Jon Favreau explains why“ Mandalorian and Grogu” doesn't have the classic “Star Wars ”opening“ ”crawl

Emlyn TravisSat, May 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM UTC

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Mando and Grogu; the 'Star Wars' crawl
Credit: Nicola Goode/lucasfilm; lucasfilmKey Points -

Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau explain why The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't open with the traditional Star Wars crawl.

Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy previously told Entertainment Weekly that all future Star Wars films would use the iconic yellow text.

Instead, Filoni and Favreau say they're saving the crawl specifically for Skywalker films.

Notice something missing from The Mandalorian and Grogu?

No, we're not talking about Ahsoka or Admiral Thrawn.The big-screen adaptation of the popular Disney+ show doesn't feature another familiar component of the Star Wars universe — the iconic opening crawl.

The apparent omission comes despite Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy telling Entertainment Weekly in 2023 that those blocks of bright yellow text would continue sliding across the screen in all of the franchise's future films.

Instead, The Mandalorian and Grogu, now in theaters, delivers some opening context in a light blue font that remains stationary against a starry backdrop.

The crawl featured in 'A New Hope'
Credit: lucasfilm

Director Jon Favreau and his co-writer, Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni, join EW's Debunked video series to explain.

"We've only seen the crawl in the Skywalker saga films," Favreau says, referring to the prequel, original, and sequel trilogies. "Solo did not have a crawl. Rogue One did not have a crawl."

Filoni notes that all the spinoff films and Disney+ series feature "a blurb that explains some context" that Star Wars fans should know before they dive headfirst into a galaxy far, far away.

"Ahsoka has a version of a crawl, but we put it in red, and it's strictly vertical. It doesn't go back," he adds. "So we find different ways to do it."

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For Filoni, these blurbs are a way to capture "the serial vibe" of the franchise. "But the classic Star Wars crawl is something that we try to reserve only for saga-type films," he says.

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Favreau, meanwhile, vividly remembers seeing the very first Star Wars crawl in theaters as a child.

"Such an iconic opening. So that's why we don't use the crawl for everything in Star Wars," he remarks. "There's so much Star Wars now, so Dave has explained, we save it for the saga."

And, sorry to the Skywalkers, but this is Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu's time to shine. The bounty-hunting father-son duo makes the hyperjump from their Emmy-winning series The Mandalorian to the big screen as they head out on a dangerous new adventure. Joining Mando and Grogu on their journey is Sigourney Weaver, who also participated in the Debunked series to address a theory that her character, Colonel Ward, might secretly be an Imperial spy.

"Is it possible? Well, it's an interesting question. You know, politics is difficult and creating a New Republic is difficult," she says. "This is a difficult job that she has, and I think she's been in the service a long time, so I guess it's possible, but unlikely that this woman who came up during the rebellion and is an X-wing fighter pilot would spend one second entertaining the idea of spying for the evil empire."

She adds, "I decide! Today! Now! No!"

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. Watch Pascal, Filoni, Weaver, and Favreau react to even more movie theories in the video above.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

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