The Mandalorian capped off its second season with a mind-blowing cameo from Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker, earning an overwhelmingly positive reception from fans everywhere. Still, these reactions are only the tip of the iceberg for the hit Star Wars series, especially after an impressive sophomore run.
Throughout the season, The Mandalorian showcased a plethora of guest actors, ranging from returning stars from its debut run all the way to new and surprising characters. Gina Carano's Cara Dune and Carl Weathers' Greef Karga headline the returning favorites while Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano and Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan served as welcome additions.
Despite the growing numbers of cast members, the Jon Favreau-created Disney+ series still managed to elevate the dynamic of Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and fan-favorite Baby Yoda a.k.a. Grogu. The relationship of the runaway duo anchored the show from start to finish, but it all came to a sad end when Grogu decided to go with Luke to fulfill his Jedi training during the finale.
While fans wait for the next chapter for this duo's journey, a new (and important) campaign has started for The Mandalorian.
THE MANDALORIAN'S EMMY CAMPAIGN OFFICIALLY BEGINS
Ahead of the nominations for the 2021 Emmy Awards, Lucasfilm and Disney released an official campaign poster for The Mandalorian.
The poster highlights the massive ensemble of stars that were featured during the second season, with Disney pushing for major acting awards.
Pedro Pascal is being touted as lead actor, while Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon) and Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett) are listed for supporting actors. Gina Carano is the lone supporting actress.
Most impressively, a list of Guest Stars from the sophomore season's eight episodes contain 18 actors and actresses:
Omid Abtahi
Richard Ayoade
Michael Biehn
Bill Burr
Rosario Dawson
Mark Hamill
Diana Lee Inosanto
Simon Kassianides
John Leguizamo
Timothy Olyphant
Misty Rosas
Katee Sackhoff
Horatio Sanz
Amy Sedaris
Mercedes Varnado
Carl Weathers
Titus Welliver
Ming-Na Wen
BACK TO BACK EMMY WIN FOR THE MANDALORIAN?
During its debut season, The Mandalorian earned a total of 15 Emmy nominations, ultimately nabbing multiple awards during the ceremony. As a result, this triumph set the bar high for live-action Star Wars projects.
It's worth noting that a good chunk of those nominations for the series was more on the technical side such as Outstanding Sound Editing and Outstanding Production Design. Now, based on this campaign, it looks like Lucasfilm and Disney are pushing towards advocating for the long list of stars that Season 2 featured.
This doesn't mean that the campaign will be mainly focused on the star-studded cast. It's possible that this is the first wave of Emmy campaign posters for The Mandalorian, with other categories coming in later.
This latest development shouldn't be surprising, especially after how these guest stars became a standout in each of their respective appearances in the show. Of course, this is further amplified by the brilliant performances from Pedro Pascal and Grogu, which are already a main staple in The Mandalorian.
For example, the live-action debut of Ahsoka Tano was amusingly portrayed by Rosario Dawson, stealing every scene that she was in during “Chapter 15: The Jedi.” From thrilling action sequences to compelling character moments, many would agree that Dawson's performance as the lightsaber-wielding hero was a memorable one.
Meanwhile, Mark Hamill's showstopping cameo as Luke Skywalker earned tears and cheers from virtually every Star Wars fan, leaving a mind-boggling impact that became a hot topic for weeks on social media.
The inclusions of Ahsoka and Luke are a prime example of how The Mandalorian used these guest stars effectively, considering that they were added so naturally within the narrative instead of being shoehorned in.
With Disney officially starting the awards campaign for the show, it seems that they have a convincing argument as to why these stars deserve a nomination.
The first two seasons of The Mandalorian are now streaming on Disney+.
