‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Is Already Drawing Parallels to a Mostly Forgotten Star Wars Film

It’s a miracle that The Mandalorian and Groguis actually hitting theaters next year, as Lucasfilm has struggled to launch a new entry in the Star Warsfranchise on the big screen since The Rise of Skywalker became a massive disappointment in 2019. Given the pressure that the series is under to prove that it is still a draw, it makes sense why Lucasfilm would choose to expand The Mandaloriantelevision show onto the big screen, as it has already proven to be a success. However, turning what was planned to be episodes of a television show into a movie is not a good idea, as Lucasfilm should have learned this lesson when Star Wars: The Clone Warsbecame the franchise’s first bomb in 2008.

Although George Lucas had made it clear during initial press interviews that Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith was the final entry in the “Skywalker Saga,” he had begun developing the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars with Dave Filoni. The show had been planned to debut on Cartoon Network in the fall, but Lucas was impressed with what he saw and had his animation team convert the first four episodes into a theatrically released film. The Clone Wars became the first box office bomb in the history of Star Wars, and seriously damaged the brand going forward. If Lucasfilm does not want to make the same mistake, they should seriously consider their approach to The Mandalorian and Grogu.

‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Was Rushed to Theaters

Many of the criticisms that Star Wars: The Clone Wars received for its brittle visual style and simplistic plotting were unavoidable, as the content that was produced was never intended to be on the big screen. The first few episodes of a show aren’t designed to have complete character arcs, as they are setting up narratives that would be concluded over the course of a season. The Mandalorian and Grogu risk making the same mistake with their story, as the script was put in development based on plans for a fourth season of The Mandalorian show. Even if these were great standalone episodes that made up for some of the quality gaps in previous seasons, they would feel blunt and awkward if isolated as a single experience, as not everyone going to see the film may have caught up with the show. Although The Mandalorian and Grogu certainly had more time to fine-tune their effects when compared to The Clone Wars film, the first trailer revealed a dull set of visuals that looked largely similar to what was on the show. Beyond the fact that it’s disappointing to see a Star Warsfilm that looks so poor, it’s possible that this might turn off potential viewers who assume that they can catch up with it on streaming.

While it was intended to reintroduce the franchise to a broader audience, the release of The Clone Wars film ended up generating negative buzz for the show, as audiences assumed that the rest of the series was similar in tone. It ultimately took several seasons for The Clone Wars to earn respect, as the animation got better, the storylines got more complicated, and Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the dark side became more compelling. It’s possible that The Mandalorian and Grogu will do similar damage to the Star Warsbrand by signifying that the rest of the franchise will be for “fans only,” as they require a high degree of extracurricular viewing to comprehend. This could be a disastrous play before the release of Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter in 2027, which is set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. While Levy’s film is designed to start a new story, as it picks up with original characters and is set after The Rise of Skywalker, the response to The Mandalorian and Grogu may affect how it ends up performing.

‘Star Wars’ Needs To Keep Its Movies and Television Distinct

Even when the show was at its peak, The Clone Wars was oriented towards a niche group of fans willing to obsessively watch the entire series and follow the characters into new adventures in Rebels and The Bad Batch. While this was a satisfying experience for those who had watched since the beginning, inserting elements of the show into other live-action Star Wars shows like The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka made it confusing for both casual viewers and those who had only watched the live-action projects. A new Star Wars film in theaters needs to invite new audiences instead of relying on pre-established character arcs, as the end result wouldn’t be satisfying. The Star Wars sequel trilogy was successful at the box office because younger viewers grew invested in Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and Poe (Oscar Isaac), even if they had never seen the original trilogy. Similarly, both Rogue One and the underrated Solo told standalone genre stories that featured Easter Eggs related to past films, yet still functioned as their own stories.

The marketing for The Mandalorian and Grogu has thus far been cluttered with references to characters from the show, signifying that it is not for a general audience. When looking at the similar failures of The Clone Wars, it’s hard not to see that the underlying issue may be Dave Filoni. Filoni is a gifted storyteller, but he’s someone whose work is only effective for those willing to follow a meticulous story over many years. The Clone Wars was so focused on setting up Filoni’s show that it fell completely flat, and The Mandalorian and Grogu seem to be obsessed with wrapping up all the events that have occurred in all of his previous projects. The Clone Wars was released during a barren period in Star Wars history, and so its failure did not really alter public perception because it seemingly disappeared without a trace. However, if The Mandalorian and Grogu earn the same reaction after being touted as the Star Warsfranchise’s big return to theaters, then it could have some nasty repercussions for the future of the galaxy far, far away.