‘Star Wars:” the epic saga of good versus evil, light versus dark, complete with exciting battles in space between fleets of ships and impressive lightsaber duels. It is no wonder that the “Star Wars” universe captured the imaginations of so many growing up. More than 40 years have passed since the release of the first movie, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,” but the franchise still has many fans of all ages. The recent release of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+ opened a new storyline in the universe, seemingly disconnected from the main set of heroes and villains that most know. Nevertheless, the Western setting in space attracted many viewers and left them satisfied. The Internet has been aflame with reactions to the show, with one of the main characters, nicknamed by the masses as “Baby Yoda,” becoming a viral meme. There are also many Mandalorian fans at CHS who avidly watched the show. Seniors Edward Rumbos-Perez and Sidney Orret shared their experiences and reactions.

“I’ve watched all the movies and other ‘Star Wars’ things like ‘The Clone Wars’ and ‘Star Wars Rebels,’ so I would consider myself to be a big ‘Star Wars’ fan,” Orret said. “I saw the trailer, and the trailer was pretty good so I was excited for ‘The Mandalorian.’ It lived up to the trailer.”

Rumbos-Perez was also well-versed in “Star Wars” going into the TV series. His dad first introduced him to the original trilogy, and Rumbos-Perez was hooked on from there. He has watched almost everything the “Star Wars” universe has to offer. For this reason, he was excited about “The Mandalorian” when it came out.

“The trailer looked very interesting and it was different from what we had seen before,” Rumbos-Perez said. “George Lucas intended ‘Star Wars’ to be a western in space and ‘The Mandalorian’ really felt like that tone.”

The good reviews of “The Mandalorian” are juxtaposed by the mixed ones coming from the newest “Star Wars” movie, “The Rise of Skywalker.” The long-awaited conclusion to the latest sequel’s trilogy has left some fans disappointed even while other “Star Wars” content does well. Rumbos-Perez felt that this latest installment lacked in important areas.

“As a long-time ‘Star Wars’ fan, I thought it was decent, but I felt like the plot moved very quickly,” Rumbos-Perez said. “Seeing as the eighth movie moved super slow, I think some of the plot deserved to be in the previous movie. That would have benefitted both films. So many moments that should have felt impactful weren’t as important in my eyes because they happened so quickly.”

The positive feedback “The Mandalorian” received was a boon to Disney and their new streaming service. However, many users signed on exclusively for “The Mandalorian,” and some started canceling their subscriptions after the show was over, as the next season is not expected to come out until fall of 2020. Rumbos-Perez felt this was an overreaction to the end of season one.

“We only got Disney+ because of ‘The Mandalorian,’” Rumbos-Perez said. “We had no interest in any of the other content on Disney+, just ‘The Mandalorian.’ However, we’re not canceling the subscription, because in February ‘The Clone Wars’ season seven comes out, and I’m really interested in that series too.”

With Disney showing an interest in putting out content for its “Star Wars” fans, the wait until season two of “The Mandalorian” will pass much faster. The show gained many positive reviews and great feedback, and the second season will be hyped up leading into the fall with many avid fans awaiting it.