The Star Wars Movie We Need

Star Wars’ next movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, will be the first new Star Wars movie in nearly seven years by its May 22, 2026, release date, and it’s exactly what the franchise needs right now. Star Wars movies and TV shows have been in an interesting transitional period over the last few years, particularly since the sequel trilogy concluded in 2019.

For several years, it seemed like the franchise was shifting its focus from trilogies and movies to TV shows. Live-action shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian, and Andor especially seemed to be a priority, which was a major change from all that had been done with Star Wars up to that point.

However, the tides may be turning once again for Star Wars, as upcoming Star Wars shows are looking rather sparse, while myriad new movies are in the pipeline. Of those new movies, expectations for The Mandalorian and Grogu seem particularly high, but that makes sense given that this next Star Wars movie is going to prove that it’s what we’ve needed all along.

Star Wars’ New Co-Star Is Already A Hit

It’s no secret that Star Wars movies have struggled within the last decade. Although Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is largely considered one of Star Wars’ best movies, all three sequel trilogy movies and Solo: A Star Wars Story rank considerably lower on that list and continue to receive scathing criticism to this day.

In part, these movies had a difficult path forward because so many new characters needed to be introduced. Although the sequels brought back the three main heroes of the original trilogy, they also introduced leading characters Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren. Reception of those characters was, unfortunately, varied.

However, The Mandalorian and Grogu won’t have that trouble whatsoever. The movie will build off the popularity The Mandalorian—one of Star Wars’ best TV shows—already has, and that extends to both titular leads. With Grogu in particular, Star Wars is almost certainly securing a box office success, given that Grogu has become a sensation in and of himself.

The Mandalorian And Grogu Won’t Be About The Jedi

Star Wars has increasingly made an effort to move away from the Jedi, although that transition has been slow-going, to a certain degree. On the big screen, both Rogue One and Solo featured non-Jedi main characters, but both movies nevertheless felt very wrapped up in the Skywalker Saga.

After all, Rogue One leads directly into the beginning of A New Hope, and while Solo is about Han Solo’s life before the original trilogy, that doesn’t change the fact that he eventually joins the Skywalker family tree—the family that comprises some of the most powerful Jedi in Star Wars.

The shift away from the Jedi has arguably been more successful on the small screen, with shows like Star Wars: The Bad Batch and even Andor, but The Mandalorian and Grogu will represent Star Wars’ first full-fledged movie that is neither focused on nor tied to the Jedi in Star Wars.

This is also something that the franchise desperately needs. At this point, all three trilogies have recycled the same Jedi versus Sith storyline, with the sequels in particular feeling like a rehashed version of the original trilogy. It’s more than time for Star Wars movies to focus on something else, and The Mandalorian and Grogu will do precisely that.

In fact, The Book of Boba Fett made the rejection of a connection to the Jedi explicit, with Grogu deciding to leave Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple and abandon the path of a Jedi in order to return to Din Djarin and become his Mandalorian apprentice.

This Movie Has TRULY Moved On From The Skywalkers

As with an effort to move away from the Jedi, Star Wars has been attempting to shift away from the Skywalker Saga and this ‘royal family’ of Star Wars, but that hasn’t been very successful. As just one critical example, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was meant to be the end of the Skywalker Saga.

However, the conclusion of that movie saw Rey adopt the last name Skywalker. Given that we know her story will continue in upcoming Star Wars movies, the notion that the Skywalkers are gone in Star Wars movies has been called into question once again. What’s more, the Skywalkers keep popping up in Star Wars shows.

Once again, The Mandalorian and Grogu is perfectly primed to avoid this same issue. Barring a truly shocking cameo, which feels unlikely at best, this movie is going to have its attention elsewhere, especially considering The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer suggests Din and Grogu will be working with the New Republic on the growing threat of Imperial sympathizers.

We Will Finally See The New Republic On The Big Screen

Along with the sequels arguably fumbling the ball a bit when it came to innovative storytelling, the sequel trilogy confusingly decided to skip over any exploration of the New Republic. This period in the Star Wars timeline, following the original trilogy, is full of opportunity (and was even more so before the sequels came out).

Especially considering the stories set after the original trilogy in the books and comics were no longer canon, the sequels had endless opportunities to explore what it looked like for the galaxy to pick up the pieces and work toward a post-Imperial Republic. Instead, the sequels were set 30 years after Return of the Jedi and quickly saw the New Republic destroyed.

Now, at last, The Mandalorian and Grogu will show audiences the New Republic Era on the big screen. In fact, we already know Sigourney Weaver’s character is a New Republic colonel, which suggests a look at some of the inner workings. Thus, The Mandalorian and Grogu is correcting the sequel trilogy’s mistake by bringing the New Republic to the movie screen.

The Imperial Remnant Must Be Explored

Finally, signs point to The Mandalorian and Grogu revealing what it looked like for a shadow Empire to be building in the background. We’ve gotten insights into the Imperial Remnant, comprising those who remained loyal to the Empire and wanted to see it restored, in Star Wars shows, such as with Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian and even with some scenes in Ahsoka.

However, Star Wars has been building toward revealing just how much of the Empire was secretly hanging on after Return of the Jedi, and it seems The Mandalorian and Grogu may finally be the time. This is a particularly exciting update for Star Wars if true, because it has felt like such a long time coming.

It’s only logical that a massive, galaxy-wide Empire wouldn’t fall and be truly eradicated quite so easily. The idea that many people have remained loyal to Palpatine and the Empire both makes sense and is a fascinating area to explore. Hopefully, The Mandalorian and Grogu will be doing exactly that, and we’ve already gotten promising hints to that effect.

To name just a few signs that this exploration is coming, The Mandalorian and Grogu’s trailer depicts AT-AT walkers and stormtroopers (the latter of which are being watched from a distance by Din Djarin and Grogu), which certainly suggest a link to the Empire.

All in all, The Mandalorian and Grogu is looking very promising, and given the rocky history Star Wars has had of late, a movie like this one really couldn’t be coming at a better time.