The first theatrically released Star Wars film in seven years is about to hit cinema screens, but you’d be forgiven for not knowing it. Despite the fact that, in theory, Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu should be the kind of buzz-building, hype-cycle-defining blockbuster-in-waiting that Disney clearly wants it to be, it feels as if the film and its marketing have fumbled at every turn. From the debut trailer, which was received poorly by fans and flat-out ignored by general audiences, to the Super Bowl ad which caused such a kerfuffle and was so misguided that representatives had to come out and explain the choices behind the marketing spot, The Mandalorian and Grogu has had it rough. And from the looks of things, that isn’t going to change anytime soon.
In a recent interview with Polygon, Jon Favreau spoke about the upcoming film and how he’s transitioning from making The Mandalorian TV series into making this cinematic big-screen adventure. During the interview, though, Favreau clarified an earlier point of confusion, with regard to Din Djarin’s ship, saying, “He's in a Razor Crest now, which is the ship that he originally had. He's in the same model of ship.”
For those not in the know, the titular Mandalorian had a Razor Crest ship when the series began. However, in a pivotal moment during season 2, that ship was destroyed. He spent the rest of that season riding shotgun with his new friend Boba Fett, and then acquired a new ship, an N-1 Starfighter, as so prominently featured in The Phantom Menace, during his multi-episode appearance in The Book of Boba Fett.
If you find it odd that the Mandalorian would pop up to steal focus from Boba Fett in his own show and detour to go buy what is the Star Wars equivalent of a new car, you’re not wrong, but we have bigger fish to fry right now. The whole point of the new ship was that Din was growing as a character, redefining his own needs and wants in the galaxy. As he geared up to try and persuade Grogu (who at this point, had left to go train with Luke Skywalker) to come back with him, he bought a ship perfectly made for the two of them to travel in.
So now, the reveal that the new ship — and I suppose all the alleged development that came with it — has just been unceremoniously thrown out the window in favor of returning to the old model of ship with little-to-no explanation is absolutely baffling. Worse though, it feels entirely indicative of Favreau’s whole approach to his Star Wars material. He loves to have big moments that feel important, only to immediately undermine them and return sheepishly to the status quo. The Mandalorian ended season 2 with the main character having lost his ship, challenged the traditionalist dogma that pervades his religion, and said a tearful goodbye to Grogu. And then, literally all of that was either undone or immediately resolved in between seasons of the show.
It feels like if Jon Favreau had been making a sequel to Return of the Jedi in the ‘80s, he would have had Luke Skywalker get rid of his green lightsaber in favor of his old blue one, put his moisture farming clothes back on, and move into Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru’s old farm again. The whole point of Star Wars, from its very Joseph Campbell-inspired origins, was to show the hero’s journey; watching a character grow, evolve, and change over time. To miss that is to miss the whole crux of what makes Star Wars special, and yet Favreau seems insistent on bringing everything right back around to the status quo over and over again. Characters like Mando and Grogu are never actually allowed to change, because they are characters trapped in stasis; eternal action figures for Favreau to haphazardly play with.