The Mandalorian

We had all dreamed about what a live-action Star Wars TV show could be. "How great would it be," we said, "to have scoundrels, monstrous creatures, space battles, bounty hunters, maybe even a chase with a sandcrawler?!"

Well, maybe we couldn't have imagined the sandcrawler chase sequence, but one thing is for sure—The Mandalorian delivered on our childhood imaginations in some big, bad ways. And it left us wanting more. More Mandos. More personal Star Wars stories that capture the feel of space westerns, old-school adventure, and stories of bounty hunters getting the job done—no matter who they have to double-cross to do so.

The Expanded Universe is loaded with stories such as these ... although you won’t find any more Baby Yoda just yet.

In fact, on Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian, John Favreau and Dave Filoni described their show as being inspired by their experiences playing with their Star Wars action figures as children. The conceit is this, as Filoni put it: "Our older brother took all of the cool toys and we got left with Ugnaughts and Jawas and other pegwarmers. But somehow we got a Boba Fett figure—but then we painted him silver and made him cooler, because sometimes you make it your own."

And that's exactly what makes The Mandalorian great. It's an odd assortment of characters, to be sure: a Mandalorian bounty hunter, an Ugnaught, an IG droid, brought to life with a tremendous dose of love and passion, all alongside new standout characters like Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune and Bounty Hunter Guild chief Greef Karga. They come together in a spectacular way that elevates the misfits to A-list status in Star Wars storytelling.

Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir is perhaps the most consequential Canon story to expand on Mandalorian mythology, filling in the gaps in Maul's relationship with the Mandalorians in the Clone Wars. Beyond that, here you’ll find books that hit the tone of The Mandalorian: stories that thrill, inspire, and immerse the reader in a galaxy far, far away. Such books include Kenobi by John Jackson Miller, Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston, and Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn. Some explore the legendary history of the Mandalorians—from the Old Republic to long after its demise (in Legends, that is). The backstabbing camaraderie between bounty hunters is another fun thread to follow up on with The Bounty Hunter Wars and Tales of the Bounty Hunters.

We at Youtini can’t wait to see what future seasons of The Mandalorian have in store for us. What Expanded Universe characters will join the ranks with Mando? What more will we learn about the culture of the Mandalorians, and how will Mando’s clan of two save his people from the brink of extinction?

There’s so much to occupy us in the meantime, however. We now have the announcement of a full publishing tie-in program, complete with an adult novel, Marvel comics, reference books—even a Little Golden Book! It certainly feels like we're all aboard the Razor Crest with Mando and Baby Yoda, blasting off into a galaxy full of possibilities.

This is the way.