Amongst all the turmoil here in the US, Disney decided to drop a new Mandalorian & Grogu trailer. This is in addition to the Comic Con trailer they’ve been showing for the past few months. That trailer showed Mando destroying stormtroopers and snowtroopers inside an AT-AT, a scene that made me want to head for my Visual Dictionary.
Razor Crest: I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. How is the Razor Crest flying around again? Wasn’t it destroyed by Moff Gideon from orbit, right after abducting Grogu? And, coincidentally, when Hasbro was beginning construction on a massive HASLAB toy? Anyway, this version of the Razor Crest can once again comfortably hold both Din and his ward as it’s the same size as the original. From the way people talked (both X-Wing pilots and assorted scoundrels), this was a rare, pre-Imperial ship with secret codes and what-not. Did Din, flush with New Republic (or even the New Republic itself) credits build himself a new Crest from the destroyed parts or just another identical ship. To delineate itself from its predecessor, this Crest has two yellow stripes on it. Maybe as a tribute to the hot-rodded Naboo fighter Din flew – or maybe they share parts. Other sections of the trailer shows it fighting TIE fighters.
Sigourney Weaver: I’ve heard a lot of conflicting information about Signourney Weaver’s New Republic Captain. She was apparently an X-Wing pilot for the New Republic and has been elevated to command. Maybe we’ll have a flashback to the first or second Death Star battles. Given the pictures I’ve seen of Weaver on-set, she is still a pilot and wears the orange flightsuit. Also given the footage we’ve seen, she’s also quite bureaucratic and admonishes Din for the messy execution of the AT-AT’s (or maybe an unseen mission) and doesn’t approve of Grogu using the Force to get tasty treats from across the desk. What I don’t know is her actual name. I’ve seen both Captain Ward or Captain Bishop (which makes me think of her ALIENS franchise and the “artificial human” who saved her life). I doubt she has two names, it’s one or the other. I would assume she’s the new Commanding Officer of the Adelphi Rangers. Her rank appears to be General, but the info I’ve seen says she’s a Captain. Her job in this movie seems to be giving Din and Grogu their marching orders to capture or kill Imperial Remnant warlords.
Vs. Stormtroopers: Unlike the unauthorized Comic Con trailer, we don’t see a lot of Din destroying stormtroopers but we do see quite a bit of them outside an Imperial base. Presumably, these troopers belong to some rogue Imperial Warlord, I would think the same one who owns a bunch of AT-ATs.
Neon signs/bar fight: I love to see scum and villainy in the Star Wars universe, especially in a city environment. We saw similar places in Coruscant in The Mandalorian and especially so in Obi-Wan Kenobi. According to the internet, one of the Aurabesh signs says “SPICE.” It cuts quickly to Din drop-kicking some poor guy in a bar through glasses AND the bar. Ever since Mos Eisley, bad guys are always in bars.
Amanaman: This thing looks downright terrifying. I knew the name and species of this creature from his Return of the Jedi action figure, I don’t remember him being in any comic or Expanded Universe deal, but I believe he was in Jabba’s palace. Now, since Rotta is involved (see more about him later), is this the same creature that once served Jabba, now serving Rotta? Wookieepedia states that he is a bounty hunter and headhunter. He has a flat body and is yellow and green. His action figure had a staff with skulls hanging off it. In the trailer, he is apparently in the sewers, about to fight Mando and Grogu. Since he was strictly one-dimensional (so to speak) and had no real action to speak of, this is the first time we’ll see him in action on the big screen.
Zeb: We all knew that Zeb from Rebels would be in this movie. I think he’s a part of the Adelphi Rangers, as part of the New Republic and hangs out in their bar. You can tell it’s Zeb because of the feet. We’ll have to see what kind of role he plays in the movie and will he get as big as Sabine, Hera and Ezra.
Anzellans: Remember Babu Frik? Well, the three (four according to the poster) little droidsmiths are back again. Din Djarin and Grogu apparently use them in several circumstances including the desert and sewers. There’s a great shot of Grogu and three Anzellans speeding like hell through some environment. Apparently cuteness overload is the goal.
U-Wing: Hey, remember Andor and Rogue One? It seems the New Republic are still using Cassian Andor’s preferred type of space transport. From what I’ve been able to gather, the bay doors open and Din may be using the U-Wing as a rapid transport from whatever mission he’s currently on. He’s got on a jetpack, so everything can be done from the air. Din’s definitely got New Republic permission and backup on these anti-Imperial missions.
Rotta The Hutt: Seems like people have been talking about this guy forever! The character first appeared in the 2008 Clone Wars movie as an adorable little Huttlet who seemingly stunk. I noticed the Hutt twins from The Book of Boba Fett make an appearance in the new poster. Are we looking at a Gladiator II situation? Did either the twins, Jabba or the Pykes sell Jabba’s heir into slavery/gladiatorial combat? The Twins had no problem with this, as Black Krrsantan was also a gladiator of some renown. Either way, I can see Rotta becoming a gladiator champion with beings from all over the universe chanting his name. Or is he a more hands-on crime lord, making himself jacked as a position of power as a crime lord. Maybe he took the empire over from Boba Fett or the Twins. From the trailers we’ve seen, it looks like Din and Grogu are in the audience eating popcorn, watching Rotta dominate the competition. Are they hired to free him? Steal from him? Does it have to do with an Imperial Remnant using organized crime to regain control of the galaxy? I only ask because another scene down the line contains a guarded door that has Jabba’s Hutt cartel symbol (or something that looks similar; perhaps another cartel).
Creatures: What’s a Star Wars arena without some kind of hideous creature to fight? Judging from the background, this scene takes place in the same arena as Rotta’s victory. Like the Rancor before him, this is just some powerful, non-sentient (although he is wearing a snazzy vest/chain harness) that Din fights like a gladiator.
Battle Droids: Din Djarin is fighting some serious looking battle droids. As I mentioned before, the symbol on the door sure looks like a Hutt cartel symbol. Now these droids look like they’re on steroids, built up with hardware to the point to ridiculousness. Now, Din’s attitude towards droids has lessened in time, but I bet he doesn’t like these guys. They do look like some crime lord modified a regular droid and made it a walking battle platform.
AT-AT destroyed: All you have to do to see what’s before this scene is watch the Comic Con footage of Din ripping through Imperials like nothing, then blowing up the third transport when he couldn’t get into the cockpit. And the other AT-AT’s have no idea the third one in line blew up and is no longer with them.
Sewers/Good shot, baby: In the beginning of the trailer, we get a shot of Grogu and an Anzellan (maybe Babu?) going through a sewer. Another sewer shot in the middle, with Grogu panicking on the surface but then remembering he’s amphibian the next shot. There’s a longer shot of him and the Anzellan at the end in the same sewer adventure. There’s a weird-looking, practical effect pig/alligator one-eyed hybrid that pops out of nowhere. Grogu has kept his paintball wrist gauntlet from training and uses it on some kind of sewer creature..
“This is the Way” “Forged in IMAX” are some of the Mando-specific phrases this trailer uses. “This is the Way” is practically the new “May the Force be with you” for Star Wars fans. And, of course, Beskar armor is forged. I’m not a huge fan of the poster design, it looks a little too kid-like for me, but it does the job and I do like the artwork.
Starfighter: A few weeks ago, Shawn Levy dropped a black and white photo of Ryan Gosling in a large trench coat chilling on a landspeeder with new star Flynn Gray. You couldn’t tell too much from it but the next “First Look” has quite a bit in it. We already know it’s five years after The Rise of Skywalker and that Matt Smith is pursuing our two heroes. In the picture, the Mediterranean Sea is behind Gosling and Gray, so a section of the movie takes place in the ocean (so it may not be another “sand-based” planet adventure). Gosling is looking quite shaggy and Cade Skywalker-like with gloves and black uniform pants that almost look like armor or advanced flightsuit. I don’t see any weapons. The kid is dressed a little more worker-like, loose fitting shirt and pants. Both are leaning up against controls of some kind, placed oddly on the boat (or whatever this may be). Both have two handlebars and Gray’s almost looks like it has a fishing pole’s spinning wheel towards the bottom. While we don’t have any more details than that, it looks like it should be some fun, with ocean-based adventures in the Star Wars universe.
