Let’s be honest. The Star Wars franchise is struggling. A large part of the fanbase has voiced discontent after the sequel trilogy. The Mandalorian proved to be a beacon of hope for the franchise in its first season. Earlier this week, the second season came to a conclusion when the season finale was released on Disney+.

Season 2 of The Mandalorian reminded me why I liked Star Wars. The story revolves around our main character and namesake of the show, The Mandalorian, and everybody’s favorite child, Baby Yoda.

Every episode provides us with amazing visuals. Normally I don’t mind watching shows on my laptop or phone, but for this I made sure to watch it on my TV in 4K HDR. All the different planets look stunning. This has always been a defining part of Star Wars, distant, exotic and beautiful planets. Jon Favreau has incorporated this perfectly into The Mandalorian, delivering a true Star Wars experience.

It’s not only the visuals that feel like Star Wars, so do the characters. Mando is a traveller and he encounters many different people. During season 2 we encounter some familiar faces. My personal favourite was Migs Mayfeld, played by Bill Burr just being his funny self yet again. Without giving spoilers, Star Wars fans will have plenty of moments to remember afterwards.

The story is mostly plot driven. It focuses heavily on Mando and his quest to save Baby Yoda. Storylines established in season 1 are continued. The most interesting one is of the Mandalorians. They are still looking to re-establish the Mandalor culture. We also get to see some of the planets after Mando left them in season 1. Here we get to see some continuity, something that was sorely lacking in the recent movies.

My one criticism of the show is the character development. We get very little information about most characters. We only get the bare minimum, just enough to care. I hope season 3 will add this to an otherwise excellent series.

Rating 9/10