When The Mandalorian and Grogu arrived in theaters, it was obviously designed to feel like a big return for one of Disney+’s most popular Star Wars characters. But after finally watching it at home, I couldn’t stop thinking about how naturally the movie fit the environment where The Mandalorian began. I didn’t enjoy it less because I wasn’t sitting in a theater. If anything, watching it at home made me realize that the story might have been better suited to a format Disney has barely explored with Star Wars: the TV movie.
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That isn’t meant as a criticism of The Mandalorian and Grogu. The movie works as a continuation of the series, and its episodic structure and character-focused storytelling are a big part of what makes it so appealing in the first place. But it also raises an interesting question about what a Star Wars movie actually needs to be. Not every story needs to justify a massive theatrical release. Disney doesn’t have to choose between an eight-episode streaming series and a huge theatrical event. There is a very useful middle ground that The Mandalorian and Grogu makes a surprisingly strong case for.
The Mandalorian and Grogu Feels More Like a Star Wars TV Movie
The biggest reason The Mandalorian and Grogu feels suited to television is how it feels like an extension of a story audiences already know. Din Djarin and Grogu don’t need lengthy introductions, and the movie doesn’t need to reinvent their relationship. The appeal comes from spending more time with characters viewers have already spent years following. That’s exactly the kind of storytelling television is exceptionally good at. Not all the characters are present, but fortunately, an actor from The Mandalorian will be making a return in the next series.
Structurally speaking, the movie can feel like an expensive collection of The Mandalorian adventures. There are objectives to complete, problems to solve, familiar characters to encounter, and one sequence naturally leading into the next. Critics and reviews from outlets have made similar observations, noting that the movie’s episodic structure can make it feel less than a conventional theatrical blockbuster.
But that isn’t inherently a bad thing. In fact, it explains why The Mandalorian and Grogu can work perfectly well as a movie. It doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel because the characters and world are already established. The story simply gives them another adventure. The question is whether that adventure needed to be a theatrical Star Wars event. Now, fans are waiting to see if there will be a sequel to the movie or a season 4.
Disney Should Make More Star Wars TV Movies
This is where I think Disney is missing a stellar opportunity. Star Wars has spent years treating television and movies as two very different things, but there is no reason there couldn’t be a middle ground. A TV movie could tell a complete Star Wars story in two hours without requiring a theatrical release—and budget—for that matter.
They can either be extensions of a series, maybe to give it more of a cinematic closure, or an extended adventure that might be too long to fit into an 8-episode season. Or they can be a brand-new adventure on a larger scale. Disney could take chances on ideas like these without asking audiences to buy a movie ticket or commit to another television season.
That’s the biggest thing The Mandalorian and Grogu made apparent. There is nothing wrong with a Star Wars story being smaller, either. The franchise has an entire galaxy to explore, and not every corner of it needs to become a theatrical spectacle. Some stories would actually benefit from being allowed to focus on a one-shot about a new character, a particular location, or perhaps characters from the Empire—without having to carry the expectations that come with a major theatrical release. After all, even Star Wars needed to be saved at one point, according to George Lucas.
The Mandalorian and Grogu may have evolved from the show’s fourth season before moving to the big screen, but its real value could be showing Disney that there is another format worth embracing. Star Wars doesn’t always need another movie or another season. Sometimes, all it needs is a really good TV movie.
Maybe the next chapter of Star Wars doesn’t have to choose between the small screen and the big screen—it can live somewhere in between. Give a series a movie-length adventure when the story calls for it, or let a one-off tale take us to a corner of the galaxy we haven’t seen before. The Force doesn’t care what format the story comes in; it just knows when there’s a good one.
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Image Courtesy of Marvel -
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
