The second season of the American television series The Mandalorian is part of the Star Wars franchise, set after the events of the film Return of the Jedi (1983).
Favreau wanted to expand the scope of the series and introduce new characters, including several that return from previous Star Wars media.
It received critical acclaim, with praise for the visual effects, action sequences, performances, musical score, cinematography, storyline, chemistry of the leads, sense of nostalgia, emotional weight, and the return of several characters from previous Star Wars projects.
[17] On May 4, Star Wars Day, Robert Rodriguez and Peyton Reed revealed that they had also directed episodes of the second season.
He added that the new characters introduced in the second season would come with new storylines, allowing the series to begin to explore stories other than the Mandalorian's.
Also returning from the first season are recurring co-stars Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon and Gina Carano as Cara Dune,[2] in addition to Amy Sedaris as Peli Motto,[4] Carl Weathers as Greef Karga,[2] Horatio Sanz as a Mythrol,[9] Omid Abtahi as Dr. Pershing,[8] Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand,[5] and Bill Burr as Migs Mayfeld.
Dawson had previously expressed interest in taking on the role in live-action after her casting was suggested by a fan in February 2017.
[26] He portrays Cobb Vanth, a character from the Star Wars: Aftermath novels who wears Boba Fett's armor.
[27][4] In September 2020, Mercedes Varnado was revealed to have been cast in the season;[28] she appears as the Mandalorian Koska Reeves, a member of the Nite Owls.
[7] In the season finale, the character Luke Skywalker appears along with his droid R2-D2;[29] Mark Hamill reprises his role from the Star Wars films, digitally de-aged to portray a younger version of Skywalker, with Max Lloyd Jones serving as an on-set body double for the character.
[11] Additionally, Matthew Wood reprises his role as Bib Fortuna from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999).
There was "heightened secrecy" surrounding the second season, with actors only receiving scripts for the episodes they were in and being brought to set in hooded cloaks.
[42][41] He uses a "rock 'n' roll, heavy metal mood" in "Chapter 9: The Marshal" as an homage to the music Ennio Morricone wrote for Sergio Leone's Western films.
It is played on a Fender Rhodes electric piano,[43] which Göransson compared to John Williams' use of the glockenspiel and celeste in the Star Wars films to create a "storybook or magical feeling".
To comply with health regulations and musician union rules, the strings were recorded on separate days from the brass and woodwinds.
The site's critical consensus reads: "With fan favorites and fresh faces galore both in front of and behind the camera, The Mandalorian's sophomore season solidifies its place as one of Star Wars's most engaging and exciting sagas.
[53] In the week of December 14, the show audience increased more and managed to finally reach number 1 in the Nielsen ratings, beating "The Office" with a total of 1.3 billion streams.
The hour-long special features interviews with the cast and crew of The Mandalorian and behind-the-scenes footage for all eight episodes of season two.