The Mandalorian Season 2 gets a premiere date, meet Young Yoda, and more

Time again for STAR WARS WEEKLY, the SYFY WIRE series that rounds up the most important news of the week from a galaxy far, far away.

Think of us as your own personal Star Wars Holocron.

THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 2

Last week would have been Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim. Everyone expected trailers and news to drop. There was hope last year that if the Kenobi series had filmed in the spring of 2020, we would have had a trailer for that, too. Thanks to COVID-19, the convention was canceled, the Obi-Wan series hasn’t begun filming, and the Cassian Andor series still feels like a twinkle in Lucasfilm’s eye.

Since it had already been through the production process, the only thing that’s still on track and on time is the second season of The Mandalorian. We knew it would be premiering next month, but now we have an official date we can count down to.

Set your clocks for Oct. 30. That’s when The Mandalorian is going to be hitting Disney+. There’s still no trailer or any other real indication about what the season will be like except for reports that some exciting new characters and big-name actors will be joining the sophomore season. Will Ahsoka, Boba Fett, Rex, or others show up? Maybe.

We can only hope a trailer drops soon.

YODA AND THE HIGH REPUBLIC

Another tease Lucasfilm offered us this past week was a look at a much younger Yoda during the time of The High Republic. 

In order to experience the exploits of this younger, less wise Yoda, you’ll have to pick up IDW’s comic Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, written by Daniel Jose Older. From his remarks to StarWars.com, Older told us exactly what to expect: "While he’s already a respected member of the Jedi Council at this point, we meet Yoda in IDW’s The High Republic Adventures series doing what he loves best: looking out for the young folks — in this case, a group of Padawans traveling around the galaxy to learn the ways of the Jedi with a hands-on approach. The Force study abroad program, basically."

The book comes out sometime in 2021, and we can’t wait to see it. 

BILLY DEE WILLIAMS HONORS CHADWICK BOSEMAN

Last week marked the tragic, untimely death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. Billy Dee Williams, the man behind Lando Calrissian, paid a heartfelt tribute to Boseman on Twitter.

JOHN BOYEGA SPEAKS OUT

John Boyega, the actor behind Finn, spoke to GQ Magazine in his first real interview since the completion of The Rise of Skywalker and his appearance at a political rally in the U.K. He had a lot to say about his treatment during his time in Star Wars, alleging that Disney cast him as a marketing ploy and then cast him aside.

"What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up," he said in the interview. "Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver. You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*** all."

It’s important that Star Wars fans give it a read and really try to let his criticism sink in.

Read the interview here. Whether you loved the sequel trilogy or hated it, it is immaterial to how John Boyega experienced it.  

STAR WARS AT DRAGON CON

Star Wars Celebration isn’t the only convention that had to get canceled because of COVID-19. Dragon Con also had to bow to the realities of the pandemic. But, Dragon Con already had its own television station and had no problem pivoting to a virtual con.

Dragon Con has consistently had some of the best Star Wars programming in the world of fan-run conventions and its virtual offerings are no exception. For my money, it might be my favorite convention in the country and I haven’t missed it in a decade. I’m glad I get to have a taste of it this year from home.

Tonight, you’ll be able to catch a panel I was a part of, one that explores the movies that influenced Star Wars with a group of other film aficionados.

If you wanted to compete in their trivia contest, they’re doing that online as well. 

There are panels planned all weekend and you won’t want to miss any of it. And you’ll get to take a great look at what Dragon Con has had to offer in the past, its Dragon Con TV station will be streaming all weekend, too. Did I mention it’s free?

Follow Star Wars at Dragon Con on Twitter for updates on their schedule and visit the official Dragon Con website for the streams of all the stuff you need to see.

Until next week, may the Force be with you!