9 Things I Want from Season 2 of The Mandalorian and 1 Thing I Don’t
By: Eric Pierce
Tags: Star Wars, Television, Film, Movies, Culture

The first season of The Mandalorian was a triumph and an absolute treat. It proved that not only does live action Star Wars work on the small screen, it belongs there.

Naturally, such a rousing start demands an encore. Here’s a list of things I’d love to see in season two, and something I never want to see again.

This is the way.

Give the kid a name

Enough of this ‘The Child’ nonsense. We only call it Baby Yoda because there is literally no other option. And because it’s fracking cute.

Now that Mando has officially taken guardianship of the kid, hopefully he’ll give it a name. Might I suggest Yando?

Expect a name if for no other reason than marketing – it seems Disney wasn’t prepared for how much we’d all be taken by the little bugger.

We don’t serve their kind here

One of the subplots in season one is Mando’s prejudice against droids, a phobia that’s not unwarranted as we discover via flashbacks. The subplot pays off in a nice arc as Mando comes to trust the IG droid, and then grieve for it.

That was just one specific droid though. I fully expect to see the curmudgeonly Mando we first glimpsed in the pilot episode, insisting on a landspeeder piloted by a person instead of one driven by a droid.

The galaxy far, far away is lousy with droids – that’s part of the charm. Sassy droids and prissy droids and belligerent droids. I want to see crusty, I-hate-droids Mando grudgingly putting up with all those metal underlings simply because he doesn’t have a choice.

What a piece of junk

Mando’s Razor Crest is basically the coolest ship I’ve ever seen, a wicked blend of the Millennium Falcon’s worn ruggedness with a form factor similar to Serenity (from the show Firefly), and then(!) tricked out in chrome. So shiny, so chrome. And on top of that, it’s got nifty hidden panels and an armory and plenty of cargo space.

I would be totally fine if season two was just an intergalactic road trip where Mando snacked on space food while Baby Yoda played with that chrome ball.

I can bring you in warm or I can bring you in cold

Much of the first season was occupied with a galactic game of keep-away, with Baby Yoda as the prize. The hunter became the hunted. For season two, I really want to see Mando return to his primary occupation: namely, making Carbonite popsicles out of marks.

Besides the inherent coolness of seeing a master at work, the bounty trade gives us a rare glimpse into Star Wars’ seedy underbelly. I’ve had it with Skywalkers. Gimme gangsters and scoundrels from now on.

There was a lot of bounty lore hinted at in season one – how exactly do the chits and trackers work? I just want to marinate in these murky waters.

And who knows – maybe Mando can utilize the kid’s abilities in tracking quarry. Just because Baby Yoda can use the Force doesn’t mean it needs to be altruistic.

Fallen Empire

One of my favorite things about this show is its approach to world building. Very few things are explained outright. Instead the audience is given clues and left to sort out the answers for themselves. And sometimes, as in the case of the Empire, not even that. We are left to wonder.

This is a good thing. The show isn’t called ‘Empire: Faded Glory’, so I don’t need an explanation of the how’s and why’s of the Empire’s present state. Suffice it to say that though beaten, a remnant remains.

These scraps are super intriguing. The Empire is still a threat to be reckoned with, but in many ways desperation has given them a sharper edge than they had at the height of their power. They are dangerous.

I will absolutely miss Werner Herzog, who gave the Imperials just the right amount of cultured fascism. The darksaber-wielding dude is a more hands-on antagonist, but less interesting to me personally.

I would like to see more about the Imperial labs. What exactly were they hoping to do with that lil baby?

Classic era aliens getting their due

Season one saw two of the galaxy’s diminutive races – Jawa and Ugnaught – feature prominently. It confirmed that Jawas are basically space racoons. But previously the Ugnaughts were almost antagonistic: in Empire Strikes Back, they disassembled C-3PO and tried to smelt the parts, and aided in Darth Vader’s experiments in flash freezing. The Mandalorian cast the race in a new, favorable light. I’d like to see more races given such treatment.

Since the show plays in the classic era, I’d love to see the Rodians get their due. Far too long has they lived in the shadow of Greedo’s disgrace.

Greedo, in case you forgot how dumb he looks. Image: Lucasfilm

Baby Yoda

Obviously.

I really hope the show steers away from the sort of black and white morality that typically accompanies the Force. Part of the thrill of The Mandalorian is how it lurks in the gray areas. Thrives, even. How does it affect the kid if it grows up in this nebulous world where might makes right?

Baby Yoda is adorable, but hanging out in the shadows absolutely should change it somehow. And though it’s probably too soon, I wouldn’t mind seeing a Groot-esque grumpy teenager phase, complete with Force-powered tantrums.

Mandalorian lore

The Clone Wars cartoon series peeled away some of the mystique surrounding the Mandalorians, insofar as it expanded the group of bad ass warriors beyond the notorious Fetts (though whether or not they were actual Mandalorians and not just posers wearing the sweet ensemble is up for some debate). The eponymous live action TV show has already put some real story stakes into the ground while hinting at a whole lot more.

We’ve learned that Mandalorians aren’t born but found (which allows one tiny green baby to join their ranks). That they earn bits of their armament over time, after proving themselves worthy. That they abide by a specific credo above all else.

This next season I’d love to see a bit more about why the Mandalorians need to hide. And I really need a Baby Yoda training montage.

Bigger fish

The Sarlaac. The Rancor. That giant space slug camped out inside the asteroids. Qui-Gon’s big fish, bigger fish. Star Wars has always included monstrous creatures. Let’s hope season two continues this fine tradition.

I don’t ever want to to see Mando’s face again

One of the first season’s only missteps was taking off Mando’s helmet. I would’ve preferred never seeing his face.

A helmet naturally invites curiosity, and places the unmasked at something of a disadvantage. It sets the masked person apart, putting a physical barrier between them and the world, hiding reactions and the most recognizable part of a person. We therefore want to bring those shields down.

The writers knew all of this, and heightened our sense of curiosity by making the mask part of the Mandalorian credo, wherein the mask becomes the face. The midseason romantic subplot addressed this head-on. Nobody should ever see a Mandalorian’s face.

That should include us.

My worry is how much easier the helmet will come off again, now that the show already broke it’s own rule.