beforehand, and it only made the reveal that much better. Keeping information away from scoopers these days is nearly impossible, but Grogu's reveal shocked the entire Star Wars community. From that point on, fans were desperate to learn more about Grogu, his time with the Jedi, and what happened to him during Order 66.

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The knock against The Mandalorian is that people claim the show dropped off in Season 3, losing its core focus and creating a more galactic story. Yet, the numbers prove otherwise. While there was a small drop in viewership between the Season 3 finale and Season 2 finale, Season 3's last episode still drew in nearly 26 million "people." Despite some people believing Season 3 is where the show failed, it still had a dedicated audience that wanted to see where the story was going.

From the show, there was also an explosion of passion for both Grogu and The Mandalorian himself. From countless toys to people hoping that the characters would show up in other shows like The Bad Batch, there was a passion to see more of this father-son duo. The Mandalorian and Grogu can provide exactly what fans are looking for.

While Season 3 did look at the bigger picture of the Mandalorian people, the season ended by setting up the next chapter for Grogu and Din Djarin as a much more intimate encounter. Sitting alone at their house on Nevarro, waiting to hunt imperials for the New Republic. It felt like a return to form for the series.

Even with all the classic The Mandalorian vibes, it didn't seem to be enough to placate the growing discontented fanbase. It seems that some people were ready to see The Mandalorian and Grogu fail, even after only one trailer. Yet, they clearly are forgetting the magic of The Mandalorian and what it was able to do for Star Wars.

Fans Are too Eager to Write off The Mandalorian and Grogu

From Star Wars: The Clone Wars to The Acolyte and The Tales... series, each new entry always creates conversation within the fandom. Unfortunately, that conversation is not always a positive experience, and that is what's happening with The Mandalorian and Grogu. From the time the first trailer was released, armchair experts came out of the woodwork to rip apart the trailer.

One of the main complaints from people is that the movie seemingly lacks any cinematic qualities. The trailer looks like any other episode of the TV show, leaving some people questioning why do a movie instead of a fourth season. Yet, this reaction is confusing because, at the end of the day, the movie trailer just looks like the aesthetic of The Mandalorian.

What fans are more likely feeling is that there was nothing in the trailer that felt larger-than-life, or even bigger than what had already been done previously on the show. This may be more telling about modern marketing than the actual The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer. Modern trailers tend to spoil almost too much of a movie, leaving little to audiences imaginations. The fact that the The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer doesn't spoil anything is in line with the show's history.

The reveal of "The Child," Moff Gideon with the Darksaber, and Ahmed Best's return as Kelleran Beq, there were countless shocking surprises spread throughout The Mandalorian. Even the reveal of Luke Skywalker in Season 2 was a guarded secret, with fake concept art of Plo Koon being made to hide it. With the tremendous amount of effort made to surprise fans, that same energy will likely carry over to the movie.

Despite the rich pedigree that The Mandalorian has for giving audiences an exciting Star Wars experience, it seems as if people are waiting for the movie to fail. Audiences are writing the movie off before they hardly know anything about it. This may speak to a larger issue with the Star Wars brand. Constant cancellations and delays of films, along with some lacklustre shows has created some distrust between the fans and the studio.

The Mandalorian and Grogu looks to give fans what they have been asking for, but it still leaves some people wanting. With Filoni and Favreau spearheading the movie, though, fans should feel at ease, considering these are the two creatives who delivered the shock of Grogu in The Mandalorian.

Favreau and Filoni Have More Than Earned Audiences' Trust

Both Favreau and Filoni have an incredible pedigree in films and TV. Favreau helped to launch the MCU with Iron Man and is one of the few people to crack the code on Disney's live-action adaptations with The Jungle Book. That doesn't even include the comedy masterpiece of Elf. Filoni's history may not be as broad, but he helped to create legendary stories on Avatar: The Last Airbender and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Along with that, Filoni has shown an undying dedication to carrying on George Lucas' vision and the spirit of his Star Wars films. Filoni has spoken countless times about his admiration of what Lucas created and how he tries to keep that vision at the centre of his own creative process.

Both these creatives also helped to develop The Mandalorian. Favreau wrote The Mandalorian Episode 1 while Filoni directed it. These two work in tandem incredibly well, balancing each other out and further developing their great ideas. This same team has now written The Mandalorian and Grogu, recreating the stunning dynamic from the first season of the show.

As the movie returns to the basics of The Mandalorian Season 1, audiences should be able to put their trust in Favreau and Filoni. These two understand the fundamentals of not just Mando and Grogu, but Star Wars in general. Both Favreau and Filoni have worked hard to earn the viewers' trust, and The Mandalorian and Grogu should really act as an extension of that trust.

The Mandalorian and Grogu has a lot riding on it in 2026. It will be Star Wars' first cinematic foray in years, and the studio is no doubt hoping for it to be a smashing success and return to form for the franchise. While some audience members may have soured on the movie after only the first trailer, there is no reason to expect its failure. The movie has an incredible creative team, and audiences are forgetting how great Favreau and Filoni are at creating shocking surprises.