The Mandalorian Isn’t The Best Star Wars TV Show, But It Will Always Be The Most Important

Whether it’s considered to be the best or not, The Mandalorian will always be Star Wars’ most important live-action TV show, and here’s why.

The debate of which Star Wars live-action TV show is the best will always go on, but one thing’s for certain: The Mandalorian will always be the franchise’s most important. The Mandalorian first premiered in 2019 with the debut of the Disney+ streaming platform and became Star Wars’ first live-action TV show – and it quickly also became a global phenomenon. The series has three seasons so far, with The Mandalorian season 4 on the way, and despite season 3 falling under more criticisms than its first two seasons, the series has overall remained a huge hit among viewers and critics alike.

As more live-action Star Wars TV shows have come to light, The Mandalorian has had to fight for its place in viewers’ rankings, especially following the huge critical success of shows like Andor and Ahsoka. It often finds itself on the higher end of these rankings, but still, it’s hard to compete with the HBO-esque drama of Andor and the Star Wars animation nostalgia of Ahsoka. No matter where it may rank for viewers, though, The Mandalorian has one title that no one can take away or change, as it will always be Star Wars’ most important live-action TV show.

The Mandalorian Set The Precedent For Star Wars Live-Action TV (& Disney+)

The Mandalorian launched with the Disney+ streaming platform on November 12, 2019, giving the series the chance to set the precedent of all the live-action TV shows that would come after it. The world was shocked by how cinematic The Mandalorian felt despite its TV budget, something that was made possible by brand-new technological innovations such as the Volume LED screen stage. Each episode even had its own director, allowing various creative viewpoints to come together and make the series feel coherent ,yet satisfyingly episodic. Everything from the 8-episode story structure to the week-by-week drop schedule were all established by The Mandalorian, setting the standard for all the Star Wars shows that would come after it.

This impact doesn’t just apply to Star Wars, though. All other Disney+ original series also followed in the footsteps of The Mandalorian, including Marvel series such as WandaVision and Loki. Each of the creators sat and watched The Mandalorian make history every single week of its season 1 release and actively learned from it, using this series as an example while tailoring certain other details to what they needed. Without The Mandalorian carving the way for these series, the way Disney+ treats their original shows would look very different. Much of the reason why these shows were even watched is because The Mandalorian motivated people to subscribe to the streaming service in the first place, as everyone wanted to see the global phenomenon for themselves.

The Mandalorian Launched The New Republic Era

While the New Republic Era has been explored in novels since the conclusion of Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian was the first to take that era from print to screen. Its story not only intrigued viewers, but also kept them asking for more, providing opportunities for other stories and characters to blossom in many various spin-off series. The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and the upcoming Skeleton Crew series have all been made possible because of The Mandalorian, and it doesn’t just stop at TV.

Dave Filoni’s upcoming The Mandalorian-era movie will take the impact of this show to the big screen, which is a huge step for Lucasfilm. Following the box office disappointment of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Lucasfilm put a screeching halt to all their movie plans, which has since resulted in many great ideas being scrapped. It was the success of The Mandalorian that put Lucasfilm’s focus on TV, and now that its compelling story and franchise impact have also proven themselves, it has inspired Lucasfilm to make a triumphant return to the theater once again.

The Mandalorian Appeals To All Types of Star Wars Audiences

One of the most underrated reasons for the success of The Mandalorian is the way it appeals to all types of audiences. The story and characters of The Mandalorian are all easy for those with both limited and extensive Star Wars knowledge to understand and care about. It blends together the masterclass drama of Andor with the Star Wars lore of Ahsoka, bringing together two important elements that can appeal to a wide range of audiences. The show doesn’t have to sacrifice one thing for another, and instead it can properly deliver to various types of viewers while still creating a story that everyone can enjoy and follow along with.

The cultural impact of The Mandalorian is evidence of this, especially where Grogu is concerned. First deemed as “Baby Yoda,” Grogu’s debut appearance in The Mandalorian season 1, episode 1 resonated so well with audiences that he became a beloved meme and Star Wars figurehead overnight. It’s not just Grogu who’s made such an impact, though; the entire premise of Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin never removing his helmet along with “This is the Way” have become familiar ideas to all, whether someone considers themselves to be a viewer of Star Wars or not.

The Mandalorian Is The Future Of Star Wars

Now that the New Republic Era has been established and the new stories being created are seemingly endless, The Mandalorian has officially made itself the future of Star Wars. While the TV show itself will unlikely go on past season 4, its characters and other stories will live on in the years to come. As a young member of Yoda’s species, Grogu has hundreds of years to live on in the Star Wars galaxy, and he alone will be enough to carry on the incredible legacy of The Mandalorian. Even Din Djarin himself could continue to appear throughout future stories the same way characters such as Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze, and those of the original Star Wars trilogy have, creating moments that tie them back into the stories that future Star Wars viewers will get to experience.

After many Star Wars viewers felt disappointed with the sequel Star Wars trilogy, The Mandalorian came to light and brought a new hope. It was often coined as the Star Wars project that revived the franchise, and given just how much it’s changed Star Wars since its debut, this idea is fitting for the live-action TV show. No matter how much better Star Wars shows continue to get in the future, every idea will point back to what was first established with The Mandalorian, and that’s exactly what makes it Star Wars’ most important live-action TV show – and it’s something that cannot ever be changed.