'The Mandalorian' Trailer Breakdown: It Seems The Mandalorian Has A Tragic Past

Disney is keeping a tight lid on all things The Mandalorian, the highly anticipated Star Wars series set to debut on Disney+ in two weeks. Set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, this space western takes us to the outer fringes of a galaxy far, far away, following the adventures of the titular bounty hunter played by Pedro Pascal. We know little of who this Mandalorian is or where he comes from, but the newest The Mandalorian trailer teases a possible tragic past for the masked bounty hunter.

Let's dive into our trailer breakdown.

After a few shots of the fallen or strung-up Stormtrooper helmets that we'd seen in the first trailer, we get to a scene of the Mandalorian sensing a coming ambush in an empty desert cavern. It's a fairly innocuous shot, but the most interesting part of it is the dialogue from Werner Herzog's character overlaid on top of it.

"Is the world more peaceful since the revolution?" the German auteur intones in his hypnotic voice, speaking apparently to the Mandalorian. "It is a shame that your people suffered."

Who are the people that Herzog is referring to? The first answer would be the Mandalorians from Mandalore, who were divided in the war against the Empire, with one division loyal to the Old Republic and another supporting the Empire. In the aftermath of the Emperor's defeat, could one of these divisions have been wiped out? Or could Herzog be referring to a bit of Star Wars lore from the prequels: the divisive clones? We recently learned that the first episode of The Mandalorian contains a major Star Wars universe spoiler — perhaps Mando's tragic past is that.

The first trailer delighted in showing us all the iconic Western imagery that this series would pay homage to, and we get yet another one right off the bat as Mando prepares for the ambush. Look at that trigger finger. That's a good trigger finger.

The ambush begins and Mando easily takes out all his attackers, one with the end of his spear, which shoots a laser blast. I honestly have nothing else to say about this shot, I just think it looks neat.

The Mandalorian's ship lands with an unknown person coming out. Are those bodies, frozen in carbonite, being loaded into it?

Mando enters the bar we've seen before, greeted with hostile glances from the other patrons. He enters the back room, where we see a group of dirtied Stormtroopers, apparently awaiting his arrival. "They say you were coming. They say you are the best in the parsec. Would you agree?" Herzog's character continues to say, as Mando opens the door. It seems like Mando, who has been described as a lone gunfighter of "questionable moral character" may be the only one willing to work with the Empire.

Or maybe not.

A young boy cloaked in a red hooded outfit reaches up, almost reverently. This shot stands apart from the rest of the grimy Old West-recalling footage — the boy is clean, well-kept, and probably not a character that the Mando meets in his travels around the seedy underbelly of the galaxy. Or could this be the Mando as a boy?

A man and a woman, also clad in red, probably the parents, carry the young boy away from danger as buildings explode around them. They're running from an attack by what looks to be Super Battle Droids (identified by Inverse), from the Star Wars prequels. These two images suggest that we're seeing flashbacks of the Mandalorian's past. The two adults — played by Bernard Bullen and Alexandra Manea and listed only as "Father" and "Mother" on IMDB — are likely Mando's parents. Inverse suggests that the Mandalorian may have grown up during the Clone Wars, with the spotting of prequel-era droids and ships heavily supporting that.

We're introduced to a mammoth-sized new creature, which we see Mando trying to tame with the wires that shoot out of his gauntlets. But it proves to be a very resistant creature. I wonder if it's a wild creature that Mando is chasing for a bounty...

The Mandalorian is being billed as a lone wolf, but perhaps he's not so alone after all. He at least seems to have some camaraderie with this Ugnaught, a scavenger from Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back who, in the last trailer, seemed to have a tense encounter with Mando. But it seems whatever they went through bonded them in the end. For now.

Carl Weathers, who plays the leader of a guild of bounty hunters who hires Mando to "get the job done" in a universe where there are "a lot of nefarious people," greets a landing ship that probably belongs to the mercenary gunslinger. He's accompanied by what look to be several other bounty hunters.

An unknown woman played by Julia Jones caresses the Mandalorian's helmet and later holds it lovingly. She stands in front of a rural village. A lost love? A childhood sweetheart? All very possible.

Look at Mando making friends of all his enemies. Haywire star Gina Carano plays Cara Dune, a former Shock Trooper who is now a mercenary, and was seen getting into a little scuffle with the Mandalorian in the footage from Star Wars Celebration. Here, she flashes a smile at Mando as she tosses her bag over her shoulder. They shake hands, having apparently earned each other's respect.

That leaves one foe who is shaping up to be the series' Big Bad. Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon is a former governor under the Empire who has become a sort of warlord, commanding his own army of Deathtroopers. Mando uses his nifty gauntlet-wire trick to latch onto Moff Gideon's escaping ship and climb atop it. Looks like a big fight is about to be underway.

the mandalorian trailer breakdown

After remaining the strong and silent type through the first trailer and footage, we finally hear the Mandalorian speak?

"Mandalorian, look outside. They're waiting for you," Herzog's character warns.

"Good," the Mandalorian responds in a tinny voice. Short and sweet.

The Mandalorian premieres on Disney+ on November 12, 2019.