The Mandalorian & Grogu movie is doing something interesting, so of course, Star Wars fans hate it

If there’s one thing Star Wars fans love, it’s a good moan, and the most recent subject of their seemingly limitless ire is The Mandalorian & Grogu.

What’s got their Jedi robes in a twist? Well, according to the YouTuber Kristian Harloff, Mando’s upcoming Star Wars movie will see Din Djarin and his pint-sized pal battling the mercenary Embo, who we last saw in The Clone Wars animated series. 

Supposedly, Embo will play a “pretty significant part of the plot” as he’s the man who kidnaps Rotta the Hutt, forcing our favorite helmeted hero to rescue him (for a fee, of course). 

The news that a relatively obscure villain would have such a prominent role shocked and annoyed a lot of fans, with one writing on Reddit, “Can’t believe this is supposed to be Star Wars’ big return to cinemas,” while another added, “sounds like the most nothing-and-forgettable star wars movie.”

Heir to the Empire

Disney+

Indeed if you turn your eyes away from Reddit and to the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is X.com (or, as you call it, Twitter), you’ll find similar thinking. The main complaint seems to be that a lot of people presumed the big bad was going to be Thrawn, aka the Empire’s last hope.

But what if I told you it’s a good thing Thrawn’s not returning for The Mandalorian and Grogu? Now, putting aside the fact I think Thrawn is one of the most boring Star Wars characters ever to step foot on an Imperial Star Destroyer (I’ll explain that another day), there are deeper reasons to keep Thrawn away from Mando (for now at least).

You see, while Thrawn turning up in The Mandalorian & Grogu would be cinematic, we have to ask if it fits the character. Honestly, I don’t think it would because The Mandalorian was at its best in the earlier seasons, where Din and Grogu weren’t involved in broader space politics and were instead just going on random adventures. 

Oh sure, Din was looking for Grogu’s people, but it didn’t feel like he was trying very hard. 

Din’s story

Disney+

Indeed, I think the biggest mistake The Mandalorian Season 3 made was having Mando be part of the restoration of Mandalore. It felt, to me at least, like too grand a story for a simple bounty hunter to be involved in, and he was sidelined in his own series, leading fans to complain that he didn’t feel like the main character anymore. 

Afterall, Din doesn’t want to be a galaxy-saving hero; when he gets the dark saber and becomes the prophesied leader of his bucket-headed people, he spends a lot of time trying to get rid of the damned thing. 

Even after Mandalore’s successfully taken back from the Imperial remnants, he doesn’t hang about; he jumps in his Naboo starfighter and sets up home on Nevarro. 

This is a long-winded way of saying that Mando works best as a character involved in small-scale, intimate adventures. Yes, he will help his friends when they need him and go on bigger missions, but as a character, he works better in less grandiose stories. 

This isn’t Ahsoka Season 2

Disney+

So, as this is Din’s film (not Ahsoka or Bo-Katan’s), the story the movie tells should be in service of him and his relationship with his adopted son, not the wider Thrawn conspiracy the TV shows seem to be building to.

Hell, we don’t even know if Embo is working alone or with someone else. Embo may be employed by Thrawn or another of his agents, allowing this film to establish the Grand Admiral as a wider threat to the galaxy – similar to how the Avengers slowly built Thanos up as their big bad – who will undoubtedly turn up in a future show or movie. 

You could even have Mando turn up in that hypothetical future project as a supporting character who’s been galvanized by whatever happens in his movie; I don’t know, I’m not a writer (Editor: Yes, you are).

Fanfiction aside, what I’m saying is that The Mandalorian & Grogu movie is doing something interesting. It appears to be going back to what made the pair so popular in the first place, and we shouldn’t complain about that. Especially when all you Thrawn maniacs will likely see the villain’s return in Ahsoka Season 2 and Dave Filoni’s big Star Wars movie. 

Want to learn more about a galaxy far, far away? Check out our guide to the Star Wars timeline. We’ve also got an article breaking down everything you need to know about Andor Season 2 and if that’s not enough we got a list of the 102 best sci-fi movies ever made.