It’s been a little over two months since the first trailer was released for The Mandalorian, the all-new live-action Star Wars television series created exclusively for Disney’s soon-to-launch streaming service Disney+, and this evening saw the premiere of a second trailer jam-packed full of bounty-hunting goodness.
In the following post, I’ll attempt to break down and analyze (to the best of my ability) the new trailer shot by shot, based on what we already know about the show and my own previously existing Star Wars knowledge.
Shot #1:
The exact same shot that opened the previous trailer, which is honestly just a little bit disappointing. A collection of sun-battered Imperial stormtrooper helmets lie scattered in the sand. We slowly zoom in until a foot enters into frame and walks through. The music is a little different this time… somewhat more ominous.
Shot #2:
The second shot is also the same as in the previous trailer. Stormtrooper helmets on spikes, their shadows cast against the wall of an aging building on what is presumably a desert planet. The Mandalorian’s head passes through the frame. He’s on his way somewhere, determined.
Werner Herzog’s character (we still don’t know his name) from off-screen: “Is the world more peaceful since the revolution?”
Shot #3:
Two hard-to-see characters (likely the Klatooinian raiders seen later on) ride two similiarly difficult-to-make-out lizard-like beasts (these may be Blurrgs) along a desert ridge, hunting something beneath them.
Werner Herzog (off-screen): “It is a shame that your people suffered.”
Shot #4:
The Mandalorian (played by actor Pedro Pascal of Game of Thrones) looks warily around the desert canyon, presumably below where we saw the riders in the previous shot. We hear an electronic whirring noise.
Shot #5:
He hand twitches on his blaster in its holster.
Shot #6:
He whips out the blaster with lightning-fast reflexes and points it upward at his attackers.
Shot #7:
One of the Klatooinian raiders jumps down from his perch, wielding what looks to be a vibro-ax.
Shot #8:
In another blurry quick-cut action shot, the second Klatooinian springs down upon his prey.
Shot #9:
The Mandalorian deflects a swing of one of the Klatooinians’ vibro-axes with his left wrist guard.
Shot #10:
The Mandalorian takes down one of his attackers with a kick to the shin.
Shot #11:
The second Klatooinian lands a hit on the back of the Mandalorian’s armor, but the title character (now wielding his as-yet-unnamed long-arm rifle– inspired by the look of Boba Fett’s weapon from The Star Wars Holiday Special) spins around in defense.
Shot #12:
The Mandalorian begins to jab his rifle, which appears to have an electric shock bayonet at its end, into the Klatooinian’s torso.
Shot #13:
The second Klatooinian absorbs the shock in his midsection and goes flying away from the Mandalorian. In the background, we can see the first raider attempting to stand up, but still reeling from his injuries.
Shot #14:
Carbonite mist sprays across the face of one of the Klatooinians, who is now propped up in a familiar electronic frame. An interesting note here is that The Empire Strikes Back makes it clear that carbonite was not used to transport living humanoids prior to Han Solo, so the practice must have caught on among bounty hunters in the wake of that event.
Shot #15:
The Mandalorian walks past a row of four prisoners encased in carbonite. This scene most likely takes place in the hold of his ship, the Razor Crest. We’ve seen part of this shot before in the previous trailer.
Werner Herzog (off-screen): “…but bounty hunting is a complicated profession.”
Shot #16:
Lucasfilm logo. As usual.
Shot #17:
Space. An empty starfield, until the Razor Crest emerges out of hyperspace. The ship then flies off the top of the frame.
Shot #18:
A lush, verdant planet with many trees, open fields, and lakes. The Razor Crest hurtles away from the camera and toward the horizon.
Shot #19:
Two workers unload the Mandalorian’s captives from the hold of the Razor Crest. In the background we can see a couple of other ships and some hills.
Shot #20:
Another recycled shot. The Mandalorian walks through a large, crumbling arch into a settlement. The Razor Crest sits at the left side of the frame, while another nondescript ship takes up the right edge. Domed building, canopies, and moisture vaporators are visible around the small city.
Werner Herzog (off-screen): “They said you were coming.”
Shot #21:
A very quick fade in and out as the Mandalorian stands in the doorway of a bustling cantina. We can see several humans, a Rodian, and a couple other species among the diverse clientele.
Shot #22:
Another quick, dark shot, so it’s hard to tell what species this alien is, but it appears to be another denizen of the cantina. There are what appear to be windows in the background.
Werner Herzog: “They said you were the best in the parsec.”
Shot #23:
More difficult-to-identify cantina patrons stare (presumably) at the Mandalorian as he makes his way into the establishment. In the center of the frame is a woman in red armor talking to a blue-skinned humanoid alien.
Shot #24:
A door slides open to reveal a room occupied by armed Imperial stormtroopers– notable because this series is set years after the fall of the Galactic Empire. There are crates scattered around and a slatted window in the far wall. The Mandalorian’s helmet observes from the left foreground before he enters.
Shot #25:
We finally see Werner Herzog’s face, though he did also pop up in the previous trailer. His medallion has the Imperial insignia on in, and considering his association with stormtroopers we can probably safely assume he is an ex-Imperial or at the very least an Imperial sympathizer who wants to see the Empire reinstated.
Werner Herzog: “Would you agree?”
Shot #26:
The cantina door slides open, but this time the Mandalorian is facing outside.
Shot #27:
The Mandalorian takes out a few stormtroopers who were waiting for him at the cantina’s exit. Another muscular character (I hate to say it, but this guy kind of looks like Dash Rendar from Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire) exits the bar behind him in pursuit.
Shot #28:
A robed child reaches up toward someone or something, with a padded wall behind him.
Title card: “STREAMING NOVEMBER 12”
Shot #29:
What looks like a Clone Wars-era droid gunship flies past overhead through a plume of black smoke.
Shot #30:
A mother and father hurry through city streets toward the camera as what appear to be B2 super battle droids pursue them from behind, firing their wrist blasters.
Shot #31:
Title card: “A VISIONARY NEW SERIES”
Shot #32:
In a different cantina, the Mandalorian fires his wrist-mounted grappling hook off the right edge of the screen. Behind him, drinks are lined up on the wall and aliens watch in amusement.
Shot #33:
We see a Quarren being pulled back through the cantina’s door as the alien tries desperately to crawl away. It appears to be snowing on this planet. The Quarren turns around toward the Mandalorian, who is visible in the background.
Shot #34:
The Quarren, still being pulled through the door, fires his blaster into the cantina. In the background we can see a frozen wasteland, another building, and a moisture vaporator. There’s also a rope sack of some sort near the entrance, but this may just be set decoration.
Shot #35:
The Mandalorian takes a shot in his right shoulder, then quickly draws his blaster from its holster and fires back at the Quarren. We can see an old man in a booth behind him watching the fight, and what may be an R1-series droid on the left side of the screen. This cantina has windows also, for what it’s worth.
Shot #36:
Title card: “FROM THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE”
Shot #37:
This roaring beast looks similar to the reek from the Geonosis arena battle in Attack of the Clones, but it only has one big horn instead of three. There’s a mountainous region in the background.
Shot #38:
For some reason the Mandalorian has attached himself to the creature, which is now dragging him toward what looks to be a cave on the right edge of the screen.
Shot #39:
I believe we’re in the cockpit of the Razor Crest. This Ugnaught character is named Kuiil, as revealed by The Mandalorian’s toy line.
Shot #40:
The Mandalorian and another unknown character race across a dune sea (though not necessarily that Dune Sea) on what look like swoops or speeder bikes.
Shot #41:
Not quite walking off into the sunset, the Mandalorian is actually walking toward the camera here (you can tell by the configuration of his rifle) with a nice colorful vista behind him. Obviously this series has a very big Western influence.
Shot #42:
The Razor Crest is being pursued through space by another ship. The camera whips to the right as they zoom past, but it’s very hard to make out what kind of ship is actually in pursuit.
Shot #43:
Carl Weathers’ character Greef Carga steps toward the Razor Crest as it lands in a rocky wasteland. Two goons stand by his side, wearing masks and goggles.
Shot #44:
Reverse shot of Greef Carga and his armed thugs. It’s difficult to tell what’s going on in the fuzzy background.
Shot #45:
Gina Carano’s character Cara Dune slings something over her shoulder as she greets the Mandalorian in a village surrounded by trees. Townspeople look on from behind her, smiling.
Werner Herzog (off-screen): “Mandalorian…”
Shot #46:
Reverse shot of Cara Dune and the Mandalorian bumping fists in the village. Is that a droid in the background?
Shot #47:
The Mandalorian continues his walk alone, with the sun setting behind him.
Shot #48:
This is the back side of Giancarlo Esposito’s character Moff Gideon, flanked by two Death Troopers as they face what I believe to be the cantina where the Mandalorian met Werner Herzog earlier in the trailer. There are large laser blast holes in the building from what I can only assume was their attack.
Werner Herzog (off-screen): “…look outside.”
Shot #49:
Reverse shot of Moff Gideon. Not only does he have Death Troopers, but what looks like an entire battalion of regular old stormtroopers backing him up. More buildings are visible behind them, along with perhaps the open canopy of some variety of TIE fighter.
Shot #50:
Aw yeah… this is Taika Waititi’s character, the assassin droid known as IG-11 (assembly-line cousin to IG-88 from The Empire Strikes Back). He’s standing outside a desert settlement, shooting and being shot at with a wide array of weapons, which is what an assassin droid does best. Can’t wait to see– and hear– more of this guy.
Werner Herzog (off-screen): “They are waiting for you.”
Shot #51:
In the tree-lined village, a woman in tattered clothes (I believe this to be actress Julia Jones from Westworld) reaches up to remove the Mandalorian’s helmet.
Shot #52:
The woman begins to lift up on the Mandalorian’s helmet, but the shot cuts away before we can see any of his face.
Shot #53:
Cara Dune crouches in what looks like a dimly-lit lounge area and rapid-fires her blaster cannon off-camera.
Shot #54:
Comedian Bill Burr is probably the most unlikely cast member of any Star Wars project (and yes, that includes Werner Herzog), but there he is, firing two blasters with his hands and one mounted on his shoulder in a pristine hallway. Cool.
Shot #55:
Now the Mandalorian has grappled onto a flying TIE fighter! Is there anything this guy can’t do?
Shot #56:
Moff Gideon looks up from his cockpit as he realizes the Mandalorian is on top of his TIE while it’s flying through mid-air. This scene should be pretty fun.
Shot #57:
The Mandalorian raises his rifle, ready to fire, with the Razor Crest parked on a rocky outcropping behind him. We hear his voice for the first time ever.
The Mandalorian: “Yeah? Good.”
Shot #58:
The Mandalorian premieres with the launch of Disney+ on Tuesday, November 12.