The first season of Star Wars: The Mandalorian on Disney+ was a massive success. It clearly attracted droves of Star Wars fans as it was the very first live action Star Wars show of all time, but it also attracted non-Star Wars fans due to its originality and western sensibilities.
The Mandalorian has been revered critically earning an 8.7/10 score on IMDB and even Bob Iger himself stated that they could not have predicted just how successful it would become. A certain little green character famously called “Baby Yoda” by the fans may have something to do with all of this but regardless Disney is happy about it all.
This prompted instant plans for season 2 and although I was excited for it initially, the overall excitement levels have raised exponentially. It was rumored back in January/February that we would see several famous Star Wars characters join the cast for season 2 (not to mention Season 3, which is already in development). I was curious about this but continued to wait until we got some official news or reports from credible outlets.
In the past month alone, we have gotten several major reports about who these potential characters will be. As first reported by “The Hollywood Reporter” earlier this week, Boba Fett is set to return to the Star Wars universe in season 2 of the Mandalorian.
Whether Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc pitt or not has been a debate since 1983 when “Return of the Jedi” first came out. There might be a big hint in “The Gunslinger,” which was the fifth episode of season one. It’s believed that the legs we see at the end of the episode are presumed to be Boba Fett.
The Mandalorian takes place five years after Return of the Jedi which would make all this possible. The most exciting part about this news is that Temuera Morrison is returning to play the famous character. Morrison played Jango Fett in “Attack of the Clones” and Boba Fett is not just his son but a direct clone of him.
Reported by several major outlets in the first few weeks of April, Ahsoka Tano would also be joining the second season. Portrayed by Rasario Dawson, Ahsoka is one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars Universe but we have never seen her played by Dawson or in live action format.
Ahsoka was made famous by “The Clone Wars” animated television series that recently came to a close as well as “Star Wars: Rebels” that aired from 2014-2018. She was Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice and she was famous for wielding two lightsabers, escaping order 66 and leaving the Jedi Order for having different ideals then them.
Chronologically, we last saw Ahsoka in the final scenes of Star Wars: Rebels alongside Mandalorian “Sabine Wren” where she is wearing a white cloak and is prepared to explore the unknown regions for Jedi apprentice “Ezra Bridger.” These events take place right after Return of the Jedi which makes the timing perfect yet again.
In May 2020, as first reported by Slashfilm, Katee Sackhoff is set to portray Bo-Katan Kryze in the upcoming season. She reportedly already filmed her scenes for the show in February and this would also be her live action debut as a character in the Star Wars universe. However, as opposed to Dawson being a new actor to play her character, Sackhoff voiced Kryze in both “The Clone Wars” as well as “Star Wars: Rebels.”
Kryze is a Mandalorian warrior who led clans and attempted to unite the warriors. She was last seen in “Star Wars: Rebels” raising the dark saber and uniting the remaining Mandalorian soldiers near her. This is a big deal because the season one finale of the Mandalorian showed the main antagonist and imperial leader “Moff Gideon” in possession of this dark saber. This raises the question as to how he got this weapon and whether he took it straight from Bo Katan?
All three of those characters have been cast and announced as being a part of the upcoming season but the rumors have started to swirl about more characters joining in on the fun. It is also rumored that “Captain Rex” would be returning to the universe in live action format for the first time and played by Temuera Morrison as well. Morrison is closer in age to what would be an aged republic clone and the clones are meant to look exactly like him as he did play Jango Fett.
On top of this, Sabine Wren is also rumored to be playing a part. Sabine left to find Ezra with Ahsoka at the end of Star Wars: Rebels and is a Mandalorian warrior herself. She would most likely still be alongside Ahsoka now and would fit in perfectly with these other former animated characters.
In an earnings call earlier this year, Disney’s Executive Chair Bob Iger hinted at characters from this upcoming season getting their own spinoff TV shows. He stated that, “more coming from The Mandalorian thereafter, including the possibility of infusing it with more characters and the possibility of taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series.”
At that point in time, I did not think there were other characters outside of The Mandalorian who we’re interesting enough to receive their own show. After all these announcements and rumors, I can confidently say that I was wrong. Any number of these famous animated characters that are being brought to life could receive their own show.
Many fans wanted to know what happened after the events of Star Wars: Rebels and now they are getting their wish. This season may serve a direct sequel to that animated show as well as Return of the Jedi. It is becoming bigger than I could have ever imagined in terms of the scale and characters.
Disney and Lucasfilm are going all out for this upcoming season and fans like myself could not be more excited about it all. Let us know what you like about Star Wars: The Mandalorian in the comments!
Previously: Go behind the scenes of Star Wars: The Mandalorian in new documentary on Disney+.