'The Mandalorian' teases the rise of the First Order as Disney reveals the future of the 'Star Wars' franchise

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the new episode of The Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian may be winding down its sophomore year on Disney+, but the streaming service is going all-in on Star Wars. In the penultimate Season 2 episode, “The Believer,” writer-director Rick Famuyiwa — who previously directed two Season 1 installments — set events in motion for a climactic face-off between Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon, with little Grogu’s fate hanging in the balance.

But the episode also provided a teasing glimpse of the franchise’s First Order future as depicted in the recently-concluded big-screen sequel trilogy. While on a mission to infiltrate a former Imperial base, our Mando finds that the supposedly toppled Empire is alive and well... and amassing resources for a return. “The New Republic is in complete disarray, and we’re stronger,” boasts Imperial officer Valin Hess. “Everyone thinks they want freedom, but what they really want... is order.”

That pointed reference to The Force Awakens timeline didn’t escape Twitter’s attention.

The Mandalorian’s flash-forward immediately follows the Walt Disney Company’s own sneak peek at what’s in store for the future of the Star Wars franchise. During the studio’s Investor Day presentation Thursday, the current owners of George Lucas’s signature series announced enough fresh content to fill the Death Star many times over. In addition to standalone movies like Patty Jenkins’s Rogue Squadron and the animated A Droid Story, the Mouse House revealed that eight Star Wars shows would be arriving on Disney+ over the next few years, collectively encompassing a wide swath of time within the far, far away galaxy.

For example, Leslye Headland’s mystery yarn, The Acolyte, will unfold in the pre-prequel High Republic era.

Meanwhile, the 30-year period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope will provide the setting for two TV spin-offs featuring faces and characters previously seen on the big screen. Diego Luna returns as Rebel spy Cassian Andor in the 12-episode Rogue One prequel, Andor.

And in news that rocked the galaxy, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy revealed that Hayden Christensen would once again be playing the Sith Lord perviously known as Anakin Skywalker to Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan in the long-planned Obi-Wan Kenobi event series. Set a decade after Anakin and Obi-Wan’s fateful encounter on Mustafar, the show will undoubtedly put master-and-apprentice on a collision course that lays the groundwork for their confrontation in A New Hope.

The other announced series included a Lando Calrissian-centric adventure overseen by Dear White People creator Justin Simean. Left unsaid is whether Billy Dee Williams or Donald Glover will return to play the cape-wearing gambler, or if a new actor will be cast. Disney+ will also be the streaming home of two new animated productions. Star Wars: Visions is an anthology series consisting of anime-inspired cartoons, while The Bad Batch follows a group of mercenary clone troopers making their way through the galaxy in the wake of the Clone Wars.

The Mandalorian’s own post-Return of the Jedi timeline is about to get a little crowded as well. On the heels of her live-action debut in this season’s centerpiece episode, “The Jedi,” fan favorite Ahsoka Tano is getting her own series with Rosario Dawson reprising the role. Based on the events of her chapter, you can expect the storyline to involve Ahsoka pursuing Grand Admiral Thrawn around the Outer Rim Territories.

While Valin Hess may scoff at the New Republic, the nascent galactic government does have its true believers. Rangers of the New Republic will follow the men, women (perhaps including Mandalorian’s Cara Dune, played by Gina Carano) and aliens who attempt to keep the still-tenuous peace after Emperor Palpatine’s one-way trip down that Death Star 2.0 airshaft. Both Ahsoka and Rangers will be overseen by Mandalorian showrunners Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, which almost certainly means that Din’s presence is going to be felt in those productions.

And who knows — Pascal might even be able to show his face to his new companions. “The Believer” allows the Game of Thrones star to take off his Mandalorian helmet for only the second time during the run of the show. That sound you heard was millions of voices crying out in delight... and they’ll never be silenced.

The Mandalorian is currently streaming on Disney+,

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