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Tag: Star Wars TV

  • REVIEW: The Season Finale of ‘The Mandalorian’ Shifts the Status Quo of the New Republic Era

    REVIEW: The Season Finale of ‘The Mandalorian’ Shifts the Status Quo of the New Republic Era

    Led quite intentionally astray by some aspects of Chapter 23, The Spies, and comments by the cast and crew of the series, fans had put together some pretty wild theories about what to expect in the Season 3 finale of The Mandalorian. Suffice it to say, by the time the title of the episode (The Return) was revealed just a touch over five minutes in, it was pretty clear where the episode was headed and that no betrayals or heart-wrenching deaths were coming; instead, Chapter 24 was a spectacle-filled finale that significantly changed the status quo of the New Republic era of the galaxy far, far away and a promise of a return to a more episodic adventure in Season 4.

    For much of the most recent season, The Mandalorian has been criticized for spending too much time on characters other than Din Djarin and Grogu. In some ways, the finale served as a very direct response to that criticism, bringing the duo back into the spotlight with an action-packed escape followed immediately by a battle with the galaxy’s biggest fanboy, Moff Gideon, and his Praetorian Guard. While many fans waited much of the season for Bo-Katan Kryze to betray Din Djarin, her well-timed intervention Din’s fight with Gideon allowed her to try to exact her revenge on the Moff while allowing for Din and Grogu to work side-by-side taking down the guard. The relationship between Bo-Katan and Din–which was developed on screen over several episodes while fans all threw their hands up and complained that nothing was happening–bore fruit when Din and Grogu joined Bo-Katan in holding off Gideon long enough for Axe Woves’ kamikaze mission to take him out. Teamwork makes the dream work.

    Mandalorians are stronger together.

    Bo-Katan Kryze

    That sentiment, shared by Bo-Katan while Din and Grogu joined her against Gideon, should have resonated strongly with the audience as a measure of the incredible growth made by the character since she first showed up in Season 3. Sitting alone in her throne room, Bo-Katan had given up on…pretty much everything. The weight of her past failures had become an anchor preventing her from moving forward and, having lost everything, she was content to pout in her big chair. Now, Bo-Katan has relit the Great Forge of Mandalore and stands ready to lead her newly reunited people into a new age of Mandalorian glory. In summation, it’s almost as if every minute of her journey over the course of Season 3 helped shape her into exactly the type of leader her people needed her to be.

    Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    With Mandalore’s future in the best of hands, The Return also promised a return of what made fans fall in love with the series in the first place: the adventures of Din Djarin and Din Grogu. After quickly convincing Carson Teva to let them take care of some of the New Republic’s dirty work, the Dins get a storybook ending to Chapter 24. What does that mean for Season 4, which is already in pre-production with cameras slated to roll this Fall? With Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew set to bear some of the world-building weight of the New Republic era and help move things toward Dave Filoni‘s “Heir to the Empire” film, the next season of The Mandalorian might look a whole lot more like Seasons 1 and 2, with several chapters devoted to taking the Dins on new adventures each week, allowing for Grogu to continue learning and evolving as a Mandalorian.

    The Return certainly moved fast, packing a spectacular aerial battle of Mandos vs. Dark Troopers, the presumed death of Gideon and the retaking of Mandalore into 42 minutes but make no mistake, those 42 minutes changed the status quo of the New Republic era of stories. With Gideon, who was revealed only to be serving his own interests rather than that of the Shadow Council, now dispatched, there’s room for a new threat to emerge. With Bo-Katan and crew reconstructing Mandalore, a new and powerful force will continue to emerge on the other side of that threat. As far as a season finale goes, The Return seemed to deliver on just about every level: big action, resolution and the promise of what comes next. It may not have been what fans theorized but it seems to have delivered what they’ve all ben asking for all season.

  • REVIEW: The Mandos Could Have Used Admiral Ackbar in Chapter 23 of ‘The Mandalorian’

    REVIEW: The Mandos Could Have Used Admiral Ackbar in Chapter 23 of ‘The Mandalorian’

    I saw it coming. You saw it coming. We all saw it coming. Everyone saw it coming except for Bo-Katan, Din Djarin and the dozen or so other Mandos who walked right into Moff Gideon’s trap. Things were going far too well for the Mandalorians in their quest to reclaim Mandalore and in a galaxy where peace is not an acceptable status quo, things were bound to take a turn for the worse. After several episodes established Din, Bo-Katan and Grogu as a functional unit at the center of the Mandalorian Renaissance, Chapter 23, The Spies, saw it all taken away from them at the hands of Gideon, calling into question if Mandalore might not just be cursed after all.

    While Gideon’s return was already advertised, the live-action debut of the Shadow Council–a group of Imperial loyalists working behind the scenes to ensure the return to power of the Empire–serves as an interesting parallel to the work being done by the Mandalorians. Just as Bo-Katan, Din Djarin and the Armorer seek to round up and reunite Mandalorians from across the galaxy, Gideon seeks to amass the resources of the Imperial remnants from across the galaxy to stop them. Having Gideon launch his plan–and his trap–from the depths of Mandalore, indeed from the heart of their once great civilization, just adds another notch on the belt of this wonderful bastard.

    Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal, top right) and Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher, foreground right) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    The fallout from the events of this episode promises to be nothing short of transformational for the next arc of the series. Bo-Katan–whose desire to lead again had to be stirred extrinsically–has now led her newly formed army into a trap that cost her the life of Paz Vizsla and steadying influence of Din Djarin. How those losses will impact her next move and how an increasingly independent Grogu will respond to the capture of his father are major questions that will define not only Chapter 24, the Season 3 finale, but also next season and, ultimately, the Mandalorian-centric film set to be directed by Dave Filoni.

    While the finale of the episode feels like the beginning of a slow march to the creation of the First Order, their canonical birth is still 5 or so years away and, so far as we know, Gideon is not a part of their sequel trilogy story. So, as parallel as their paths may seem at the moment, Bo-Katan and Gideon are certain to come together again. Will that be the time that Bo-Katan’s song is finally written? As Din Djarin said, Bo-Katan is defined by honor, loyalty and character–all things Gideon knows nothing about. While their goals may seem superficially similar, Bo-Katan’s quest to reclaim Mandalore is done selflessly for the good of her people while Gideon looks to amass the resources of the Empire for his own selfish ends. While the Shadow Council was swayed to play along for now, it’s safe to say that while Thrawn may see value in eliminating the Mandalorians, Gideon won’t find him so easy to manipulate. As things move towards their inevitable end and Bo-Katan and Gideon are positioned against one another, this episode will be noteworthy for its subtle conveyance of the idea that while Gideon seems to have the upper hand, he rules from a throne of fear and manipulation while Bo-Katan has grown from her mistakes and seeks not to lead but is called to it. Short of the Darksaber, which has slowly lost its meaning, Gideon now has everything Bo-Katan, Grogu and The Mandalorians desire. Has that put him in a good place or a very bad place? Place your bets and let’s see what surprises are in store for the season finale!

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Brings the Star Wars Deep State to Live-Action

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Brings the Star Wars Deep State to Live-Action

    Chapter 22 of The Mandalorian saw Bo-Katan reclaim her fleet, take possession of the Darksaber and become the chosen one to lead the Mandalorian Renaissance. It was all too easy. Chapter 23, The Spies, brought all the good Mandalorian mojo to a quick halt. While fans expected the episode to feature the return of Mandalorian archnemesis Moff Gideon, the episode also contained a delightful surprise that portends continuing bad news for the heroes of the story.

    The opening moments of The Spies not only quickly added Gideon back into the mix but also introduced a group of high-ranking Imperial loyalists known as the Shadow Council. The Shadow Council made its first canonical appearance in Chuck Wendig‘s 2017 novel Aftermath: Life Debt where, led by Admiral Gallius Rax, they planned to overthrow the New Republic. The machinations of the Shadow Council, which consisted of Rax, Rae Sloane, Brendol Hux, Ferric Obdur, Grand Moff Rand and Hodnar Borrum, were thought to be thwarted with their defeat at the Battle of Jokku, however, as seen in Chapter 23 of The Mandalorian, it has been reformed.

    While the identities of every member of the Shadow Council weren’t revealed, their goals–by in large–remain the same: reestablish the Empire. Two members of the council, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Number 2, Gilad Pellaeon, and soon-to-be First Order General Brendol Hux, who is heading the mysterious Project Necromancer, seem to be allotted a disproportionate amount of the resources available the Imperial loyalists as they work. As seen in The Spies, however, Gideon is less than impressed with his fellow council members, who seem content to wait for the return of the Heir to the Empire, Thrawn.

    Gideon’s speech in the opening moments of Chapter 23 certainly stirred the Shadow Council to action as the agreed to move on the accumulating Mandalorians before they were able to rise to their full strength and offer a much more real threat to the reemergence of the Empire. Given what’s known about the future of the Star Wars universe, Hux’s work on Project Necromancer, likely being done in the Unknown Regions, will lead to the creation of Snoke, a reborn Emperor and the rise of the First Order. However, with Thrawn set to make his return in Ahsoka and the future of Gideon’s feud with the Mandalorians yet to be written, there are certainly some tense moments ahead for the beskar warriors.

  • SWCE: Lucasfilm Reveals the End of ‘The Bad Batch’

    SWCE: Lucasfilm Reveals the End of ‘The Bad Batch’

    After a bit of a slow start to its sophomore season, The Bad Batch picked up the pace and delivered several consistently wonderful episodes in the back half. That culminated in a heart-breaking finale that saw Omega separated from the group as they try to overcome the apparent loss of Tech.

    The cliffhanger came with the promise of at least one more season’s worth of stories for Clone Force 99 and now we know that’s all we’ll get. During Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was announced that Season 3 of The Bad Batch will be the final one for the animated series.

    Updating…

  • SWCE: Currently No Plans for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Season 2

    SWCE: Currently No Plans for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Season 2

    Obi-Wan Kenobi was a unique entry in Star Wars’ Disney+ saga, as it moved away from the show that kicked off the long-form storytelling era of Lucasfilm, but also refocused on a major character from the original Prequel trilogy. Ewan McGregor returned to the role and explored what happened to the former Jedi Master after the Empire started emerging from the ashes of his own failures.

    In an interview with Kathleen Kennedy, the CEO of Lucasfilm, she revealed that while McGregor is quite eager to do another season of Obi-Wan Kenobi, they currently have no real plans to move forward. It was originally imagined as a limited series by showrunner Deborah Chow, there’s also no necessity to move forward as the initial story was wrapped up in the original vision of the series.

    That is not an active development. But I never say never, because there’s always the possibility. That show was so well-received and [director] Deborah Chow did such a spectacular job. Ewan McGregor really wants to do another. Everybody’s all hands on deck with what we’re doing right now, as you can see by what we showed everybody [at the Celebration]. We’ll turn our attention to that again maybe down the road.

    Kathleen Kennedy

    It’s definitely interesting that they are keeping the door open to potentially explore more within this corner of the galaxy, but it does seem like there’s no real necessity. The quiet reunion between the padawan and his former master adds a nice little bow to Kenobi’s story that pushes him forward even with the uncertainty of the future. It would be exciting to know what he was up to after protecting the Skywalkers but perhaps it’s best to leave that to our imagination.

    Source: Variety

  • SWCE: ‘Tales of the Jedi’ Will Return for Season 2

    SWCE: ‘Tales of the Jedi’ Will Return for Season 2

    Star Wars Celebration is the event that keeps on giving, as another piece of news has arrived that Tales of the Jedi is set to receive a second season. The announcement came from its creator Dave Filoni, who has slowly taken over a larger and larger role in supervising the future of the franchise. Not only is he set to direct a film that’ll culminate all the series that spun out of The Mandalorian, but generally continues his work on the animated entries of the franchise.

    He jokingly only stated that the animated anthology series “was so fun the first time, I decided to do some more” during the panel on the 15th anniversary of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There are no details on what the next season will focus on, as the first one consisted of six episodes that split the story between Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku’s early days.

    There’s a chance we might get to spend some more time with familiar Jedi from the franchise’s past, but it does seem his focus remains with those from The Clone Wars era. It would be great if they use this anthology series to potentially add some depth to our favorites from the sequel era, especially now that Daisy Ridley is set to return in the near future with a new sequel to the sequel trilogy.

    Source: Twitter, Star Wars

  • Tales of the Empire

    Tales of the Empire

    Premiere: May 4, 2024

    In April 2023, a second season of the animated streaming series, Tales of the Jedi, was revealed as part of Star Wars Celebration. According to Dave Filoni, the series “was so fun the first time, I decided to do some more.“

    The first season of the canonical animated series was set during the Fall of the Jedi era and was focused on the personal histories of Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano.

    As revealed in the first trailer for the series, the second season of “Tales” will be called Tales of the Empire. The new season will tell all-new stories about Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee.

    Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is a six-episode journey into the fearsome Galactic Empire through the eyes of two warriors on divergent paths, set during different eras. After losing everything, young Morgan Elsbeth navigates the expanding Imperial world toward a path of vengeance, while former Jedi Barriss Offee does what she must to survive a rapidly changing galaxy. The choices they make will define their destinies.

    Official Synopsis for Tales of the Empire

    Cast

    • Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth
    • Meredith Salenger as Barriss Offee
    • Rya Kihlstedt as Lyn, aka Fourth Sister
    • Wing T. Chao as Wing
    • Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn
    • Jason Isaacs as Grand Inquisitor
    • Matthew Wood as General Grievous
  • SWCE: ‘Clone Wars’ and ‘Rebels’ Composer Kevin Kiner to Score ‘Ahsoka’

    SWCE: ‘Clone Wars’ and ‘Rebels’ Composer Kevin Kiner to Score ‘Ahsoka’

    Since 2008, composer Kevin Kiner has created the musical scores for nearly all of Star Wars animated projects. A veteran of The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi, Kiner’s original works have accompanied many of the franchise’s most beloved characters as they have made their way through the galaxy far, far away. It’s only fitting, then, that Kiner make the jump from animation to live-action with the crew of the Ghost in the upcoming streaming series Ahsoka.

    As part of the Ahsoka panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was announced that Kiner did indeed create the musical score for Ahsoka, which streams this August. An argument could be made that outside of creator Dave Filoni, Kiner may know Ahsoka Tano the best, having created her theme and scoring over 200 episodes of shows in which she was often one of the main characters, including the recent Tales of the Jedi which told the origins of the character.

    Ahsoka will begin streaming on Disney Plus in August.

  • SWCE: Lucasilm Reveals the Directing Team Behind ‘Ahsoka’

    SWCE: Lucasilm Reveals the Directing Team Behind ‘Ahsoka’

    After being part of the Lucasfilm Showcase Panel on the opening day of Star Wars Celebration 2023, the upcoming Star Wars streaming series Ahsoka had its own panel on day two. While the panel included a good deal of information about the talent in front of the camera in Ahsoka, creator Dave Filoni also took the opportunity to unveil the talented team of directors behind it.

    As has been the case with all of Lucasfilm’s live-action Star Wars series, Ahsoka was a team effort…and it was quite a team. To no one’s surprise, Filoni directed at least one episode of the series along with Rick Famuyiwa, who has become a key member of the Mando-verse creative team. Joining them were Jennifer Getzinger, Steph Green, Geeta Patel and Peter Ramsey.

    While Getzinger is new to Star Wars, her resume includes over a half dozen high-profile series. Having directed Mad Men (10 episodes), Agent Carter (2 episodes), Daredevil (1 episode), Outlander (4 episodes), Jessica Jones (3 episodes) and Westworld (2 episodes), Getzinger has a nice mix of drama and action in her background that should serve her well on Ahsoka.

    After helming one episode of The Book of Boba Fett, Oscar and Primetime Emmy Award nominee Steph Green is back for her second Star Wars project. Green has directed episodes of The Americans, Luke Cage and HBO’s Watchmen, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special.

    Geeta Patel, who directed one episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse director Peter Ramsey, who helmed Chapter 21 of The Mandalorian, The Pirate, round out the impressive team of directors on Ahsoka.

    Ahsoka will stream on Disney Plus this August!

  • SWCE: Lars Mikkelsen Returns as Grand Admiral Thrawn in ‘Ahsoka’

    SWCE: Lars Mikkelsen Returns as Grand Admiral Thrawn in ‘Ahsoka’

    There have been quite a few theories online on who might take on the iconic role of Admiral Thrawn in live-action. Many hoped that Lars Mikkelsen would once again play him after bringing him to life in the animated Star Wars Rebels series but many thought they might head into a completely new direction as they did with Ahsoka, who is now played by Rosario Dawson.

    Theories have ranged quite a bit with even Robert Downey Jr. at one point rumored to potentially take on the role. On the first day of the Star Wars Celebration, we got a tease of Thrawn in the live-action trailer for Ahsoka, but only his back. Instead of letting us wait until these series releases in August, the second day they just flat-out confirmed during the Ahsoka panel that Mikkelsen will indeed reprise the iconic role.

    Source. Twitter