Ahsoka. Sabine. Rex. Boba Fett. Cobb Vanth. All across the Internet I see people speculating on which legacy characters from the Star Wars galaxy could appear in The Mandalorian, but what about locations? This is the question that I’ve been focusing on considering I’ve been obsessed with the worlds of the galaxy far far away for as long as I can remember. The diverse planets of Star Wars are iconic characters in their own right, and are much more than mere backgrounds on which the action unfolds. I tackle the question of returning planets with the same logic as I do for returning characters: whichever serve the story. While I want The Mandalorian to continue expanding the galaxy in its second season and beyond, I feel there are several existing planets in the canon which could tie into Din’s story in important ways. We surprisingly see what could be Ilum (likely) and Mon Cala (I’m unconvinced) in the recently released trailer, but which other planets could appear? And not just which, but why.
For example, I love the design of Toydaria, as seen in The Clone Wars. It’s a world of forests and swamps made from oversized coral, indicating that the surface was once submerged. It’s an incredibly cool and atmospheric location in the Star Wars galaxy that I’d love to see in live action. But, do I have a reason for Din and The Child to travel there? No. It’d be neat for the series to continue embracing elements from the once derided prequels but returning to Toydaria doesn’t fit the narrative. The same can be said for my pipe dreams of seeing Lothal in live action or returning to Exogol from The Rise of Skywalker. I could only see them appear if the cast of Rebels makes an appearance or if Gideon is working for the unnaturally reanimated Palpatine respectively. But that’s just speculation upon further speculation and instead my choices are confined to planets that would make sense considering what we already know. Worlds that the show’s characters could travel to at the beginning of any season 2 episode and it’d make perfect narrative sense.
We know Tatooine will once again be the setting of another episode and, while I’m growing tired of the iconic location considering the many other desert planets out there to explore (Abafar anyone?), there are reasons to merit a return, whether it be Fennec Shand’s unfinished business or bumping into a fellow bounty hunter clad in Mandalorian armour. If we see Freetown from the Aftermath books then consider my grumpiness about going back to Tatooine null and void. But while Tatooine and its fellow Outer Rim worlds are the primary setting for the show, I think a quick journey to the Core Worlds could be on the cards. The Core World in fact: Coruscant.
What was once the centre of the galaxy in every sense is now a painful reminder of Imperial terror. It would be fantastic to return to Coruscant at this point in the timeline and witness how much it has changed after the rise and fall of the Empire. The planet was kept back from modern canon by Lucasfilm to be used in Episode 9 but that never ended up happening and now The Mandalorian could offer us our first glimpse at the planet-wide metropolis since Revenge of the Sith, not counting the brief blurry flashback in Rogue One. So, what’s the narrative reason for Coruscant’s appearance? Considering the Mandalorian is seeking knowledge of the Jedi, what better place to travel than their home for millennia. While Palpatine no doubt had much of it destroyed, I’m sure some clue or ancient Jedi knowledge remains to be plundered. And if not, Coruscant is home to thousands of subterrain levels of scum and villainy that any self-respecting bounty hunter will take a job from, or find a quarry within.
When the Empire fell, the New Republic promised to be different than both of its failed forebearers. As a sign of its new way of governing, the leaders of the New Republic moved the galactic political capital from Coruscant to Chandrila, with the promise of moving the senate to a new planet every few years as a statement that it serves the entire galaxy, ultimately collapsing on Hosnian Prime during The Force Awakens. At the time of The Mandalorian, the capital is probably still Chandrila and it’d be fascinating to see Din have to travel to the heart of the New Republic. While Aftermath: Empire’s End states that the New Republic are against hiring bounty hunters, Cara seemingly has a bounty put on her by the New Republic in the show’s first season, showing some in the government are not above hiring the likes of Din. Plus, what better final destination of the quest for Jedi than the home of Leia and Luke, when he’s not travelling the galaxy that is. While Chandrila has previously been seen as a safe paradise for our heroes, it’d be fun to see the inversion of a morally ambiguous bounty hunter being wary to travel there.
While Din is the lead, and titular, character of the show, I hope Carasynthia Dune gets more screen time in future seasons than she did in the first. Whether as part of the character’s endgame, or just a stop on her journey, I think it makes perfect narrative sense for Cara to visit the Alderaan flotilla. This isn’t a planet I’m suggesting but instead a fleet of ships resting where a planet once was. Cara is Alderaanian and this no doubt contributes to her hatred of the Empire considering they used the Death Star to destroy her home. Afterwards however, the few surviving members of the planet joined together to form the flotilla and were even gifted the wreckage of the Death Star, out of which they could build a new home. We’ve never seen the flotilla onscreen before, instead only reading of it in the Aftermath books and the comics. Normally I’d say that means it’d never be translated to TV but with Cobb Vanth from those very same books rumoured to be appearing in the show, it’s now a possibility. I’d love to see Cara embrace her Alderaanian roots and seeing the repurposed Death Star wreckage where her home once stood would be an emotional experience. I could see her ultimately accepting it as a new home or rejecting the very idea of it.
If Cara travels to the home of her people, we have to ask if Din will do the same. While he’s originally from some unknown planet, probably near Mandalorian space but not a Mandalorian by birth, I think the series is almost guaranteed to travel to the planet Mandalore at some point in the future. The scorched landscapes of wars past and the utopic bubbles of civilisation that make up Mandalore’s surface have been seen throughout The Clone Wars and Rebels, and now is the logical time for a leap to live action. While the series began small, I can see it growing in scale and Din becoming a key figure in his planet’s future. He’s one battle away from owning the Darksaber, the symbol of ultimate leadership among his people. The planet’s fate is unknown at this point in time but it’s likely defeated after the Empire’s reign. Maybe we’ll see it in a flashback showing us how Gideon seized the Darksaber from Bo Katan, or maybe the Mandalorian will travel there to further his understanding of what it means to don the armour and call himself a Mandalorian.
New worlds will always be one of the most exciting parts of any new Star Wars content for me but sometimes revisiting old ones offers the best storytelling potential for its characters. What do you think of my planetary suggestions and which worlds would you like to see appear? Let me know in the comments and be sure to geek out with me about TV, movies and video-games on Twitter @kylebrrtt.
