The Mandalorian’s second season is almost finished with one episode left to be released today. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions.  It has a phenomenal 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 87% audience score.  

If you don’t know what The Mandalorian is, let me explain it a little.  The Mandalorian is a Disney Plus TV Show that is part of the Star Wars franchise that has taken the world by storm.  It takes place 5 years after the 1983 film, The Return of the Jedi.  The main protagonist, Din Djarin, is quested to bring a young creature to a Jedi to be trained in the ways of the Jedi.  The two of them are continually being hunted by a warlord named Moff Gideon, who wants the creature for an experiment that has yet to be revealed to the audience.

The season starts with Djarin trying to track down more Mandalorians to acquire information about finding a Jedi.  Within five minutes of the season premiere, his mission is clear. He says, “I have been quested to bring him to his kind, if I can locate other Mandalorians they can help guide me, and I’m told you know where to find them.”  The season continues on this path, with Djarin or otherwise known as “Mando” searching the galaxy for Mandalorians and the Jedi.

Throughout the season, Djarin enlists the help of many characters that have been featured in Star Wars lore.  This lore is prominently featured in The Mandalorian.  The writers have brought many characters and components of Star Wars from the comics and the books into the show.  This has pleased me and my fellow fans.

Part of what has made this season so popular is the fan service.  For dedicated Star Wars fans, this season has been a delight.  The Mandalorian has brought in many fan favorite characters from old Star Wars movies and TV shows.  Even a few characters from the animated TV shows have finally been brought to live action for the first time.  These characters are allowing fans to relive the nostalgia of when they watched these characters on screen years before.

Each episode has just been better than the one before and each brings on a rollercoaster of emotions.  There have been quite a few episodes where I have had a mini heart attack and leaped off my couch at certain moments.  (Spoiler Alert!) For example in Episode 3 when Djarin is captured by Quarren sailors and the blue-colored Mandalorian soldiers show up to save him, I freaked out.  And in the same episode, when I heard the voice of a character that I loved from the animated TV show The Clone Wars, say to Djarin, “Take my hand” – I jumped out of my seat. The Mandalorian is some of the best Star Wars I have seen in years and I am immensely enjoying it.

One of the great things this show is doing is connecting the dots.  It is giving Star Wars fans a look into the 30 years between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.  Certain details in the latter are being explained in The Mandalorian.  We get to see the beginnings of The First Order, why there is an absence of Mandalorians, and many more details are filled in.

I have absolutely loved this season of The Mandalorian and members of the Nazareth community share my feelings.  Sophomore Patrick Titzer believes it is some of “the best Star Wars media in awhile.”  He also shares my sentiment of the episodes getting better with each one.  

English teacher Anne Osenbaugh has also been loving this season.  She has loved hearing references “to other Star Wars movies and TV shows.”  Osenbaugh also enjoys the style the show brings to the table.  She said, “I love the way it draws influence from cowboy western samurai tropes that gives it a classical feel.”  

Sophomore Conrad Sandrzyk has been enjoying the fan service and thinks that “it is great that so many other iconic characters are being included because it allows us to see how they have grown since we have last seen them in previous movies and shows.”

 I am stoked about this season and I recommend all you guys go watch it because it’s going to be one heck of a ride!