Make no mistake about it, Star Wars is still one of the most universally beloved franchises in existence. However, it can’t be denied that some of the shine has come off a galaxy far, far away during the Disney era, with many of the more recent projects being hit with creative, critical and commercial issues.
Rogue One and Solo were both subjected to huge overhauls during production, and the latter went on to bomb in theaters after becoming the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars movie ever. Furthermore, box office takings between The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker dropped by close to a billion dollars in just four years, while Episodes VIII and IX split the fanbase right down the middle for very different reasons.
Luckily, The Mandalorian has proved to be a triumph, with Jon Favreau deftly blending the old and new to tell a fresh story set in the Star Wars mythology that features plenty of nostalgia without ever letting it sink the narrative. The first season holds an impressive 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and now that season 2 has finally premiered, the consensus appears to be that Mando and Baby Yoda definitely haven’t lost a step.
The all-new episode may have told a more self-contained story than a lot of people were expecting, but an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes is still pretty impressive. Of course, there are seven outings left to go and plenty of shows in the past have suffered from the so-called ‘Second Season Syndrome,’ but The Mandalorian returned with a hugely encouraging and massively entertaining new chapter that stands it in good stead to deliver big time over the next several weeks.
