The Mandalorian to show the origins of the First Order’s rise to power

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Although the Galactic Empire was dealt a major blow in STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI and were ultimately defeated, the forces of evil regrouped and eventually reemerged decades later as the First Order in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. As the upcoming Disney+ series The Mandalorian takes place following the events of RETURN OF THE JEDI, it seems that it may give us a few clues regarding the First Order's rise to power.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, The Mandalorian director Dave Filoni said that although the Rebels have sent the Empire packing, the universe doesn't suddenly become sunshine and tauntaun farts. "You get that the Rebels won and they’re trying to establish a Republic, but there’s no way that could have set in for everybody all at once," Filoni said. "You have in a Western where you’re out on the frontier and there might be Washington and they might have some marshals, but sometimes good luck finding one." Series creator Jon Favreau added, "Also, what could happen in the 30 years between celebrating the defeat of the Empire and then the First Order? You come in on Episode VII, [the First Order are] not just starting out. They’re pretty far along… So somehow, things weren’t necessarily managed as well as they could have been if [the galaxy] ended up in hot water again like that." While I doubt that we'll see Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) pulling the strings from behind the scenes, it might be interesting to see the seeds being planted which will eventually grow into the First Order. Entertainment Weekly added that The Mandalorian "plans to use elements from across the Skywalker saga films, The Clone Wars and other animated series and the Extended Universe in its storytelling."

The Mandalorian follows a lone bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) in the outer reaches of the galaxy as he sets out to collect a particularly difficult prize. In addition to Pascal, the cast of The Mandalorian also includes Giancarlo Esposito, Gina Carano, Nick Nolte, Carl Weathers, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Taika Waititi, Ming-Na Wen, and Werner Herzog. The first episode of The Mandalorian will premiere when Disney+ launches on November 12, 2019.