Star Wars Officially Replaces The Mandalorian With A Much More Powerful Warrior

Published Oct 6, 2026, 3:32 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. Star Wars has officially replaced Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin with a much more powerful warrior in the Mandoverse. Din Djarin has been one of the main poster boys of Star Wars for nearly seven years now, since The Mandalorian began in 2019. He started the rush of live-action Star Wars shows on Disney+, created a whole mini-franchise set shortly after Return of the Jedi in the Star Wars timeline, and even got his own standalone movie in The Mandalorian and Grogu. As popular as Din Djarin and The Mandalorian have been, however, their popularity is waning. The Mandalorian and Grogu was a box office flop, The Mandalorian season 4 is nowhere to be seen years after the ending of season 3, and the list of upcoming Star Wars movies are leaving Din and Grogu behind. Pedro Pascal's character went from being the hottest thing in Star Wars, popular enough to name the entire Mandoverse after him, to being shelved. Now, Star Wars is gearing up to shift its attention away from the Mandoverse and back to the sequel era. Star Wars: Starfighter, for example, takes place during the sequels, while Simon Kinberg and Jon Watts are currently producing Episode X, focusing on Rey Skywalker. Disney and Lucasfilm, however, aren't giving up on the Mandoverse yet, and they already have a replacement for Din Djarin lined up. In fact, Din's replacement is a very familiar character who is an even stronger warrior than he is: Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka Has Taken Over As The Mandoverse's Most Important Protagonist Credit: Lucasfilm The Mandoverse was originally named that because of Din Djarin. Not only did The Mandalorian start Star Wars' multi-show, post-Return of the Jedi storytelling, but Din Djarin was at the center of its story. After all, Din found both Boba Fett and Ahsoka Tano in his show, while both Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett were originally viewed as spinoffs of The Mandalorian. Din and Grogu were also the main force openly battling the Imperial Remnants, the main villains of the Mandoverse. Now, however, Din and Grogu aren't all that important to the overarching story of the Mandoverse. The Mandalorian season 3 basically only explained how Mandalore was recolonized, while The Mandalorian and Grogu was basically a standalone adventure that explained the downfall of the Hutt Cartel. Neither of Din's two most recent projects have had far-reaching implications for the Mandoverse or Star Wars at large. Ahsoka, on the other hand, has been right at the center of the biggest story Star Wars has told since The Rise of Skywalker. Ahsoka, not The Mandalorian, introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn to the Mandoverse and set the stage for a final confrontation between the Imperial Remnants and the New Republic. Ahsoka season 1 is required viewing for anyone interested in the Mandoverse, while both The Mandalorian season 3 and the movie can safely be skipped. Just compare the central characters of the shows. While Din and Grogu were off on adventures with Bo-Katan and Rotta the Hutt, Ahsoka was hunting down Thrawn, exploring the mystery of Peridea, and gearing up to fight Baylan Skoll. Ahsoka's story is the true next chapter of the Mandoverse, while Din's story has become, essentially, a spinoff. Everything the Mandoverse was building up to, from the Imperial Remnants to the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, is coming to a head in Ahsoka, not The Mandalorian. Ahsoka Season 2 Could Be The Culmination Of The Entire Mandoverse There's even a chance that Ahsoka season 2 could be the ultimate culmination of the entire story of the Mandoverse. Dave Filoni's untitled Mandoverse movie is nowhere to be seen, after all, while Ahsoka season 2 is perfectly poised to tell the final chapter of Grand Admiral Thrawn's attack on the New Republic. Din Djarin and Grogu also don't have a clear path forward, and it's possible that Disney and Lucasfilm won't focus on them due to The Mandalorian and Grogu's poor performance. Upcoming Star Wars Movies & Shows Title Release Date Ahsoka Season 2 January 20, 2027 Star Wars: Starfighter May 28, 2027 Maul - Shadow Lord Season 2 TBA New Jedi Order TBA Simon Kinberg's Trilogy TBA Dawn of the Jedi TBA Star Wars: Visions Season 4 TBA What little we know about Ahsoka season 2's story also seems to confirm that it's going to be the final chapter of the Mandoverse. The trailer for Ahsoka season 2 teased Thrawn and the New Republic in open combat, Ahsoka and Sabine pursuing Baylan Skoll as he hunts for the Mortis gods, and more. Ahsoka season 2 is shaping up to be an epic season of Star Wars television, and its scope may be big enough to be the finale of the Mandoverse altogether. Ending the Mandoverse's overarching story with Ahsoka season 2 would also tie things up in a neat bow for Star Wars as a franchise. Upcoming movies like Starfighter and Episode X are moving past the Imperial Remnants and New Republic to focus on new threats. Tying up Thrawn and the Empire in Ahsoka season 2, months before Starfighter comes out, could help Star Wars tell a more consistent message without having to focus on the Mandoverse at the same time. Release Date August 22, 2023 Network Disney+ Showrunner Dave Filoni