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The Mandalorian: 10 Things The Star Wars Disney+ Shows Are Building Towards

With hints of a looming threat related to Thrawn, everything points to a huge crossover between the shows set in the period of the Mandalorian.

Episodes 5 and 6 of The Book of Boba Fett really laid the groundwork for a shared Mandalorian universe. Viewers were treated to more backstory on Mandalorians, Grogu in training, and the first time seeing Luke Skywalker with Ahsoka Tano. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially after Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy called Boba Fett, the “next chapter of The Mandalorian story” during 2020’s Disney Investor Day before the show’s official announcement during The Mandalorian Season 2’s post-credits sequence.

The whole expansion of the Mandalorian saga isn’t without reason. Also during 2020’s Disney Investor Day, Kathleen Kennedy revealed that two additional series set during the timeline of The Mandalorian are in development with the plan for all these shows to culminate in an epic Star Wars crossover event.

A Bigger Imperial Threat

“Chapter 13” of The Mandalorian reintroduced fans to Ahsoka Tano, who is still kicking it years after her last appearance in Star Wars Rebels. During her duel against The Magistrate, she dropped a huge bombshell after demanding that the Magistrate divulge the location of her “master” who is revealed to be Grand Admiral Thrawn. This simple name drop reveals so much. Thrawn was last seen in Rebels being transported into the Unknown Regions. In expanded media, all of the Imperial Remnant traveled there where they stayed hidden for years, building and evolving into the First Order.

While Moff Gideon is now in the custody of the New Republic, he may be able to offer valuable information to the series’ heroes of what the Remnant is secretly planning. All signs seem to point to Thrawn being the big bad of this crossover event. Moff Gideon already had a massive arsenal of Imperial forces at his disposal so there have to be more Remnant forces out there in the galaxy.

The Search For Ezra

Thrawn’s return and the search for Ezra go hand-in-hand. Not only was Thrawn transported to the Unknown Regions of space, but he was also with Ezra when it happened. The Rebels epilogue set up a story where Ahsoka and Sabine would set out on a quest to find him. It was initially speculated these events would unfold in a future animated series, but now it seems more and more this will be happening in the upcoming Ahsoka series.

Ahsoka will see the return of one of the best Mandalorians in Star Wars, Sabine Wren with Natasha Liu Bordizzo playing the role (as reported by Deadline). The heroes finding Ezra would be ideal as he would make a very useful ally against Thrawn’s Remnant.

Luke’s Jedi Academy

Though it seems like viewers may not see Luke again after Grogu chose to be a Foundling, this definitely won’t be the case. After Lucasfilm exhibited their amazing Visual Effects with their de-aged Luke in “Chapter 6” of The Book of Boba Fett, it would be a shame to never see him again. Although fans know what will ultimately happen with his academy in the sequel trilogy, there is still a huge chunk of time between these shows and the Sequel era that can be explored.

Season 3 of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka definitely leaves the possibility open for a future appearance. Especially after the announcement that Hayden Christensen would reprise his role as Anakin in the latter series, it would be such a missed opportunity not to have Anakin offer guidance to Luke as he trains a new generation of Jedi. Perhaps he can teach Luke that forbidding attachments never ends well.

Force-Sensitive Clones

While the Sequel trilogy had a polarizing reception, expanding that material in these shows could definitely enhance them, similarly to what the Clone Wars did for the Prequel trilogy. In The Mandalorian, the Imperial Remnant performs several tests on Grogu and take his blood due to his strong connection with the Force. In season 2, this plotline is further expanded after Mando, Greef Karga and Cara Dune make mysterious findings at a Remnant base on Nevarro.

There, they find vats of what looks to be cloned bodies. This definitely sets up Palpatine’s whole cloning plan. Whether these bodies are of Palpatine or Snoke, that remains to be seen, but it will most likely be further explored in the next season of The Mandalorian.

Cobb Vanth’s Return

After having one of the best team-ups with Mando in “The Marshal”, fans could not wait to see Cobb Vanth again. Olyphant made his grand return as Vanth in The Book of Boba Fett. However, after his intense shootout with Cad Bane, fans feared the worst, but all is well as the post-credits sequence of the Boba Fett finale reveals he is using Fett’s bacta tank.

After Gina Carano’s departure from Lucasfilm and the Rangers of the New Republic series, Cobb Vanth would make the perfect character to star in it. With his strong moral code and cowboy-like personality, he would make a great addition to the ranks of the New Republic, and the show could benefit from embracing the Western feel Vanth brings.

Duel For The Darksaber

The season 2 finale of The Mandalorian established a major problem for Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze. Bo-Katan once wielded the Darksaber but lost it at some point to Moff Gideon. Mando ends up besting Gideon and winning the saber. He then relinquishes it and offers it to Kryze. However, the rule states that the Darksaber can only be won through combat.

This story thread was not resolved and even by the time of Boba Fett, Djarin still wields the saber. The prophecy states whoever wields it is the rightful ruler of Mandalore. Bo-Katan can still pursue the saber and it could be an interesting conflict in season 3 of The Mandalorian.

Grogu’s Origins

One of the biggest questions Boba Fett didn’t answer was who saved Grogu during the 501st Legion’s attack on the Jedi temple. Besides him sharing the same species as Yoda and Yaddle, not much is known about Grogu or where he came from.

One very interesting takeaway from his first encounter with Luke Skywalker was that he seemed to be familiar with R2-D2 and vice-versa. During his time at the Jedi temple, it’s very likely he came across R2 before. Learning more about Grogu will only invest fans further in his story and it would be a great way to revisit Coruscant during the prequel era.

Crimson Dawn

The Pyke Syndicate proved to be a formidable force against Boba Fett and Fennec Shand’s Tatooine forces, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. It has been established that the Pykes are one of many crime syndicates that fall into Crimson Dawn, a huge criminal empire. While Dryden Vos paraded as the organization’s leader in Solo, it was quietly led by Darth Maul. However, after his demise, Qi’ra has since been running the collective.

Crimson Dawn picking up where the Pykes left off would make a perfect storyline for a second season of The Book of Boba Fett. With this bigger threat and Boba going clean, an unlikely alliance with the New Republic would be a great way to shake things up.

New Republic

Both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett introduced New Republic pilots who police the galaxy. Their appearances are definitely deliberate as they seem to be setting the basis for the Rangers of the New Republic series. Unfortunately with Gina Carano’s firing, things are a bit up in the air regarding the series.

However, Kathleen Kennedy has stated that “some of [Rangers] will figure into future episodes, I’m sure, of the next iteration of Mandalorian.” The New Republic is the perfect way to introduce a bit of politics that will enhance the series’ worldbuilding. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s New Republic officer Carson Teva is also a really fun addition to the Star Wars series, and it would be great to have him factor into more episodes.

Retaking Mandalore

After experiencing what was essentially Terminator’s Judgment Day, Mandalore has become nothing but a barren wasteland. With more hints to Mandalore revealed in The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 5,” it makes perfect sense for this storyline to take place in season 3 of The Mandalorian.

Since Mando is no longer part of the Armorer’s covert, it makes sense for him to go back to his roots and find out the true Mandalorian ways. As the rightful ruler, season 3 would be the perfect time to set Mando as a leader to show his growth as a character.

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