The teaser trailer for the newest Star Wars movie, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” was released in September, with mixed reception from fans. Set to be released in May 2026, this will be the first Star Wars movie to be released directly in theaters since the 2019 “Rise of Skywalker,”… a movie which left many Star Wars fans rebuking Disney Star Wars for good.

This latest production is meant to be a continuation of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian”, which follows the tale of Din Jarin (a Mandalorian bounty hunter, played by Pedro Pascal) and his unlikely foundling, Grogu, or, as so lovingly termed by the fan base, Baby Yoda.

Unique for its Western-style feel, “The Mandalorian” was well received by fans. While the third season did see a decline in popularity (with Rotten Tomatoes ratings dropping from 93%  to 84%), the series overall is still considered one of  Disney Star Wars’ better releases. For me, it stands as one of my favorites in Disney’s more recent Star Wars content lineup.

So, despite the subtle letdown of the third season, I was still incredibly excited when talk of a movie first arose. However, when the teaser trailer was released, I found myself quite alone in my excitement. It would seem that one minute and thirty-five seconds of space action was all that many Star Wars fans needed to brand “The Mandalorian and Grogu” a bust. Which leads to my question: Why has the Star Wars fanbase become so cynical?

Don’t get me wrong, Disney has released some bad Star Wars. The sequel trilogy was trite and wholly unnecessary, and many Disney+ originals have left fans disappointed. That being said, I still watched every new release, and while I have certainly complained (passionately) about some Disney Star Wars, I would never throw the whole franchise away.

However, I think that the major factor working against this prospective release right now isn’t its own shortcomings, but rather the large successes of another Star Wars series: “Andor.” 

“Andor” completely changed the game of Disney’s Star Wars. While I won’t get into any real description of the show, those who have watched it know that “Andor” is something totally different from any of the series that have come before it and has therefore upped the stakes for anything that is to come. 

“Andor” was a phenomenal piece of cinematic art. It was intelligent, troubling, thought-provoking, and incredibly in tune with the state of the world today.  Despite what little we know about “The Mandalorian and Grogu”, I think it’s fair to say that it won’t check any of those boxes.

However, why do the successes of Andor mean that we have to hate fun? While it is a beautiful piece of media, not all Star Wars shows and movies need to (or even should) be as serious and intellectually impactful as Andor. We need to remember that Star Wars, being that galaxy far, far away, is an escape from our own world. So, yeah, maybe Grogu’s adventures seem cheesy in comparison to Cassian Andor’s fight against fascism, but why should that automatically disqualify this upcoming movie from success?

Besides, just from the trailer, I believe there is so much to be excited about! Zeb Orelios (a character from Star Wars “Rebels”) makes an appearance on the poster, which is drawn in a style reminiscent of the 80s/90s, giving the whole movie a unique retro sort of vibe. That, plus more time with Din Jarin and Grogu, makes me excited for what I foresee as a truly fun movie.

And, yes, a little “Andor” every now and then is important; we need media that makes us think. But sometimes, we also need to escape. Personally, with everything constantly going on in our world right now, I am quite ready to watch a little green alien peruse the galaxy alongside his adoptive dad, even if the movie is kind of corny and not the least bit revolutionary.

 Maybe “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will be an incredibly poorly written movie, and I’ll eat my words later. Still, I think it’s high time we Star Wars fans remember to actually watch a show or movie before automatically hating it, and that, despite the wonders of Andor, Star Wars wasn’t made to be “cool” in the first place. So, either embrace the geek, or get out of my X-wing.