Like The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian has a lot of pressure on it, but the sources are different. The Rise of Skywalker needs to fix this final trilogy, accurately represent Star Wars, and respectfully end the whole story. The Mandalorian must make Star Wars cool again, bring old fans back, and tell the untold story of what happened after Return of the Jedi. Interestingly, the trailers are releasing so close to each other, and The Mandalorian will be airing new episodes when Skywalker hits theaters. You’d think that Star Wars would want to spread out their properties and have new material coming out all year and not competing. After seeing The Mandalorian trailer, though, I believe it is meant to support The Rise of Skywalker. I contend that The Mandalorian is the more promising of the two and will be better received overall.

The Mandalorian promises to give what a lot of Star Wars fans have always wanted. It’s going to be a slightly grittier show with more action about the rougher side of Star Wars. We’re going to get to spend more time with the assassins, rogues, and scum that don’t use The Force or wear a uniform. This format will give us more insight into the rest of Star Wars by looking at it from a new angle. This focus also means more Star Wars without the grander galaxy-spanning story. I liken this relationship to the one between Netflix Daredevil and the Avengers franchise. The Mandalorian will be a new story on untrodden ground. There is plenty of room for creativity, new excitement, and fan-pleasing all at the same time.

The trailer struck me as a rawer Star Wars story from the fight sequences. We see blasters, fistfights, and spaceships and not much extra fluff. This series looks like it will the story we’ve been missing while getting the action we’ve been craving. There are battles in the new main trilogy, but they feel much more built up and planned. They have a sense of refinement to them that doesn’t always feel natural and or always desired. The gunslinging and blows landed in this trailer are all the evidence we need that we’re going to see something different.

The trailer teases a show about someone in Mandalorian armor bounty hunting, which is likely not far off from many Star Wars fans’ fantasies and wishes after watching the original trilogy. The recognizable tools of the trade used by fan-favorite Boba Fett in Episodes IV and V all make an appearance in the trailer. These essentially confirm that this show will follow the original trilogy’s style and story more closely, which again is something many fans have been waiting over thirty years for. We even get a clip of the Mandalorian using a jet pack, adding even more flashbacks to the Star Wars and sci-fi adventure we hope to see. These familiar tools and style help to signify the trailer as the first real direct sequel to Return of the Jedi.

In just under two minutes, we see numerous aliens, creatures, rogues, and droids that we’ll be meeting for the first time. Scenes with characters like these in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi stole the imaginations of millions of viewers and secured Star Wars’ place in the realm of science fiction. There has been a lack of memorable and likable characters in Star Wars recently. The main trilogy currently focuses very heavily on just the main cast of somewhat uninteresting characters. Captain Phasma would be an exception to this, but she is wasted between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

The trailer doesn’t give away any of the series plots or stories. I don’t feel like I know who the Mandalorian is or why he does what he does. I only know he’s someone not to mess with and a known bounty hunter. I don’t have any idea whose side he’s really on or what the plot of the show is. Without knowing any of this, I still find the trailer exciting, and the series looks promising. The environment of the story doesn’t seem like it needs a whos-who mystery to lean on to make it a success. I’m excited to watch the show to see the universe and the characters in it.

There is a lot of power behind Star Wars, but it’s misused to get people in the seats as of late. This trailer says enough with its art and a single line to prove there are plenty more Star Wars stories. There’s a whole galaxy that can be investigated and explored through this series. Season 2 has already begun filming, so, at least we know there’s more to the story, and this show isn’t just the presentation of a single thought. I look forward to the shows release in two weeks and the return of Star Wars to its former coolness.