I’m fairly certain there will never not be a time when a new Star Wars trailer, whether it’s for a movie or a TV/streaming show, doesn’t fill me with all kinds of anticipatory thrill.
Ever since I saw A Hew Hope, then just good old Star Wars in a small one-room cinema in my hometown back in 1977, it has always been so, and if the two shows featured in this post, The Mandalorian season 3 and Andor are as good as their trailers, and the odds are good they will be, then that sense of excitement at new stories from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away will only be bolstered.
The Mandalorian has proven over two riveting seasons to be a show that is deeply emotionally resonant, epic and intimate all at once with characters, especially the titular one, who are arrestingly good to spend time with, and it looks like it will be matched by Andor which its makers have promised won’t be like any other Star Wars show you’ve ever seen while remaining very much a part of the universe we know and love.
That’s exciting, and shows that Star Wars, 45 years after it first exploded across the public’s consciousness, has still got a lot of storytelling life in it yet.
THE MANDALORIAN (season 3)
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For season three … Din will get caught up in more Mandalore business, since he wields the all-important Darksaber that Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) would very much like him to not wield. Still looking to rule over her planet, Bo winds up pulling Din further into their culture, all while the bounty hunter tries to earn a living for him and his boy. And speaking of Grogu, he’s certainly come a ways into his Force abilities, but that training will no doubt paint a bigger target on their backs, or at the very least get the pair into more shenanigans. (synopsis (c) Gizmodo)
The Mandalorian (season 3) releases February 2023 on Disney+
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Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor from 2016’s Rogue One takes center stage in a prequel that details his life up to joining the Rebellion and eventually giving his life to secure the plans for the Death Star … Similar to fellow series like Obi-Wan or the upcoming Ahsoka show, Andor is being built up as a big deal for the long-running franchise: not only is it bringing back Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and giving us our first look at what politics will be like during the time of the Empire, it’s said to be more of a thriller. Showrunner Tony Gilroy is said to have built the show with the priority focused on the characters rather than the established setting they find themselves in. And to that point, the series will jump forward in time every three episodes, so as to paint a better idea of what life is like for its title character. (synopsis (c) Gizmodo)
Andor debuts its first three episodes on 21 September on Disney+ with the remaining nine episodes released weekly until 23 November. (A second season is already in development.)