Star Wars Still Hasn't Learned From The Mandalorian's Biggest Mistake

Credit: ©Disney+/Lucasfilm / Courtesy Everett Collection Published Aug 22, 2026, 5:15 PM EDT El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Star Wars seemingly still hasn't learned from The Mandalorian's biggest mistake. When The Mandalorian first premiered in 2019, it had a lot to prove. Not only was it the first live-action Star Wars TV series and Disney+'s flagship show when it launched, but it also had to compete with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Though The Rise of Skywalker had a solid run at the box office, earning over $1 billion globally, it was The Mandalorian that allowed fans to maintain faith in Star Wars, as the sequel trilogy's final installment became (and remains) one of Lucasfilm's most divisive productions. The Mandalorian was enormously successful during its first season for numerous reasons, chief among them the fact that it introduced an entirely new character, unburdened by the weight of the Skywalker family's legacy. Set in a largely unexplored era of the Star Wars timeline, it allowed fans both old and new to enjoy a different kind of Star Wars story, one in which creator and writer Jon Favreau and directors like Rick Famuyiwa, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, and more were able to experiment with genre, tone, and narrative direction. It felt like a new era of Star Wars, a turning point where the franchise would become less dependent on the galaxy's past and look more towards the future. Unfortunately, the show, and the entire "Mandoverse" sub-franchise, went in the opposite direction instead. While The Mandalorian season 2 was still primarily focused on lone bounty hunter Din Djarin's relationship with his little Force-sensitive foundling, Grogu, the cracks were beginning to show. Suddenly, characters previously only seen in Star Wars' animated content, including Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, were making their live-action debuts, with Mandalorian leader Bo-Katan Kryze and former Jedi and Anakin Skywalker's apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, jumping into Din's world. Still, even the return of legacy character Boba Fett and a surprise appearance by the one and only Luke Skywalker didn't dampen fans' enthusiasm for The Mandalorian and its leading characters. That didn't truly happen until season 3, and now, Star Wars' next upcoming live-action season could be following in its unfortunate footsteps. The Mandalorian Season 3's Story Was Too Big For The Show Rather than following Din Djarin and Grogu on their expeditions across the galaxy, The Mandalorian season 3 became a pseudo-sequel for Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 and Star Wars Rebels season 4, with Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze essentially taking on the titular Mandalorian role as Din Djarin slipped into position as her second. Kryze is an undeniably compelling character, and the Mandalorians' reclamation of Mandalore is an important moment in Star Wars' galactic history. The Mandalorian was the wrong place to showcase it, however. It was much too big and overwhelming a story for a show that started as essentially a father-son, buddy-cop Western with a "hunt of the week" structure. It was so big a story, in fact, that the series didn't even have time to reunite Din Djarin and Grogu in the third season of their own show, leaving Mandalorian-only viewers understandably confused when they were already back together after the events of The Mandalorian season 2 and its (sadly) underwhelming "prequel/sequel" spinoff, The Book of Boba Fett. The Mandalorian season 3's disjointed arc didn't help The Mandalorian and Grogu's prospects, either. While the dynamic duo's big-screen debut offered a fun enough, one-off adventure, focusing primarily on their relationship and their work as bounty hunters for the New Republic rather than the political goings-on on Mandalore and beyond, it largely felt like an extended, unnecessary episode of The Mandalorian. It neither captured the show's original magic nor furthered The Mandalorian season 3's and its other biggest spinoff, Ahsoka's, ongoing New Republic-era storylines. The confusion surrounding The Mandalorian sub-franchise since season 3 clearly affected The Mandalorian and Grogu's earnings. It's the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie of all time, even behind what was previously deemed Lucasfilm's biggest flop, Solo: A Star Story, earning just $345 million worldwide. While Disney will undoubtedly recoup most of its costs through toys and other merchandise, Star Wars has suffered an undeniable and tragic downfall with The Mandalorian, and it looks like the same fate could befall Dave Filoni's Ahsoka. Ahsoka Season 2 Is The Ultimate Star Wars Rebels Sequel After a long, three-year wait, it's finally been confirmed that Ahsoka will return for its second season on January 20, 2027. Unlike the first season of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka's first episode immediately set the show up as a sequel to its animated predecessor, Star Wars Rebels, introducing live-action versions of animated characters such as Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, Jacen Syndulla, and Ezra Bridger, while pushing Sabine and Ahsoka out on a journey to save Ezra from exile and finally bring him home after defeating Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn in the battle for Lothal in the show's series finale. Crucially, Ahsoka herself still felt like the emotional and intellectual anchor of the series, as she struggled to reconcile her survivor's guilt and her experiences with the Jedi Order with her deep connection to the Force. Seeing her reunite with Hayden Christensen's Anakin in the World Between Worlds wasn't merely fan service; it was an important part of her healing journey. She had a reason for being there. There was a reason the show was named after her. Now, however, the first trailer for Ahsoka season 2 establishes that the upcoming episodes will be an even more direct sequel to Rebels. In fact, it will almost be as though Ahsoka season 1 never happened at all, with Grand Admiral Thrawn picking up right where he left off in Star Wars Rebels, determined to root out the Rebellion in the Empire's name once and for all. He even calls the New Republic the "Rebel Alliance" as he declares outright war on them, aided by the newly returned Dathomirian Nightsisters. With Ahsoka stuck on Peridea in Star Wars' secondary galaxy with Sabine, trying to find a way home and working to prevent fellow former Jedi Baylan Skoll from unleashing whatever hellish dark Force power he's sensed on the distant planet, Ahsoka's second season risks feeling like two entirely separate stories, both much too big for one single eight-episode season. It's The Mandalorian season 3 all over again, as the titular character gets sidelined in favor of other, bigger, galaxy-altering events. Not only does a massive war between Thrawn's Imperial Remnant and the New Republic threaten to upend Star Wars' canon, but it could also never see a proper conclusion if Ahsoka and The Mandalorian aren't renewed or never make it back to the big screen in Dave Filoni's previously announced Mandoverse, Avengers-level culmination movie. Thrawn's War Isn't Ahsoka Tano's Fight Filoni's desire to provide closure for Star Wars Rebels' open-ended ending is understandable. Ezra Bridger definitely did not deserve to rot away on Peridea for the rest of his days, especially after his heroic sacrifice saved Lothal and arguably kickstarted the Empire's downfall with Thrawn's disappearance. Perhaps this really was the plan all along, given Ahsoka's appearance in Star Wars Rebels' epilogue. Filoni still hasn't convinced me that a show titled Ahsoka is the right place to adapt a canon version of Timothy Zahn's Star Wars Legends-era Heir to the Empire storyline, however. The fight against Thrawn, which will clearly take center stage in Ahsoka season 2, has very little to do with Ahsoka herself, other than her enduring sense of right and wrong, her desire to help those in need, and her connection to the Rebel Alliance's early days. When Thrawn first arrived on the scene in Star Wars Rebels season 3, Ahsoka was MIA. She'd disappeared after a confrontation with Darth Vader on the Sith planet Malachor in the Rebels season 2 finale. She missed the entirety of the Ghost Crew's and the wider Rebellion's ongoing confrontation with Thrawn and his fleet. Of course, if she and Sabine make it back in Ahsoka season 2, she'll want to help out however she can. That's simply who she is, but it still doesn't feel fair to hijack a show named after her for a story that isn't even really hers; one that will, no matter what happens, overshadow her development as a character. Even the return of Clone Wars-era flashbacks and Anakin's continued tutelage won't be enough to combat the issue this time, especially given the scale of the war teased in Ahsoka season 2's trailer. The Mandalorian season 3 should have been a warning for Star Wars; sadly, though, it looks like they're doubling down on the same problems with Ahsoka season 2. Ahsoka season 2 premieres on January 20, 2027, exclusively on Disney+. Ahsoka 6/10 Release Date August 22, 2023 Network Disney+ Ahsoka follows the journey of former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. Released in 2023, this series takes place within the Star Wars universe and features Ahsoka navigating through a complex political and cosmic landscape. Cast Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Ray Stevenson, Ivanna Sakhno, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Diana Lee Inosanto, David Tennant, Eman Esfandi, Paul Darnell, Nican Robinson, LeeAnna Vamp, Shakira Barrera, Mark Rolston, Clancy Brown, Matthew Law, Bonnie Wild, Kat Kuei Chen, P.J. Johal, Helen Sadler, David W. Collins, Michele Weaver, Barry Lowin, Peter Jacobson, Shelby Young, Ariana Greenblatt Showrunner Dave Filoni Directors Steph Green, Jennifer Getzinger, Peter Ramsey, Rick Famuyiwa Writers Dave Filoni Franchise(s) Star Wars Main Genre Sci-Fi Creator(s) Dave Filoni Producers John Bartnicki Seasons 2 Streaming Service(s) Disney+ The Mandalorian 8/10 Release Date 2019 - 2023-00-00 Network Disney+ The Mandalorian follows the travails of a lone Mandalorian named Din Djarin and the young, force-sensitive Grogu in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. Cast Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Chris Bartlett, Carl Weathers, Misty Rosas, Emily Swallow, Brendan Wayne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tait Fletcher, Lateef Crowder, Amy Sedaris, Carey Jones, Dawn Dininger, Hemky Madera, John Beasley, John Leguizamo, John Rosengrant, Jon Favreau, Jonny Coyne, Marco Khan, Mark Hamill, Rio Hackford, Seth Gabel, Shirley Henderson, Steve Blum, Titus Welliver, Trula M. Marcus, W. Earl Brown, Werner Herzog, Xander Berkeley, Charles Baker, Danny Jacobs, James Chen Showrunner Jon Favreau Directors Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, Dave Filoni, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed, Deborah Chow, Jon Favreau, Peter Ramsey, Robert Rodriguez, Taika Waititi, Lee Isaac Chung Writers Jon Favreau Franchise(s) Star Wars Main Genre Sci-Fi Creator(s) Jon Favreau Producers Kathleen Kennedy, Karen Gilchrist Seasons 3 Streaming Service(s) Dis