The Mandalorian’s canceled spinoff show has created a range of problems forStar Wars’ New Republic-era storytelling. OnceThe Mandalorianseason 2 premiered on Disney+, Lucasfilm charged ahead with the expansion of the so-called “Mandoverse,” bringing animated characters into live-action for the first time and entwining Din Djarin and Grogu’s story with legacy characters like Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker. For a show that was originally mostly disconnected from the rest of the franchise,The Mandaloriansuddenly became the galaxy’s central focus.
It was a train that couldn’t be stopped. Boba Fett was given a spinoff, Ahsoka Tano would soon be granted a show, too, and Lucasfilm greenlit one other spinoff series:Rangers of the New Republic. WhileThe Book of Boba FettandAhsokaboth made it to the small screen – and Din Djarin and his ward are soon headed to the big screen inThe Mandalorian and Grogu–Rangers of the New Republicnever made it out of the development phase. This has caused all sorts of problems with the Mandoverse’s storytelling, however.
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Rangers Of The New Republic Would’ve Fleshed Out The Republic Side Of The Story
Gina Carano’s Cara Dune was meant to be the star ofRangers of the New Republic. Introduced inThe Mandalorianseason 1 as a mercenary for hire, Cara became one of Din Djarin’s closest allies, alongside the late Carl Weathers’ Greef Karga. AfterThe Mandalorianseason 1, Cara Dune was recruited to become a Marshal of the New Republic, and the show would have seen her handling that role while dealing with Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return to power and the rise of the Imperial Remnant.
Before the show could go into production, however,Carano came under fire due to controversial social media posts, which promoted election fraud conspiracy theories and transphobic jokes, among other divisive topics. Disney fired Carano, andRangers of the New Republicwas officially canceled, with other Mandoverse stories stepping up to further develop the New Republic era’s political storyline.
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Other shows being forced to absorbRangers’narrative has led to some issues, however, with certain plots feeling untethered and underdeveloped.The Mandalorianseason 3 suffered the most, thoughAhsokaseason 1 was weighed down by the New Republic’s politics and in-fighting, too. While it’s undeniably important to understand the galaxy’s current political climate and how its uncertainty might affect the Imperial Remnant’s and Grand Admiral Thrawn’s plans,the Mandoverse might have been better off ifRangers of the New Republichadn’t been canceled – it could have moved forward without Carano, after all.
The Mandalorian Season 3’s Most Controversial Episode Felt Like Setup
Above all,The Mandalorianshould be about the relationship between Din Djarin and Grogu and their respective growth. Din Djarin still struggles to reconcile his Mandalorian beliefs with what he’s learned from Bo-Katan, and Grogu’s Force journey is at a crossroads. Sure, he’s chosen to settle down with Din for now, but what about his future? What happens when his power grows beyond his control?The Mandalorianseason 3 should have been focused on them, especially after their rushed reunion inThe Book of Boba Fett.
The Mandalorian season 3’s story was broken up and scattered because of the need to build up the galactic threat of the remaining Empire and the issues plaguing the New Republic government.
Instead,The Mandalorianseason 3’s story was broken up and scattered because of the need to build up the galactic threat of the remaining Empire and the issues plaguing the New Republic government.Season 3, episode 3, “Chapter 19: The Convert,” ignored Din and Grogu almost entirely, focusing instead on Dr. Pershing, who was responsible for the experiments Grogu suffered through, and “former” Imperial officer Elia Kane, now being rehabilitated by the New Republic’s amnesty program.
Though I can’t deny that the episode, as a standalone story, was riveting – it laid bare the problems that will one day become the New Republic’s downfall and the powerful lure of another person’s belief – it was completely out of place withinThe Mandalorianseason 3. This was exactly the kind of story that would have fit perfectly intoRangers of the New Republic, but instead, it cut into the audience’s time with Din, Grogu, and the quest to reclaim Mandalore.
Ahsoka Completely Mishandled Its New Republic Story
Ahsokafaced a similar problem. How was a show meant to focus on Ahsoka Tano and the extragalactic quest for Ezra Bridger – and, by extension, Grand Admiral Thrawn – supposed to integrate the New Republic’s political sphere into its narrative without feeling forced? It certainly didn’t succeed.
The scenes that featured the New Republic, such as General Hera Syndulla pleading with the council to heed her warning about Thrawn, were some of the weakest, slowest parts of the show.A series namedAhsokashould have been wholly about Ahsoka’s journey.Yes, Hera is a part of that journey because Ezra is her family, but the New Republic has no power over Ahsoka. Her actions are wholly her own.
Additionally, the governmental scenes failed to properlycharacterize Senator Mon Mothma, a character featured prominently inStar Wars Rebelsand, more recently,Andor. InAndor, Mon Mothma was independent, a risk-taker, and cunning, but inAhsoka, she was almost withdrawn and overshadowed by the other council members, taking the immediate dismissal of the threat of Thrawn’s potential return in stride. Honestly, that mischaracterization made all the New Republic scenes inAhsokafeel even worse.
Can Star Wars Fix Its Rangers Of The New Republic Mistake?
Star Warscan’t turn back the clock. It canceledRangers of the New Republicand rather ungracefully shoved bits and pieces of its storytelling into other shows. The issue, however, is thatwhile Thrawn has now officially returned, as seen inAhsokaseason 1, the franchise has arguably still not done enough to truly set up why this is so dangerous for the wider galaxy. Unless you’ve seenStar Wars Rebels, it’s hard to truly comprehend how important he was to the Empire’s power structure and what he’s capable of.
Star Warscan’t turn back the clock. It canceled Rangers of the New Republic and rather ungracefully shoved bits and pieces of its storytelling into other shows.
So, what canStar Warsdo? As of now,Star Warshas two more titled New Republic-era projects coming up:The Mandalorian and GroguandAhsokaseason 2.The Mandalorianseason 4 has yet to be confirmed, and all roads will presumably lead tothe fourthStar Warsmovie announcedatStar WarsCelebration 2023, Dave Filoni’s untitled Mandoverse culmination movie.
WhileThe Mandalorianseason 3 did set Grogu and Din up to become more active participants in the New Republic inThe Mandalorian and Grogu– essentially, they’re the new “Rangers” – the story will need a much tighter focus than what we’re used to in the TV show because of its cinematic format. A movie can’t hop between completely unconnected storylines, so while we’ll undoubtedly see Din and Grogu in action, it’s hard to say how much of that will truly elaborate on the threat of Thrawn’s return.
Similarly, ifAhsokaseason 2wants to succeed – and be worthy of the nameAhsoka– the show will have to largely take place on Peridea and focus on Ahsoka Tano’s and Sabine Wren’s time inStar Wars’ secondary galaxy.Ahsokaseason 2 is a chance forStar Warsto explore its deep-cut lore like never before. Undermining that opportunity by constantly cutting away to the New Republic, Ezra Bridger, and Hera Syndulla – as much as that pains me to say – would be a real shame.
That’s a different story entirely. How willStar Warsever reconcile the two without once again following a character trying to make their way to Peridea? It can’t repeat the same narrative arc twice. It just can’t.
Upcoming Star Wars Shows: Story, Casts & Everything We Know
Several exciting Star Wars TV shows are set to be released on Disney+ in the coming years from the realm of both live-action and animation.
So, what’s left? What canStar Warsdo? Reportedly, Lucasfilm is set to cut back to one live-action TV show a year. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not necessarily a bad decision; I’d prefer to wait longer for a new show if I know it’s going to genuinely add to my enjoyment ofStar Warsand provide something innovative and necessary to the franchise.
But if that’s the case,how isStar Warsever going to flesh out the New Republic storyline enough for it to make sense and, more importantly, feel earned in Filoni’s finalMandalorianmovie?Right now, the pieces are too scattered. It’s not a perfectly cut puzzle. Gina Carano’s misconduct may have led toRangers of the New Republic’s cancelation, but perhapsStar Warsshould have figured out a way to make the series work in the aftermath anyway – it might have been exactly whatThe Mandalorianfranchise needed.
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