'The Mandalorian & Grogu' Trailer: First Impressions

Can the TV series successfully transition to cinemas?

Grogu looking for his next snack. Walt Disney Studios

The trailer for the next Star Wars movie dropped yesterday. The timing—so closely on the heels of the Jimmy Kimmel Saga—might suggest Disney is trying to change the narrative, or at least remind Star Wars fans they own the franchise, and thus, their souls. I’m too much of a nerd to look a gift Tauntaun in the mouth, but will admit I felt a bit icky getting excited about Disney’s newest offering.

I actually don’t think there was any nefarious manipulation. The Mandalorian and Grogu releases on May 22, 2026, exactly 9 months from the trailer’s premiere date. We were also past due for a trailer of some kind. Chalk it up to coincidence.

First things first: They actually are really naming the movie The Mandalorian & Grogu. I guess I understand. The characters have become a mini-brand unto themselves. Given it started as a Disney+ TV series, you want to retain that name brand recognition while the story pivots to the big screen. They very well can’t call it The Mandalorian: Season 4. It makes sense from a corporate IP standpoint, but I’m still a bit nonplussed. It feels uninspired, or safe, which is the same thing.

The trailer doesn’t give anything away. It’s a quintessential teaser. All vibes. I’m thrilled the Razor Crest is back; apparently starships, like Palpatine, can return from the dead after being atomized. That’s great news, actually. As fun as the yellow hotrod era was, the single-seater lacked the worn charm and rough utility of a derelict freighter.

We’ll assume the obvious question—how—is addressed in the narrative. The better question is why. Blowing up the Razor Crest in Season 2 was a huge moment. It made Mando’s fight to save Grogu come with a cost. I was devastated! That’s good storytelling. Undoing it now feels like a cheat. Even if it’s a different Razor Crest, it’s basically the same ship. It reminds me of when The Rise of Skywalker decided to kill Chewie and then resurrected him two minutes later. That’s the opposite of progression.

I’m nitpicking. I’m happy the Razor Crest returned. Somehow.

Other than that surprise, the trailer is essentially what you’d expect. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It feels like the continued adventures of The Mandalorian. There’s a “get the mission” scene. Lots of Grogu being cute, including Force fun times with food. Lasers, explosions, excitement. Imperials. Plus something we’ve never seen before and maybe never should—a completely yolked Hutt. Imagine if Arnold Schwarzenegger was reincarnated as a Hutt. Bizarre, right?

Coming on the heels of Andor—which recently picked up 5 Emmys, including for Best Writing, a Star Wars first—The Mandalorian & Grogu feels a bit sophomoric and silly. There’s really no way around that, but there’s also nothing wrong with that. As my friend and fellow fanatic

Matthew Freeman

reminds us, the Star Wars galaxy is big enough to include tonally diverse installments such as Andor, Skeleton Crew, and The Mandalorian. In fact, that diversity is a strength.

Andor and the Tony Gilroy-verse is certainly a different vision than Dave Filoni’s storytelling style or Jon Favreaus, but that’s the joy of it. There’s so much room. Gilroy could never have created Grogu, an old fashioned lunchbox addition in the style of the Ewoks or Artoo; and Favreau could not have written a story where our heroes execute their own allies to protect the Revolution. They happily live in parallel: proof that the world is big.

Frankly, after the fresh horrors of 2025, I could use something fun and unserious. Andor is my favorite Star Wars thing, possibly ever. I’ve yet to revisit it since season 2 ended. Not for lack of want; it’s just a little too real. It might be against the rules for a Jedi to crave adventure and excitement, but that’s basically all I’m looking for these days. And maybe a little hope while I’m at it.

So I happily gobbled up the sugary calories this trailer doled out, and I’m enthusiastically holding out my dish for more. I’m excited about the prospect of Star Wars on the big screen again, its first and truest home.

I will never forget the sense of wonder and awe I felt during season 1 of The Mandalorian. Star Wars to that point had only been something first experienced in a theater. One of the wonders of the modern age is how Lucasfilm distilled the big screen experience into something meant for home consumption, but without any loss of fidelity. It felt like Star Wars—operatic, bombastic, energetic. It felt big.

After 3 seasons, plus half of The Book of Boba Fett, we’ve gotten accustomed to the episodic nature of this story. The trailer feels like the latest episode. That’s great. But also, it feels like a television episode that’s being aired in cinemas. We don’t get much from the teaser, but what’s here isn’t enough to convince me why the show needed to move to the theater. Other than the obvious (money).

I just wonder if the show’s success—big screen Star Wars, piped into our homes—might undercut the film’s cinematic ambitions. Will it be satisfying to watch the equivalent of one really long episode in a theater? Can The Mandalorian & Grogu replicate what made the series so special, but make the transition to cinemas worthwhile? Will Grogu ever stop eating?

We’ll find out in 9 months. I just hope the movie isn’t the equivalent of ‘this meeting should’ve been an email.’