With the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer, many Star Wars fans are excited about the prospect that we’ll be getting more big-screen adventures come May. It’s been more than a few years since the science-fiction franchise released a theatrical outing, and it’s great to see these fan-favorites back in the spotlight. And yet, after reviewing the trailer again and again, one thing has become abundantly clear: this story seems like it would’ve worked just fine on television as another episode (or several episodes) of The Mandalorian.

How Is ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Any Different From an Extended Episode of the Show?

Image via Lucasfilm

Admittedly, The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer doesn’t reveal much. There’s hardly any dialogue, and instead, clips are cut to Ludwig Göransson‘s rousing score as we see Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his Force-sensitive ward hop from one action sequence to the next. For fans of the original Disney+ series, there seems to be a lot to look forward to, and there’s no doubt that future trailers will expand further on the plot. However, from what we can see, it looks no different (both visually and potentially plot-wise) from an episode or two of the show. If The Mandalorian and Grogu is taking its titular characters in a bold new direction, the question that’s on our minds is: why? The three-season streaming series always gave audiences more time with these characters, which is why they became quick fan-favorites all the way back in its inaugural season. From the beginning, it was clear that “Mando” was exploring his own corner of the Star Wars universe, with several adventures that could stand tall on their own. A movie continuation is certainly exciting, but what makes this any different from an extended episode of the show?

Part of what we loved the most about The Mandalorian was that we got various adventures throughout a single season. Some connected to each other, but early on in the show, they were largely their own separate things set on different worlds with different characters. Take the Season 1 episode “Sanctuary,” for instance. It’s a classical Western plot mixed with the world of Star Wars that works well simply because it’s a one-and-done story. Yes, it introduced Cara Dune (Gina Carano), who became more important to the show later on, but the episode itself was entirely self-contained. This was the era of The Mandalorian that audiences think most fondly of, and for good reason. The show wasn’t yet obsessed with crossing over with the rest of the post-Return of the Jedi universe, nor was it focused on springboarding spin-off shows like Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett or completing character arcs from The Clone Wars and Rebels. It was a weekly adventure that played into what longtime fans loved most about the “galaxy far, far away” while simultaneously providing a fresh (though still familiar) perspective to see that universe through.

So, again, we ask the question: what makes The Mandalorian and Grogu any different from an early episode of The Mandalorian? They appear to be cut from the very same cloth. But while that is encouraging, given the lackluster Season 3, part of the draw of the show was seeing Djarin (and Grogu) take on several jobs rather than just one. It allowed for more personal stories that utilized different worlds, cultures, and characters, pushing our heroes further with every new set of circumstances. This shift from streaming to the big screen certainly calls into question the future of the TV series, possibly limiting how many Mandalorian adventures we’ll get in the future. Considering Djarin is arguably the most popular Star Wars character from the Disney era, we can see why Lucasfilm would want to set up a feature (maybe even a film series) around him, but what does this say about the future of the character on Disney+?

‘The Mandalorian’ Was Originally Meant to Continue With Season 4

Image via Lucasfilm

We know that long before The Mandalorian and Grogu was developed that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni originally wrote a fourth season of The Mandalorian to continue their story. This was ultimately interrupted by the Hollywood writers/actors strike of 2023, which transitioned the story to being a feature film instead. Admittedly, The Mandalorian has waned in popularity over the years, and it’s unlikely that Disney hasn’t noticed. Despite the initial high praise for the show during its first (and best) season, where Din Djarin spent most of his time taking on new jobs, exploring the galaxy, and engaging in brave new space Western-like adventures, the show continued to expand. But the bigger The Mandalorian got, the less interested many became as the focus drifted from Djarin to other characters, namely Katee Sackhoff‘s Bo Katan. Rather than sticking with what made the show great, it became just another cog in the ever-growing Star Wars machine.

By the time Season 3 came around, The Mandalorian had lost much of its magic. It was so focused on continuing plotlines from other shows and establishing the Mandalorian people at large that the reason so many watched in the first place became lost. The encouraging thing about this new trailer is that The Mandalorian and Grogu seem to be returning to form. Djarin and Grogu appear to be the strict focus here, back to work on a new job that will take them across the galaxy, which is what we like to see. But could the film suffer from trying to cram too many Season 4 ideas into a single film when audiences would’ve been happier with a fourth season? After all, we didn’t want The Mandalorian to be canceled; we just wanted it to rediscover its purpose.

It appears that Lucasfilm and Disney have interpreted the mixed reaction to their various Star Wars streaming projects as an error regarding moving to television instead of pursuing film projects. To be fair, Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett were originally developed as movies before Disney set its eyes on the streaming world. But Din Djarin works great in a television context. Although a movie continuation isn’t a problem on the surface, the fear is that it will undercut any potential for a Mandalorian Season 4. As Favreau noted in a recent Collider interview, he’s not focused on a fourth season at the moment:

“A lot of people know these characters who haven’t seen the show. So it’s not just that there are people who saw the show and people who don’t know the characters — there’s a big range. We want to reward people who’ve been there since the beginning, but also invite new audiences in.”

There Is Room For Din Djarin on Both the Small and Big Screens

If this is just another way to pull audiences to The Mandalorian while also getting longtime fans into the theater, then so be it. More Din Djarin isn’t a bad thing, so long as the character is true to who he always has been. But if this is a push to conclude The Mandalorian (or at least leave it behind) and pivot to the movies instead, that’s a tougher sell. No doubt, The Mandalorian and Grogu looks like it’s going to be a fun time, full of action, adventure, and characters that audiences have come to love. We need more exciting sci-fi adventures that can be enjoyed by the whole family. We just hope that this feature doesn’t leave The Mandalorian series in the dust. Even after three seasons, there are still plenty of one-and-done stories to be told, provided the creatives can redirect us away from constant Star Wars crossover and closer to its original intent: a Western-style bounty hunter in an endless universe of possibility.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to hit theaters May 22, 2026.

Release Date

May 22, 2026

Sequel(s)

Dave Filoni’s Untitled Mandalorian Movie

Franchise(s)

Star Wars