The sensation that grabbed almost everyone’s attention has finally returned to Disney+ after nearly a year. The Mandalorian season two, written and directed by John Favreau and Dave Filoni was made available to watch on Oct. 30th, 2020 when its first episode was released. 

Season two of The Mandalorian will feature eight episodes which will be released over a six week period with new episodes releasing on Fridays.

The filming of season two began shortly after the end of season one in December 2019 which means that the filming process was not finished in March when the COVID-19 pandemic began to worsen. However, unlike most other TV shows or movies, the filming of season two could continue even through the pandemic.

Although The Mandalorian features a variety of characters, many of the episodes and scenes only feature the Madolarian and the Child interacting with each other and other CGI or puppet creatures. This meant that filming could continue with strong social distancing procedures in place to ensure the safety of the crew and cast of the show.

Additionally, the show was able to continue filming through the pandemic due to new filming technology called Stagecraft. Both season one and season two of The Mandalorian were filmed using Stagecraft which essentially is a virtual set made using a large semicircle with LED displays on the walls that allow the crew to project live images behind the actors in a scene. 

This new technology boomed in popularity after season one because it is far superior to green screens and more efficient than filming in a real locations. Having the ability to project locations behind the actors created a safer environment for the cast and crew amidst the pandemic. 

As of Nov. 8, 2020 only the first two episodes of The Mandalorian have been released. So far season two has seen the return of the mysterious Mandalorian, played by Pedro Pascal, and The Child who is more commonly and affectionately referred to as “Baby Yoda.” Season two picks up where season one left off with the Mando’s mission to return baby Yoda to his own kind. 

Although not much of the season has been revealed yet, Disney has already begun to hint at new mysteries with the return of a fan-favorite original trilogy character and both show directors have stated that there is much more to come in season two.

Before season two was released they laid out a rough plan to deepen The Mandalorian saga with the returnof other well known and fan-favorite characters like Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson, from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 

Calling The Mandalorian a sensation is being generous at best. Just last year the release of season one of the show averaged 30 million viewers. Even though the show takes place within the starwars universe, it is really just a fantastic, action packed, suspenseful spaghetti western in space, even watchers not familiar with the Star Wars universe are more than capable of finding enjoyment in the show. 

Over these past nine months due to COVID-19, many movies and TV shows have been delayed to 2021 and beyond, however because the The Mandalorian could continue its filming through lockdown it is one of the few new TV shows that was able to be released in 2020.

With that said, if you don’t have Disney+ or if you do and haven’t watched The Mandalorian yet, I would highly recommend getting a subscription just for the next six weeks to see it or I would sit down and catch up on the first season, which was also amazing, and I would continue on to season two as it rolls out. 

As a Star Wars fan and a  TV show nut, I cannot praise this show more. It is clear that the creators care about what they are producing and their love for the franchise, characters, and world of Star Wars is apparent throughout seasons one and two. So far I would give The Mandalorian season two an eight out of ten and I can’t wait to see what comes next for the Mando and baby Yoda.