Do You Need To Watch Star Wars Movies Before The Mandalorian?
I’ve seen this question asked all over the internet and I’m here to help you out: Do you need to watch Star Wars to understand the Mandalorian? The answer is simple and complex- but don’t worry, the Force is with you! You found this to help answer that big question. Here’s what you need to know about watching The Mandalorian without knowing much about Star Wars.
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Do You Need To Watch Star Wars Movies Before The Mandalorian?
So you’re not into Star Wars. It’s cool, I don’t judge.
You know it’s a big thing, maybe you even tried to watch it once or twice- but that was weird because some dude was kissing on his sister and his dad cut his hand off, but not because he kissed his sister… I mean, yeah.
It can be a little weird.
I get it. Star Wars movies may not be for everyone, though that’s definitely an unpopular opinion.
But remember: I don’t judge! You’re in a safe place.
But now there’s this huge amazing pop culture phenomenon: Baby Yoda memes are everywhere and holy cow the Baby Yoda merchandise is adorable. You need to be in the know.
You already bought Disney Plus so there’s really no excuse.
You’re feeling the Star Wars Movie FOMO.
Can you understand The Mandalorian without being a Star Wars nerd? Do you need to watch the Star Wars movies before you watch The Mandalorian?
Let’s chat about that.
What is a Mandalorian in Star Wars?
According to Wiki:
Mandalorians are a fictional race of people from the planet Mandalore in the Star Wars science-fiction franchise. First conceptualized for The Empire Strikes Back as a group of white-armored “supercommandos”, the idea developed into a single bounty hunter character, Boba Fett.
Although the term “Mandalorian” is never used in the films, the popularity of Boba Fett (and Jango Fett, his father) inspired an extensive number of works about Mandalorians in broader parts of the Star Wars franchise.
Sure, there is a much more detailed description out there, but for a new person going in: this is pretty much what you need to know.
The Mandalorian on Disney+ follows a bounty hunter Mandalorian. So far, he doesn’t have a name on the show but is referred to as Mando.
Here’s Why You Don’t Need To Watch The Star Wars Movies Before Mandalorian
If you do happen to be a Star Wars movie lover, you might need to know the official Star Wars timeline with The Mandalorian in it.
This series picks up after Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens.
But if you are super new to this whole thing you can absolutely enjoy the story for what it is without a lot of background knowledge.
The description of the show on Disney Plus explains things a bit:
After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.”
And honestly, that’s really all you need to know. You’ll get by with just understanding these important points.
You may miss the callbacks and easter eggs that uber-fans will get positively giddy over, but the story itself is compelling and complete on its own.
And you’ll soon be repeating some of the best quotes from The Mandalorian like the rest of us!
Outside of maybe knowing what a Mandalorian is- which I answered for you above-, I’d also point out that the Empire (the Big Bad in the Star Wars universe) has been defeated and disassembled at this time. They once ruled the galaxy and are now on the run.
And that’s a plot point that’s easy to pick up along the way.
So You Don’t Need To Watch Stars Wars Before Mandalorian: But Should You?
You should- you really should.
And if you want to know how to watch the Star Wars Movies in Order, here’s a few options for you.
Watching the movies will clarify so many details and bring out things that you’ll overlook while watching The Mandalorian without a Star Wars movie base to fall back on.
And it will help you answer some questions like…
Who Is Baby Yoda?
Want something fun? No one really knows! Even the geekiest of Star Wars geeks do not have an answer to who is The Child at this time.
Yoda is a character in the original series who was a Jedi Master. He was able to harness the power of the mystical Jedi religion and tap into The Force.
The Child (aka Baby Yoda) appears in Disney+’s The Mandalorian and he looks a heck of a lot like Yoda. But he’s not Yoda, and throughout all the previous Star Wars movies we never learned Yoda’s race or where he came from or if he was married or had kids or anything!
So this Baby Yoda? We’re just calling him that because it’s way cuter than The Child (sorry, Jon Favreau, but it’s true.)
Are you watching The Mandalorian? This is the way!
Patty Holliday is the owner and creator of all things No-Guilt Universe. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.