The latest behind-the-scenes Star Wars special was recently released on Disney+, looking at the making of the third season of the hit series The Mandalorian.
The Disney Gallery series has explored the same idea for the first two seasons of the show, with a full eight episodes about season one and two special episodes about season two. Furthermore, special episodes have dropped covering the making of The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and now the third season of The Mandalorian. Star Wars has a long history of excellent behind the scenes documentaries, and I’m thrilled that they’re keeping that very much alive with these episodes.
This particular hour-long special features plenty of material from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, who are the two most prominent voices both in this special and with the Mandoverse in general. But it also features interviews with several others involved in the series, including some of the new directors brought on for the third season. Something that stands out in this episode, as well as most interviews they do on the subject, is that Favreau and Filoni have a real desire to connect to the filmmaking of Star Wars that came before them, and they return to that theme over and over again – including, for example, bringing back Phil Tippett to work on a few elements on Mandalore.
Speaking of Mandalore, that’s another prominent focus of this episode, as they discuss the shift in focus for the third season, bringing Mandalore into live action for the very first time and giving Bo-Katan Kryze a more prominent role.
I’m a sucker for behind the scenes Star Wars content, so I’m always going to love it when we get material like this (when’s it Andor‘s turn?). I don’t think this episode quite managed to capture the same highs as the episodes from the first two seasons of the Disney Gallery series, and I don’t think it will feel like much more than glorified promotional material for those who didn’t like The Mandalorian‘s third season. In that regard it’s nothing close to the documentaries about The Phantom Menace or The Last Jedi, which are the gold standard not just in this franchise but in behind the scenes documentaries in general. Those documentaries engage with the making of with such dynamic storytelling force that even those who don’t like those movies come away impressed with the projects. But to expect documentaries to match those is setting up for disappointment, and it’s not a fair comparison.
Those who enjoy The Mandalorian will really enjoy this, as will anyone who wants to hear filmmakers talk about their deep passion for Star Wars and how that translates to the screen. It’s a joy to watch.
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