#mando speculation

I'm half excited, half scared by the implications of a good storyline for my boy Crosshair, which he deserves, but I don't know if the people who watched the season 2 in advance wanted the same thing for him that I do. I can't trust their word. What if their idea of a satisfying story is the opposite of mine 😩 The next 3 weeks are going to be so karking long!!

On a happier note, although I don't want to get my hopes too high, that of Gideon and Thrawn not being exactly on the same side, I like it! I really, really do, because that opens at the possibility of my idea of what could be the big event/catastrophe in the Mandoverse crossover to be true. Or closer to the truth.

I'd like them to use the Grysks as big bad guys for it. I mean, I know they've taken Thrawn things from the legend trilogy, but they should take this from the newer ones. It makes sense for the Grysks to be a threat big enough to force friends, allies, and enemies to work together against them, and that's basically the premise of the crossover, right?

And can you imagine how far have the Grysks come into the Known space in the last decade, while left unchecked and working silently within the chaos of the Empire falling and trying to establish the New Republic?! I wouldn't be surprised if they've gotten even to the core worlds by now.

Anyway, this is just a wishful thinking on my part, and I wanted to put it out there. To get out of my chest, you know.

I know that some of the fans are upset about the separation of Din and Grogu, but if I'm honest with you, I tell you that I'm absolutely ecstatic, so relieved that it did happened. Awful would have been if it happened at the series finale with no possibility of father and son to meet again, which was my fear/speculation. Don't get me wrong, the goodbye scene digs my heart out of the chest every freaking time I watch it (by the umpteenth time now) and I cry like a baby, ugly and shamelessly. But the fact that it happened NOW means that father and son will be reunited for good next time. Din won't have excuses against it and he's going to adopt Grogu for real. 

Yes, probably, they won't be together the first couple of chapters in season 3, which is good because both Din and Grogu need to do some personal growth separately and deal with their choices. Din probably is going to have the overdue existential crisis that he didn't get the chance to go through this season (too many things happening to the poor man at the same time to have a second to emotionally break down). He's like a pressure cooker about to explode. He needs to reconcile himself with all the vows he broke and paradigm shifts he made. And he needs to do it alone. That's without mentioning he accidentally acquired a new job that he doesn't want.

Grogu needs to be trained because what Luke said is true. As long as he doesn't control the Force properly, he's in danger, vulnerable, and that's a liability neither Din nor Grogu can afford. That's why I didn't agree with Ahsoka when she said that the best thing was to let Grogu's abilities fade. I get where her fear for him turning to the dark side comes from, obviously, but I thought her advice was crazy. I'm thinking that his training won't last that long. First, because Grogu has already no less than 20 years of training. Second, how long Yoda trained Luke? Not very long. Just a crashed course, basically. Although the ideal is several years of training, a short time of it can be just as effective, more if you consider what I said in the first statement.

And those who think we won't see Grogu again, are you crazy? Do you really think after spending millions of dollars to make the animatronic puppet Disney will discard it after just 2 seasons?! Not to mention that Grogu is a fan favorite, many people watch the show just for the baby. It'd be the worst decision that Dave and Jon could ever make. They know what they're doing. If you're worried about Grogu just remember Din's words to his son, they'll see each other again. Don't be afraid.

I heard a rumor (could be false) that said the producers have projected the series to last between 7 and 10 seasons (fingers crossed here 🤞). With such an extended arc, it makes absolutely no sense that they pluck out for good one of the 2 main characters so early, much less when said character is a puppet that has no personal issues, nor conflicting schedules, nor contract renegotiations, blah, blah, blah. 

Giancarlo Esposito already said that what happened this season will have repercussions for the next 2 seasons. I'm guessing he meant Din's accidental naming as Mand'alor but also the loose end of what was the experiment Dr. Pershing was doing. Because, in the end, we don't know exactly what they were using Grogu's blood for. Having that loose end and speculating that Moff Gideon will escape eventually, Grogu is bound to appear again sooner or later.

Another issue that I've seen a lot is that some fans feel that the show has lost its way since it's been used to launch (possible)  spin-offs (well, boba's is already confirmed). Unfortunately, that's the curse of the first child, as it were. I've experienced this in the Arrowverse fandom and yes, it's annoying and frustrating, but it's the price that successful pioneer shows have to pay. It's inevitable.

Personally, I'm satisfied with this season. I enjoyed it so, so much! After being disappointed by other shows the last couple of years, The Mandalorian has made me have faith in showrunners again, at least, a little bit. The wait for season 3 the next 10 months are going to loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnggggg

So I wrote this half-jokingly as a silly blog and then on a reblog but the more I think about it the more I think it might work...

Din is taken by forces unknown initially. Grogu senses Din is in danger and decides to leave the Temple to save him. Luke tries to convince him not to, obviously seeing the huge parallels with his own past, but Grogu is determined.

He collects Cara, Fennec, Boba, maybe also Mayfeld and Greef, and they head off on a rescue mission across the galaxy.

Turns out that it's a trap (TESB parallels are obviously strong here...) And Din was taken to bring Grogu running after him. Maybe they want his blood (I'm thinking clone Sith) or just him himself (Darth Grogu) or both.

Here the plot could go 2 3 ways.

1: Grogu manages to pull off the rescue mission with no lives lost but now understands the danger he and the other Padawans are in (due to a new Sith threat I've not thought about much yet) and returns to the Temple to inform Luke and continue his training.

2: Grogu manages to save Din but another member of The Gang is killed. The plot could develop similarly to Point 1 but in this is case, Grogu has to learn to live with the guilt, helped by Luke, who obviously understands his pain.

EDIT 3: Grogu is tempted by the Dark Side - fear of losing Din, his memories of the fall of the Academy, having to conceal his powers for so long - and Din then has to try pull him back from the brink. (Don't like this one, but it also kind of works so...)

Well we meet again.

Like others before the previous years best new show ends up either completely biting the bullet in year 2, being just as great, or in rare cases exceeding all expectations.

For Din and Baby Yoda. We have them to thank for 2020s best show.

With The Child now officially part of him clan wise, Mando sets off to find the long lost Jedi while having side adventure and reunions with both expected and unexpected allies.

What Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni deliver here is what a lot of us needed after the bad taste of the last film, hope that even without the main characters there are still tales to be told.

Particularly with one emotional moment from someone unexpected.

And when your best moment of the season is one fan favorite character given a chance to finally show his potential.

You know your show is big.

Now you wonder next December what will happen considering the major events of the finale.

But I’m sure there is a universe of possibility still before us.

SUM 22: Mando, Child, Cara and company up the potential of the first journey with 8 more action packed episodes. Easy choice for years best in TV.

Like, girl, you were Death Watch!!, which is where the COTW derived from!! YOU helped to dethrone your sister, which led to her murder, I might add. If the COTW have any responsibility for fracturing the Mandalorian society, so have you!

If Bo says that because of the Night of a Thousand Tears, well, yeah, nope, she has no point there either. I mean, what did she expect? If the CotW were still secluded in Concordia then, it probably means they were not on good terms with the rest of the mandalorias or with her. Could they have helped during the battle? Sure, of course, but at what price? If they have done it, then there would be much fewer Mandalorians with which to repopulate Mandalore now.

And the question of where Din was? I think that part of the trailer is misleading like most trailers are. Call me crazy but she might be asking him where he was, here, now, in the present, not back then. Remember that by the season 2 finale, he promised to reconsider joining her efforts to retake mandalore, but the next time we see him, he's bounty hunting and taking detours to Tatooine and Ossus. I might be wrong tho.

If she's asking where he was back then, then I might have an answer. I have this headcanon that Din was running with Ran, Xi'an and company when the Night of the thousand tears happened. I mean, the armorer telling him the story of that night in tbobf pretty much confirms that Din wasn't in Concordia when it happened.