The sequel trilogy remains perhaps the most divisive era in Star Wars. Now, a new reveal from Lucasfilm seemingly retcons all three films in a major way.
By the time The Force Awakens arrived in 2015, fans had decades‘ worth of expectations for the next chapter in the Skywalker Saga. That film delivered in spectacle, but many felt it was a carbon copy of A New Hope (1977). But in 2017, The Last Jedi divided audiences and then some with its bold storytelling direction, and in 2019, The Rise of Skywalker failed to deliver the long-awaited conclusion of a saga spanning more than 40 years.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Confirms Return of ‘Mandalorian’ Character in Theatrical Release : Disney Fanatic
How The Mandalorian and Grogu Connects With the Sequels
Now, a new trailer for the next Star Wars film, The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026), a continuation of the hugely popular Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019), might change everything we thought we know about the sequel trilogy.
The film continues the story of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu, set in the early days of the New Republic, some 25 years before The Force Awakens. Watch the trailer below:
One Line Changes Everything
The trailer is action packed and emotional, but there’s one line that stands out.
Although we can’t see who he’s talking to, Din Djarin can be heard saying, “The kid will live centuries beyond me.” That line may seem small, but its implications are huge: Grogu, already 50 during The Mandalorian Season 1, now appears to be alive during the timeline of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, as his species, which he shares with Yoda, ages slowly.
Grogu Changes the Entire Sequel Trilogy
However, if that’s the case, it changes the sequels in ways fans have never considered.
For instance, why would the Force need to “awaken” in the first place if there are still Jedi like Grogu out there? Also, isn’t Rey (Daisy Ridley) supposed to be “the last Jedi”? Was Grogu present alongside Ben Solo (Adam Driver) in Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Order? Why didn’t Luke ever mention Grogu to Rey? Is Grogu no longer a Jedi but a Mandalorian, as Season 3 and the new trailer strongly imply, as he dons his own beskar armor?
And in The Rise of Skywalker, when Rey hears the voices of past Jedi during her battle with Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), why isn’t Grogu among them? We know he can talk. And even if he’s dead at that time, most the other Jedi who communicate with Rey in that scene are also Force Ghosts. In other words, where is Grogu during the events of the sequel trilogy?
These are questions the trilogy never addressed, largely because The Mandalorian only arrived in 2019, just before The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters. But the upcoming film suggests that the pint-sized, Force-sensitive character may have been present all along.
The Mandalorian and Grogu’s cinematic release doesn’t just continue a story fans already love — it potentially reframes the sequel era entirely, forcing audiences to reconsider what “the last Jedi” really means and where Grogu fits into the faraway galaxy’s larger history.
Even without direct answers, this one line of dialogue is likely to reopen debate about an era Lucasfilm once positioned as definitive.
The Mandalorian and Grogu in Theaters May
The Mandalorian and Grogu stars Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin), Sigourney Weaver (Ward), Jeremy Allen White (Rotta the Hutt), and Jonny Coyne (an unnamed Imperial Warlord).
Several key characters from the Disney+ series, such as The Armorer (Emily Swallow), Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), IG-11 (Taika Waititi), Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), and Bo-Katan (Sackhoff), aren’t expected to return for the new film.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to release in theaters on May 22.
Are you excited about The Mandalorian and Grogu? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
