Obi-Wan Kenobi

Director: Deborah Chow
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rupert Friend, Sung Kang, Moses Ingram, Vivien Lyra Blair, Kumail Nanjiani, Hayden Christensen, James Earl Jones, Indira Varma, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Benny Safdie, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Simone Kessell, Flea, Jimmy Smits, Zach Braff, Maya Erskine, Ian McDiarmid, Grant Feely
Original Airdate: 2022  

**The following review contains major 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' spoilers **

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

How much is too much? That's been the billion dollar question for Disney since their 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm. Since then, we've seen an entire Star Wars sequel trilogy, a standalone Han Solo film, a much admired big screen A New Hope prequel and an almost equally beloved streaming series thought to have "saved" the franchise. From a commercial standpoint it was all worth it, regardless of how often they hit the creative bull's eye or the amount of vitriol the actor and directors involved seem to receive. But when churning out this much content, we know the real risk comes in trying to fill every story gap in the SW universe with a series or film, leading to potential oversaturation and backlash. In other words, they need to pick their spots.

As one of the few who feel Disney's done better than they've gotten credit for, there's no ignoring the reasons why The Mandalorian worked and The Book of Boba Fett spinoff underperformed until Grogu, Mando and Luke came in for the save. A legendary bit player, Boba's popularity and mystique always revolved around what we thought he could be, but Pedro Pasquel's Mando already had the badass market cornered, leaving a surprisingly restrained Boba without much to do in his own series despite a strong Temuera Morrison performance. So now with viewers still questioning the sustainability of that series comes Obi-Wan Kenobi, which carries an even greater risk.  

Taking place ten years after Revenge of the Sith but a decade prior to A New Hope, Disney's playing with fire in the most literal sense. They've brought out the big guns in not just the title character (whom Ewan McGregor is reprising for the first time since 2005), but Anakin/Darth Vader, Luke and Leia at an unseen stage in their journeys. What's done here can affect perceptions of what happened before and what we know eventually comes. "Continuity" is a loaded word, and as no fan of the prequels, it's come as a bit of a surprise how much nostalgia and affection now suddenly exists for those who grew up on them. The best news is that the series revolves entirely around the long-term aftermath of Episode III, arguably that trilogy's finest hour. 

The show walks a tight rope in trying to get into Kenobi's headspace during this era while not disrupting or diminishing what's already been established, helping make this experiment fascinating to watch unfold. With occasionally scattershot storytelling, some of the six episodes are a mixed bag, but as the finale proves, it gets the big things right and feels like Star Wars, successfully revisiting the complicated bond between Obi-Wan and his former pupil while adding a few wrinkles to their feud.

With more focus, McGregor surpasses what he did in the prequels and channels some of what Alec Guinness brought to A New Hope, as we slowly inch closer to that period. And Disney continues its streak of nailing Vader, actually building on what made him such a terrifying, intimidating force in all his previous incarnations while exploring his fractured psyche. After a somewhat shaky start, it mostly comes together, ensuring that any potential rewatch of the interconnecting big screen sagas could play a lot differently now.

Ten years since Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) survived Order 66 and left a horribly burned and disfigured Anakin Skywalker for dead on Mustafar, he's living as "Ben" on Tatooine, having seemingly abandoned his Jedi ways. Still consumed with guilt over Anakin's turn to the dark side, he resides alone in a cave, working a meat packing job and watching over young Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely) from afar. But Darth Vader's shadow looms large, as vengeful Third Sister and Jedi-hunting Inquisitor, Reva (Moses Ingram) becomes obsessed with finding Kenobi and delivering him to master Vader. 

Reva's ruthless ambition draws the ire of the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) and Fifth Brother (Sung Kang), who find her rash methods intolerable, even as she sets the ultimate trap, kidnapping 10-year-old Leia Organa (Vivien Lyra Blair) in an effort to lure Kenobi. Unaware of her biological father's identity or his relationship to Obi-Wan, the feisty and brave young Princess of Alderaan must learn to trust this mysterious, bearded Jedi as he prepares for his inevitable confrontation with former Padawan turned Sith Lord, Vader. Haunted and emotionally paralyzed, it's a showdown a weakened Kenobi never expected to occur, and one he may not have the strength to endure.

There were a lot of assumptions made going into these handful of episodes directed by The Mandalorian's Deborah Chow. Would Obi-Wan take a backseat to Reva in his own story? Would his interactions with young Leia and Luke contradict or negatively impact their presumed introduction to him in A New Hope? Would Vader be depicted as the same brutal, intimidating killing machine from the original trilogy? How much, if any, Anakin is left within him? And maybe the most important question is how this all affects Kenobi's fateful encounter with Vader ten years later, which we thought was their only confrontation after Mustafar. 

Kenobi's defeated state of mind during this period makes sense, and while you run the risk of unwanted comparisons to Luke's much maligned exile in The Last Jedi, it is an entirely unrelated situation. It's impossible to believe Obi-Wan wouldn't still be heavily traumatized after leaving Anakin to die, or so he thought, with the big twist being that that he knew nothing of his ex-friend's survival until now. This, along with the revelation that A New Hope didn't mark his first encounter with Luke and Leia, opens up a new can of worms. Though it's not technically cheating from a narrative standpoint, accusations of this being revisionist history will probably persist. But unlike George Lucas' superficially pointless Special Edition changes, this isn't physically altering the actual films, but instead shifting the conversations around them.

The Inquisitors are kind of one-dimensional (especially Sung Kang's grunting and grouchy Fifth Brother), and while Reva 's the notable exception, it even takes her character a little while to get going. Since her rather obvious backstory is easily telegraphed by viewers right away, it becomes a matter of filling in the details and fleshing out why she's so obsessed with bringing Kenobi to Vader at any cost. Having to play everything in a single note until the very end puts Moses Ingram in a tough spot, but she's clearly our main gateway to the two former friends coming face-to-face again. Obviously, we're far more invested in Kenobi, Vader, Leia, and Luke, so it's easy to trust that Chow will eventually get us there.  

As young Leia, the series-stealing Vivien Lyra Blair is sassy and headstrong, while bringing just the right amount of sarcastic precociousness to make it entirely believable she'll emerge as the version Carrie Fisher later portrays. Since we know she'll contact Obi-Wan for help in A New Hope, the writers seem especially careful in developing this temporary bond between the two, borne out of necessity, but primed to be revisited years down the road. 

Kenobi's knowledge of Leia's bloodline and past with Anakin and Padme creates a compelling dynamic while her kidnapping(s) gives the child a closer, harsher look at the Empire that contradicts what she's been fed from adopted parents Senator Bail (Jimmy Smits) and Queen Breha (Simone Kessell). With trusty droid L0-LA in her pocket, little Leia's a handful, as she should be, but Lyra Blair's performance opposite McGregor is perfect in how it plants the seeds for how valuable her rebellious spirit will be. There are also some strong supporting performances from Indira Varma as an Imperial Officer helping Kenobi and Leia, Kumail Nanjiani as a Jedi-posing con artist and O' Shea Jackson Jr. as another Jedi aiding in their escape. But there's only one thing anyone will be talking about after the sixth episode: Kenobi and Vader.  

Voiced again (with some technological enhancement) by the legendary James Earl Jones and getting a physical assist from the returning Hayden Christensen under the armor, this Vader is very much in line with what who we saw in the original trilogy and Rogue One. While not quite at that level of confident brutality yet, this succeeds at showing he's well on his way. Choking villagers and breaking necks left and right on the hunt for Kenobi, it's fitting that Vader's reunion with his mentor should end in Obi-Wan being burned and nearly put in the same state he left Anakin on Mustafar. Obi-Wan's realization that his best friend is still alive as this monster, yet not, becomes nearly impossible for him to reconcile.

Kenobi's guilt makes him incapable of killing Vader no matter how much damage him surviving will cause. This is at the crux of the series, as the finale sees Kenobi recognizing that he doesn't "need" to end Vader, but rather abandon any delusions he had in returning him to the light side of the force. Only Luke can, because unlike Kenobi, he'll see his father and Vader as one, eventually proving Padme's dying declaration that there's "still good in him" to be true. But for all of this to happen and Vader to vanquish Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) in Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan has to let him go. But not until after the epic lightsaber duel that the season's been building toward.

With Chow paying homage to a familiar scene Rebels scene, half of Vader's mask is cut open as his face straddles between lightness and dark, electronically slipping in and out of James Earl Jones and Hayden Christensen's voices. Considering the speculation surrounding just how much the latter would be used with Anakin now fully suited up, a prequel era flashback (minus de-aging effects), hallucinations and that final emotional reveal give us more Hayden than expected. And even his biggest detractors would have to admit his handling of Anakin's turn in Revenge of the Sith was the actor's strongest showing. He delivers again here, being utilized in a way that makes sense, likely satisfying a vast majority of fans that go beyond your usual prequel defenders.  

The question of when Anakin truly becomes Vader will always be mired in debate, with many contending it's when he first dons the suit at the end of Episode III. But this series adds a huge footnote, hinting perhaps that his full evolution into the Sith Lord happened in stages, with this season-closing battle with Kenobi marking a final important step. While Vader takes credit for killing Anakin, strangely absolving his former master and enabling him to let go of the guilt he's carried, it's far from a benevolent gesture. The admission officially confirms that Anakin's gone, with the armored suit now sustaining Vader as much psychologically as physically.  

The creation of this entire Vader persona reveals itself as the only way Anakin can live with guilt of what he did to Padme and the destruction he's caused. His confession that he wished Obi-Wan finished the job on Mustafar is sadly the truth on many levels. After getting demolished in this final duel, Vader crawls away defeated, but lives to fight another day stronger than before, having finally rid himself of this Kenobi obsession. He now has bigger plans on his mind than one mere Jedi, as Palpatine manipulatively reminds him. Having John Williams' iconic Imperial March blasting over the soundtrack in the last episode couldn't be more appropriate. Obi-Wan is no longer an Anakin problem since Anakin now ceases to exist. This is the rise of Darth Vader.

Reva turns out to be both more and less than we thought. As expected, she was secretly plotting against Vader for the Order 66 slaughter but at least the writers were smart enough to keep him more than a few steps ahead. The only thing we may have underestimated was the full range of her anger, not only toward him, but Kenobi, whom she holds almost equally responsible. Reva's sneak attack on Vader had as much chance of succeeding as her being able to move on from the past trauma, but she takes it to a whole new level in targeting young Luke. It's surprisingly satisfying seeing Uncle Owen (Joel Edgerton) and Aunt Beru (Bonnie Piesse) in action combat mode, adding another layer to characters who desperately needed to be remembered as more than the charred skeletons in A New Hope. 

With this comes confirmation of how much the Lars family cared for Luke, while also providing some background on Owen's overprotectiveness. His irritation toward Kenobi for wanting to be a part of Luke's life starts to thaw, indicating that the seasoned Jedi Master is closer to the fully actualized Obi-Wan who later trains Luke, as McGregor's performance expertly conveys it. But for now, we'll settle for a brief tease (along with a "Hello There"), as the wide-eyed youngster greets him with the same look of reverence and astonishment Leia does in their emotional goodbye on Alderaan. 

Finally at peace able to see and communicate with the Force Ghost of Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson), you have to wonder what could possibly be left for a second season, assuming Disney's interested in going there. Attempting to extract even more from Kenobi and Vader probably isn't advisable, but that never stopped them before. And then there's the curious creative decision to leave a now fully redeemed and very injured Reva alive as a dangling story thread, which seems perplexing given how much she knows. 

While still a notch or two below the Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi keeps with the constantly shifting tone and aesthetic of Star Wars, revealing just enough to keep us intrigued with the past and future of the saga without stepping on too many toes. As an intersecting point between the prequel and original trilogies, it hits the sweet spot, with its best portions recalling a lot of what was done right in Rogue One. If winning over every warring, polarized faction of Star Wars fandom was always an impossibility, this at least does an admirable job in crafting a new adventure worth taking.                

The Mandalorian (Season 2)

Creator: Jon Favreau
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Giancarlo Esposito, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Ming-Na Wen, Temuera Morrison, Katee Sackhoff, Rosario Dawson, Mark Hamill,Timothy Olyphant, Bill Burr, Mercedes Varnado
Original Airdate: 2020

**The Following Review Contains Major Spoilers For The Second Season of 'The Mandalorian' **

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

While not among those disappointed by the frequently maligned big screen Star Wars sequels, it's still hard to deny Disney was always walking a thin line with them, regardless of the result. It's tricky balancing the needs of a notoriously cranky adult fanbase desperate for their nostalgia fix with the desires of kids and more casual watchers clammoring for fresh content. What we got was a battle of wills, wherein an unspoken compromise had to be reached where there could be certain callbacks and a reliance on classic, iconic characters just so long as it was in service of newer faces and more forward-looking stories. 

Even if Disney fared much better than they've been credited for in their efforts, it can't be ignored that neither contingent of fans walked away completely fulfilled. If returning the franchise to its heyday of the late 70's and early 80's by reigniting the feelings that sorrounded the original trilogy was already a tall order, using it to effectively lay the groundwork for Star Wars' future would be close to impossible.

So how did creator Jon Favreau, with his only mildly anticipated Disney Plus series The Mandalorian, manage to do again for this franchise what J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson and even George Lucas himself at one point couldn't? You have to think he first probably recognized just how burnt out even the saga's biggest supporters had become after an inundation of big screen content that left everyone wanting a break. If all the sequels and spin-offs were universally beloved that would be one thing, but with wildly mixed notices, something had to change to justify this besides receipts or it wouldn't last.

The best received spin-off, 2016's Rogue One, worked because it felt as if it had temporarily released us from the shackles of this mythology, demonstrating that there's plenty of fringe universe yet to be tapped (through novelizations, games and the animated series), featuring fresh characters and missions unencumbered by baggage or expectations. And to balance things out, the film also marked until now what had been Disney's most successful use of a classic character with Vader's sensational corridor rampage, showcasing him at the peak of his powers in way that completely complimented the plot. 

When the pilot episode of The Mandalorian premiered in November of last year, Favreau revealed the magic ingredient."The Child" (AKA "Baby Yoda") In wisely withholding the reveal in all the show's pre-release promotional advertising, fans were reminded what it's like to be surprised, as lone Mandalorian Bounty Hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) looks inside the floating carriage to discover the "asset" he's been hired to protect exceeded our highest expectations, causing hearts to grow about ten sizes that day. And that was it. 

Taking place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, the series debuted as the perfect blend of familiar and new, using the remnants of a beloved but somewhat still mysterious character in Yoda to posit the theory that there could be others like him. And it's accompanied by a lot of possibilities when one of them is a scared, occasionally mischievous, but adorable alien baby of about 50 years-old. Even while partially digitized, the creation harkens a return to the realistic, practical effects and puppetry that defined the original films, while also revisiting one of the series' most prevalent themes of parentage and fatherhood on an even deeper level.

As just the starting point for an initial season that Favreau and producer Dave Filoni spared no creative expense on, Mando begrudgingly protects the Child, who has yet to master his Jedi Force powers, even as his gift could become a curse if exploited by others. That's the intention of a dangerous Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) who's attempting to restore order to the Galaxy after the fall of the Empire, eyeing this force-wielding baby as his path to do it. 

If the show had been mildly, but unfairly criticized for anything during its first season, it was for settling into a procedural format during which Mando, with Child in tow, would embark on missions of the week with or for various characters. These weekly adventures were frequently transactional, featuring an exchange wherein Mando would reluctantly work with someone who couldn't be completely trusted in order to gain something he needs. 

Some of these forty-minute weekly missions were undeniably better than others, but the world and character building that took place in all of them proved essential in getting to the Season 2 end game, retroactively resulting in an even stronger set of episodes than its inaugural season. And this format comes as a relief for returning the franchise to its roots as a space Western while temporarily shelving that "big picture" blueprint, supressing concerns about how everything and everyone will fit into some larger plan fans will complain about. If a weight was lifted by first making the show good and then taking it from there, it's still kind of astounding all the small and even considerably more substantial details Favreau gets right. Whether that's a soaring Ludwig Göransson score that's up there with anything John Williams has previously done, or the storyboard artwork incorporated into the closing credits.  

What was clear late in the first season, but comes into even sharper focus here, is that Mando's strict, unwavering commitment to upholding a rigid code is cracking as his attachment to the Child grows, now seeking out a Jedi in hopes of returning the little one to his home, wherever that may be. The story heads in the direction we assumed it probably would and while an eventual showdown with Moff Gideon and his Darksaber surely looms, the path there is accompanied by more thrills than expected, along with some unpredictable bumps along the road. After enlisting the help of Mandelorian warriors Bo-Katan (Katee Sackoff, reprising her Star Wars: Clone Wars role) and Koska Reeves (Mercedes "Sasha Banks" Varnado) to locate this Jedi, Mando briefly reunites with Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) before heading forest planet of Corvus in the series' most revealing episode, the Filoni-directed "Chapter 13: The Jedi."

In introducing Ahsoka Tano (a pefectly cast Rosario Dawson) into the live action canon, a bomb is dropped in terms of the Child's background that actually gives at least one of the prequels a reason for existing, while revealing his given name. That Favreau manages to escape disappointing everyone with this reveal is noteworthy since it couldn't have been easy with expectations running so feverishly high. Grogu. Short, simple and sounds very Star Wars-like. That's all you can ask for. It fits him. Supposedly, Favreau already knew it very early on in the first season and it just became a matter of when to pull the trigger, a decision made that much harder when Baby Yoda became a worldwide sensation. But the Band-Aid had to be ripped off at some point and this sure went down a lot easier than anticipated. 

Ahsoka can't train Grogu since he's just too attached to Mando and she senses fear in him, the first hint that his egg eating, cookie stealing shenanigans may not have been as cute and innocent as it appeared, suggesting the possibility we may have another little Anakin on our hands, tempted by the dark side of the Force. But all hope isn't lost since she knows of a Jedi who can train him. Maybe. And with that comes the season's big mystery. Who is it? The possibilities should seem limited, yet are kind of endless when you start running through all the candidates. 

Thanks to Ahsoka, Mando's comes into possesion of a Beskar steel spear we know he'll need, and against whom. The indelible image of a meditative Grogu sorrounded by an energy field reaching out for a connection at Tython's seeing stone eventually makes him a sitting duck for Gideon's Dark Troopers, giant black Transformer-looking droids that make the human-occupied Stormtroopers look like Ewoks. While the undeniable tragedy of the Robert Rodriguez-directed "Chapter 14: The Tragedy" is Grogu's kidnapping, the destruction of the Razor Crest ship at the hands of Gideon could easily compete with it given it's well-earned status as the franchise's most identifiable transport since the Millenium Falcon. 

As far as surprises go, the return of Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) after being left for dead in the desert in last seaon's "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger" an expected, but welcome, especially considering who's with her. In another great example of how Favreau just "gets it," he knows that bringing back Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) after his sarlacc demise in Return of the Jedi is a no-brainer, because, why not?  If you could bother explaining away Emperor Palpatine's resurrection, this is almost downright logical. And why wouldn't you take the opportunity to do something more substantial with a seemingly minor character who became a major fan favorite by standing silently in a cool uniform for two movies? Now, with a detailed backstory and sense of importance that isn't merely speculative, we get what we always wanted.

Slightly older and more weathered, Boba demands his father and grandfather's armor back from an unwilling Mando, who got it from Mos Pelgo Marshal Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) in "Chapter 9: The Marshal." And so another one of the series' famous trades leads to Jabba's former bounty hunter once again donning the helmet and armor to help Mando kick some Stormtrooper ass. After being programmed for disappointment for so long, it's almost surreal to see such a bold creative choice pay off this well, both in concept and execution. And it's unlikely anyone could claim they ever expected to see Boba Fett take a tornado DDT from Sasha Banks.

Arriving well-prepared with the help of Boba, Fennec, Dune, Bo-Katan and Koska to save Grogu ("Chapter 16: The Rescue"), Mando's  showdown with Moff Gideon carries an anticipation unmatched by any recent Star Wars battle, largely because of the stakes. Darksaber vs. Beskar Spear. It has to be acknowledged that Giancarlo Esposito's performance during this episode represents his best work of the series, alternating between pure, unadulterated evil and a maniacal glee, gloating at knowing a key detail concerning the power of the Darksaber that will undoubtedly carry into next season.

With an entire fleet of Dark Troopers for the group to fight off, the arrival of that sole X-Wing carries an overwhelming sense of importance the second we see it pull up, signifying the arrival of our mystery Jedi. And it's him. They actually did it. 

Before we even see the hood, the green saber or the glove, we know it's Luke Skywalker because, of course, it had to be. In trying to come up with all the reasons this couldn't work, we ignored the one obvious explanation why it does. Yoda trained Luke and now student must become master and train Grogu, who deserves the most important character in the Star Wars canon clearing his schedule. The kid's earned it.  

Anyone other than Luke would feel second-rate, and however anyone feels about his treatment in The Last Jedi, it takes only a minute or two before it's erased from our minds as he effortlessly slays Dark Troopers left and right in a chills-inducing sequence that brilliantly calls back to his father's aforementioned Rogue One appearance. With his hand on the monitor, Grogu looks on in wonder, as we once did, transfixed with the same sense of childlike amazement experienced during the original trilogy, but rarely felt again since. Until now.

"Open the door." And with those words speculation ends which incarnation of Luke we'd see and, more importantly, how. With Hamill now too old to play the character five years post-ROTJ, would Favreau recast the role with another actor (Sebastian Stan was speculated), or instead go the equally risky route of relying on the same de-aging technology that was used for Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia and Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One, and briefly for Luke and Leia in The Rise of Skywalker flashbacks? 

In going for the CG option, we're reminded there's still a long way to go before it can be reliably used without issues, but the digitized Hamill is a massive improvement over the the Fisher effort, and about equal to Cushing. But the more noteworthy achievement might be that we hardly care, with the narrative context overshadowing any perceived technological deficiencies. So, even if George Lucas would probably endorse the decision (for all the wrong reasons), this does stand as one of its better uses.

Luke's appearance only enhances the central storyline of Mando having to temporarily part with his son. And, yes, it definitely feels okay to refer to Grogu as his child because he's been that for a while,  and even more so during the course of this season. One of the toughest sells of the show was always going to be having it revolve around a masked protagonist, limiting any actor who would have to convey everything through voice and body language. Not only has Pedro Pascal debunked those fears, he's completely conveyed the bond Mando and Grogu share through this helmet, adjusting accordingly on the very few occasions it's come off and we've seen his face. 

The first removal of Mando's helmet occurred in the Season 1 finale ("Chapter 8: The Redemption") with the IG-11 droid taking it off to treat his injuries, and again this season in "Chapter 15: The Believer" when he and Mayfeld (Bill Burr) go undercover to obtain the coordinates to Gideon's cruiser and a facial scan forces him to remove it. Of course, this is a big deal because if the first time was a necessity, this one's a choice, or rather a sacrifice he makes for the Child. 

At the start of the series we couldn't imagine the inflexible, unemotional Mando doing something like that, but through great storytelling and acting on Pascal's part, we've reached the point where he's now voluntarily removing the helmet so his son can touch his face and say goodbye, if just temporarily. To call it the most powerful moment in this season or even the series as a whole feels like selling it short, as it's tough to recall the franchise coming close to a peak like this within the past thirty years. It also serves a great parallel to Luke removing the helmet off of his injured father at the end of Return of the Jedi. 

Of course any resistance from Grogu to go with Luke is tempered by not just by Mando's blessing, but the presence of R2-D2, joined at the hip with Luke, just as we remembered him at the end of ROTJ. These are how classic characters can be used to service the stories of newer ones without getting it in the way. From a timeline perspective it also perfectly fits, as Luke's exact whereabouts shortly after the conclusion of Episode VI were wide open and largely unestablished.

The big question now is what exactly happens with the future of the series. Will Grogu go on hiatus while he trains with Luke or could we actually see it? The latter seems far-fetched given technological hurdles, so it could be a situation where we have a flash-forward to whenever that's completed, posing another huge creative risk in having to age the Child. But there can be too much of a good thing and overexposing an insanely successful character can be just as damaging, which is why Favreau and Filoni deserve tons of credit for bringing this season's story arc to its logical conclusion, regardless of the creative challenges it'll probably present. 

In successfully shifting the series from becoming the Baby Yoda show into something far more encompassing, there's a good chance Favreau and Filoni are prepared to handle what's next. The show's still titled The Mandalorian so it's a good bet it will continue to follow Mando's adventures and Grogu will return in due time. Aside from the fact he's printing too much money not too, he basically rivals both peak Luke and Yoda in importance at this point.

As the the The Book of Boba Fett post-credit sequence further solidifies, there's going to be an onslaught of new shows, spin-offs and features arriving over the next few years if the franchise can withstand it this time. But even as someone who thinks Disney's done a fantastic job since acquiring the property from Lucas, I'm skeptical of the Marvel-like direction they're taking it, bombarding fans with cross-over content that could be very hit-or-miss. 

If there's a silver lining in this approach, it's that the franchise now has a much stronger foundation on which to build thanks to this series. It may seem hyperbolic to credit one person with "saving" an entire franchise, but that's undeniably what Jon Favreau did with The Mandalorian, giving credence to those suggestions that he and Grogu deserve their own statue beside Walt and Mickey at Disney theme parks. And now we can at least feel safer knowing that any future Star Wars project going through the pipeline will likely have his input or involvement.