The Star Wars cinematic universe is shaping up to be just as interconnected as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Season 3 of The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+ last week, to much anticipation and excitement. The show follows Mandalorian Din Djarin and his former bounty turned companion, Grogu, and takes place just a few years after the events in Return of the Jedi (1983). The series was the first live-action Star Wars series, and has inspired the creation of several others. However, with the amount of Star Wars content being released to Disney+, many fans are starting to complain that it’s giving them MCU levels of burnout.
Credit: Lucasfilm
A recent Tweet asks Twitter users for their Mandalorian hot takes, and many responded by complaining about the amount of recent series and the way it’s all starting to be connected. User @Rando_Pyre says,
“Manipulating fans into watching “The Book of Boba Fett” by turning it into “The Mandalorian” season 2.5 halfway through is a choice that kills excitement for both shows going forward.”
A similar comment states that the plot of Season 2 was changed in a different show and then deemed unnecessary in Season 3.
“The first season was significantly better, when it wasn’t as tied to the overall Star Wars story and was basically Lone Wolf and Cub in space. Just the space cowboy and his little dude taking out bounties.”
Credit: Lucasfilm
The Book of Boba Fett premiered in 2021, two years after the release of The Mandalorian, and is a spin-off the show, featuring events happening in the same timeline and relevant characters. While also receiving high praise from fans, the series has gotten some critical remarks regarding the cross-overs with The Mandalorian, like @_chesecak_ states,
“Cameos and connecting the plot to the larger, overarching SW plot will eventually ruin the show. Din doesn’t need to meet every character from other movies/tv shows”
Credit: Lucasfilm
Season 2 featured several character cameos, including a CGI de-aged Luke Skywalker, and essentially cementing the events of The Mandalorian within the original Star Wars timeline. Twitter user @cloneturbotank goes so far as to claim that,
“It was the mandalorian that started to make star wars mcu-ified / marvelified”
The MCU features dozens of films and Disney+ series that are almost required viewing material before seeing any of the upcoming Marvel films, with events happening throughout the timelines that are either referenced in something else or have a direct impact on something else. (Loki Season 1 introduced Kang the Conqueror as the big villain of the next phase of Marvel films as well as the multiverse and conflicting timelines addressed in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness.)Â
Credit: Lucasfilm
It’s starting to seem as though Star Wars is taking a page from the MCU’s book and creating an entire connected cinematic universe, requiring viewers to watch every show or movie in order to understand references, cameos, and events as a whole. With the MCU deciding to slow down on releasing Disney+ series and delaying the releases of upcoming films, it’s possible that Star Wars will follow suit within the next couple of years.
Credit: Lucasfilm
