Star Warshas been a cultural phenomenon sinceEpisode 4: A New Hopereleased in 1977, and the “Skywalker Saga” it kicked off officially concluded with the release ofEpisode 9: The Rise of Skywalkerin 2019. Similarly, LEGO video game adaptations of the series have become a cornerstone of the industry, with theoriginalLEGO Star Warsturning 15 years old in April 2020. That franchise will soon have its own blockbuster conclusion to the films' overarching story withLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, currently scheduled to release in spring 2021.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagawill encompass all nine mainline films in the series, including the content released in priorLEGO Star Warsgames as well as brand-new elements such as aplayable Yaddle in its 500 character roster. Long-time fans of the video games should already be prepared for the irreverent atmosphere this game will create, as the primarily comedic adaptations have never held their punches with regards to highlighting the absurdity of LEGO-basedStar Warsgames. However, it will undoubtedly show reverence toward the source material as well, and there’s one more auxiliary piece of the Skywalker Saga that deserves some LEGO love:The Mandalorian.
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This Disney+ series only debuted in 2019, but its two-season run has been widely regarded as some of the bestStar Warsmaterial out there. The show takes place between the events ofEpisode 6: Return of the JediandEpisode 7: The Force Awakens, and its character-driven story at the edge of the galaxy is primarily divorced from the larger film canon. However,The Mandaloriandovetails perfectly withLEGO Star Wars: The SkywalkerSagathanks to content in Season 2, and the show’s expanded marketing suggests DLC could be a sensible move.
Despite being one of the most recent additions to theStar Warsuniverse, Din Djarin and his foster sonGrogu (better known as Baby Yoda)took the world by storm immediately. The streaming series likely has enough merchandise out there to rival the film franchise, andThe Mandalorianhas already made cameo appearances in a number of video games.
The most notable appearance of Mando and Grogu is Epic Games' ever-popular battle royaleFortnite. Disney has hosted events inFortnitebefore, including alive preview ofThe Rise of Skywalkerwith director JJ Abrams, but the launch of Chapter 2, Season 5 last month was headlined byThe Mandalorian. Mando is an unlockable skin in the game, whereas Grogu is included as back bling. Locales related to the show have also appeared onFortnite’s map, making it clear thatThe Mandalorianis Epic Games' big selling point for this season despite it also releasing content fromGod of War,Halo, and other major franchises.
Another prominent appearance for the streaming series came inMinecraft’sStar WarsDLC released last November. This DLC pack is primarily focused on the Original Trilogy films;Episodes 4, 5,and6; but also includes skins, maps, and more based onThe Mandalorian. Cosmetics including a Baby Yoda dashboard decoration were also made available in EA’s dogfighting simulatorStar Wars: Squadronsleading up to the release of Season 2.
Fan hunger for a game based onThe Mandalorianhas also been expressed through numerous mods adding Mando to games likeStar Wars Battlefront 2andStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Given this, it would make perfect sense forLEGO Star Warsto tackle aMandalorianadaptation, but making it DLC forThe Skywalker Sagawould ultimately be fitting for a number of reasons.Spoilers ahead forThe MandalorianSeason 2.
Though references to the films and otherStar Warsmedia appear throughoutThe MandalorianSeason 1, including the obvious point that Grogu became known as “Baby Yoda” due to being the same species as the Jedi Master, Season 2 brings content from the Skywalker Saga into the forefront. One recurring character isBoba Fett, who survived falling into the Sarlacc PitinReturn of the Jediand winds up tracking down Din to reclaim his iconic armor.
Another major character in Season 2 is Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan fromStar Wars: The Clone Wars, who guides the father-son duo to where they can find a more appropriate Jedi Master to train Grogu. The last episode of Season 2 reveals thisJedi is none other than Luke Skywalker, who saves the duo and their allies from an army of Dark Troopers on Moff Gideon’s cruiser.
These characters are not the only ones with connective tissue to the Skywalker Saga. Fellow Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze and her unit, the Nite Owls, also originated inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, and there are possible hints alluding to the idea thatGideon’s cloning operation on Nevarro may be connected to Snoke- a major antagonist inThe Force AwakensandThe Last Jediwith further connections to Emperor Palpatine.
Both Boba Fett and Ashoka Tano will be getting spin-off series on Disney+ based on their appearances inThe Mandalorian, withThe Book of Boba Fettteased via a post-credits sceneduring the Season 2 finale. Given all these ties to theStar Warsfilmography and the willingness of showrunners to branch off into other major characters, it only seems right to considerThe Mandaloriana key part of the Skywalker Saga. It should at least be key enough to earn itself a spot as a short-form DLC expansion inLEGO Star Wars.
However, if there does not wind up beingThe MandalorianDLC included inLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, fans can hold out hope for something in the future. In 2010,LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Warswas announcedbased on the spin-off series set betweenEpisode 2: Attack of the ClonesandEpisode 3: Revenge of the Sith. If this series was worth getting its own standaloneLEGO Star Warsgame outside of the theatrical releases,The Mandaloriancertainly has a shot.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagareleases in spring 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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