It’s been nearly five years since a new Star Wars movie has graced our theaters and/or Disney Plus accounts. Despite multiple TV shows, live-action and animated alike, we’ve still been waiting for the next feature film. The wait isn’t over yet, but at least we have a set date! May 22, 2026, marks the release of The Mandalorian & Grogu, a spin-off of the beloved series! And…
Ugh. Come on, that’s the title you’re going with?
Look, I love The Mandalorian as much as the next girl, don’t get me wrong! But you’re telling me this is the best you can give us for our first SW movie in almost seven years?
Yeah, yeah, it’s significant that there’s no “A Star Wars Story” subtitling this one. I get it, it’s the first SW movie without SW in the name, let’s all celebrate. Now let’s move on, because this title has more issues than its straightforwardness.
What defines you?
I’ll get to the point: if you made a movie about Luke and Leia, would you title it “Luke and the Princess” or “Leia and the Farm Boy?”
Alexandra Bracken’s 2015 junior novelization of A New Hope is titled The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy. (It’s fantastic, by the way, please check it out.) It works well because it uses titles for all three MCs, purposely obscuring their names to give them each greater significance. It makes you look at them in a different way, slight as that may be.
This is why “The Mandalorian & Grogu” is disappointing. It announces Din by his title but Grogu by his name.
Imagine “Din & Grogu” as a title. Finally, Din would be defined as more than simply a Mandalorian, able to find his true identity. This doesn’t mean he would stop being Mandalorian; only that he wouldn’t be just Mandalorian.
(Although, given season 3, the show seems determined to undo Din’s character arc from the first two seasons, so I don’t think we can expect a symbolism shift like this any time soon. Check out my season 3 review here for more detail.)
But the thing is, even if Lucasfilm doesn’t want to put Din’s name in the title – and “The Mandalorian” is instantly recognizable – there was another, better option sitting right in front of them.
The Mandalorian & the Child.
How did no one on the production team think of this??
It’s so simple. It’s weird to identify one character by their title and one by their name – so if you don’t want to do two names, just do two titles! Obviously!
(Hell, they could even change it to “The Mandalorian & His Child” if they really wanted to get people excited – but it’s not like Lucasfilm has been known to make novel, innovative strides in recent years.)
But, of course, this isn’t a title set entirely in stone. There’s a chance it could be changed closer to the release date – which is, after all, over two years away. It’s still annoying, though – in ten years, when fans ask “Have you seen The Mandalorian?” they’ll get “The show or the movie?” in response.
Obviously, this movie will do very well (whenever it comes out). Despite the disappointment of more recent episodes, The Mandalorian has a devoted fanbase that will snatch up any new content with Space Dad and Frog Son. And the fantastic action and cinematography of the show have long been deserving of a full-fledged film.
It’s still a shame that season three never delivered any changes to the status quo. As of late, Din has been extremely static. Any shake-ups such as him questioning his tribe, removing his helmet, or even developing a romance with Bo-Katan never occurred. So maybe this movie will be exactly what Mandalorian fans have been waiting for. Part of the show’s appeal comes from its entertaining, side-quest-heavy plot. In a two-hour movie, however, there won’t be much time for slow, episodic storylines. If we’re getting an honest-to-Mandalore emotional arc for Din, then there’s a chance at true character development.
I don’t have an overwhelming amount of faith here. I love Din and Grogu, don’t get me wrong, but half of the reason I’m watching Mandalorian these days is to see my one true love, Bo-Katan Kryze. (Who better have a significant role in the movie!) But hey, with a release date of May 2026, Favreau has plenty of time to think long and hard about the path he wants this show to take. Let’s cross our fingers and roll some Sabacc dice.
The Mandalorian & Grogu has a chance of giving Din the growth his character has been calling for since November 2019. His future actions will likely pave the way for Filoni’s massive crossover movie, the one set to close the Mando-verse. And when that happens, Din deserves a chance to be truly happy – and finally take off that helmet.
