“Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season” 4K, Blu-Ray Review

 

While it will forever be known as “that show with Baby Yoda,” The Mandalorian has become much, much more. And that became especially clear in the show’s second season, which went even deeper into Star Wars lore, Mandalorian culture, and the aftermath of the Empire’s fall.

Well, now you can enjoy all of it, and without the fear of it being delisted or glitching out, thanks to Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season (4K, Blu-Ray).

For those who’ve never seen this show,

you need to start with season one. (Which is also available on 4K and Blu-ray as Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season. You can read my review here.) Set a few years after the Empire collapsed at the end of Return Of The Jedi, it’s centered around a bounty hunter named Din Djarin [The Last Of Us‘ Pedro Pascal], who rescued a little kid of whatever species Yoda happens to be, hence his nickname, Baby Yoda.

But helping Grogu (as the kid’s now known) isn’t the only thing on Djarin’s to-do list. He’s a Mandalorian, and has to help his fellow Mandalorians rebuild their society, which was decimated by the Empire.

All of which makes for a Western-flavored sci-fi space opera that’s like a Spaghetti Western version of Kazuo Koike’s classic manga, Lone Wolf And Cub.

There’s a lot to like about The Mandalorian. For starters, it expands upon a period in galactic history we haven’t seen much on screen, and only somewhat in games, comics, and such novels as Claudia Gray’s Bloodline and Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath Trilogy.

But it also connects rather nicely…

to such previous Star Wars shows as Rebels and The Clone Wars, while, conversely, setting up the good show Ahsoka and the not-as-good but still better than some people make it out to be Book Of Boba Fett. All of which will ultimately culminate in a movie tentatively titled Heir To The Empire.

Though let’s be honest: One of the biggest draws of The Mandalorian is Baby Yoda, the mischievous and impossibly cute toddler who’s as adorable and just as much of a scamp in these episodes as he was in the first season.

Couple all of this with solid writing, impressive special effects, compelling action, some genuinely funny moments (Grogu’s physical comedy chops rival those of Mel Brooks), and convincing performances by Pascal, his co-stars, and the Grogu puppet, and you have an effortlessly engaging show whether you watch one episode a week or all eight in a marathon.

As for how those episodes look and sound on Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season, this, of course, depends on your Internet access. And your home theater set-up.

If streaming for you is always a game of “when will this glitch out,” having none of those worries is delightful. In fact, the show looks even better on these discs than it does streaming.

The sound quality is also impressive, though only if you have a stereo or home theater capable of presenting impressive sound quality in a way that’s, well, impressive.

Episodes on the 4K and Blu-ray versions…

of Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season also come with the added benefit of being easily rewound for when you think you see some familiar-looking droid in the background and want to know was that R2-D2? No, wait, it’s just a mailbox.

While those eight episodes are the main draw of getting Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season on 4K and Blu-Ray, it also has a couple short but interesting extras.

First, the Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season has a self-explanatory, nearly five-minute-long featurette called “Designing The New Republic.” As is typical for these kinds of things, this is an informative look at how the design team created the new security droids, the new uniforms and flight suits, and even the currency Din uses to buy Grogu a nice snack.

The Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season 4K and Blu-ray discs also includes “Forging The Covert: Part Two,” a six minute long making-of featurette. Like “Part One,” which is included on Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season, and every other making-of featurette, “Part Two” combines crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage into something informative if a bit whitewashed.

Though both featurettes are good for what they are, it seems like there are other extras that would’ve made Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season even better.

For starters,

this seasonal collection would benefit from having some episode commentaries, though only if they were done by co-creators Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau along with Pascal and other members of the cast.

It also would’ve been cool if there was a featurette explaining the connections between these episodes and specific episodes from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels.

Also, why isn’t there a gag reel? Are you honestly going to tell us there’s no footage of Pascal messing up? Or the Grogu puppet falling over when it’s not supposed to?

And where are the original trailers?

But the most annoying thing about Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season is that they left off this season’s Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian, a two episode making-of special that’s available on Disney+, but is absent from this so-called “complete” seasonal set.

Regardless,

if you’re a Star Wars fan, and especially a fan of The Mandalorian, you owe it to yourself to get Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season on 4K or Blu-ray. Not only is it the best Star Wars story since The Force Awakens, but enjoying it on physical media, and thus without all the inherent fears of streaming, makes them the best way to enjoy that show with Baby Yoda.

SCORE: 8.5/10