Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars The Mandalorian is one of the most popular shows on Disney+.
Set five years after Return of the Jedi (1983), The Mandalorian follows Din Djarin as he works to protect Grogu, a force-sensitive alien of Yoda’s species. As the first live action Star Wars series, it allowed a lot of room for tie-ins to the original Star Wars films. Season 2 provided fans with several character cameos, including Luke Skywalker as he appeared during Return of the Jedi, in a de-aged feat of CGI technology, fellow bounty hunter Boba Fett, and fan-favorite Ahsoka. However, there are some fans that feel that the Mandalorian relies too heavily on the use of cameos to ensure the return of viewers, rather than providing actual storylines.
Several people took to Twitter to complain about the overuse of character callbacks, with many saying that the show would’ve been more interesting as a standalone series, focusing on the Mandalorians, rather than working so hard to be a piece of Star Wars media connected to known timeline. User @Sisslethecat states,
“Fan service is fine, but there’s gotta be a limit. Not everything Mando interacts with has to be some long lost relic of a Skywalker past. Half expecting him to end up with Luke’s Skyhopper toy or R2’s original restraining bolt or something. It’s so obnoxious.”
With @doublek1419Â agreeing,
“The show’s been bogged down by old characters constantly showing up and reversing story arcs”
While the inclusion of these characters might’ve made sense in the first season in order to draw viewers in and raise excitement about a new Star Wars show, the heavy reliance on the use of these characters seems to be bogging down the show rather than adding value to it.
User @EUCommando commented,
“It started off promising, but quickly devolved into the “cameo show”, with little substance. Also, I think the reason people think its “so good” is because the sequel trilogy was so awful in comparrison. Also Grogu should have been a one-and-done odd job.”
With The Mandalorian being the first live action series in the franchise, it’s understandable that the producers would’ve wanted the opportunity to bring in characters from the live action films. However, it becomes a crutch when it’s overdone and seemingly used for views rather than adding anything substantial to the overall plot. With the expansion of the live action Star Wars universe continuing with shows like The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka, it seems likely that cameos will remain a point of focus for the showrunners.
What do you think about the cameos in The Mandalorian? Are you a fan or do you think the show could do without? Let us know in the comments!