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The Odeon UK website has published official character profiles for The Mandalorian and Grogu, and they hint at a story lifted straight from the old Star Wars Expanded Universe. According to Odeon, Coyne’s character (unnamed in their summary) is a fighter pilot ace and rival for Dave Favreau’s Trapper Wolf. This moves us straight into the era of starfighter dogfights and pilot vendettas, as seen in Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston’s dearly-loved X-Wing novels from the old Star Wars Expanded Universe. Here’s the summary:
“In the brimstone-red corner, Jonny Coyne plays a survivor from the fall of the Galactic Empire, now leading a brutal splinter group. Meanwhile, in the electric-blue corner, Mandalorian and Grogu producer Dave Filoni plays the New Republic’s X-Wing ace Trapper Wolf. In this dogfight-to-end-all-dogfights, someone is going down.”
Star Wars Continues to Honor the Old Star Wars Expanded Universe
The old Star Wars Expanded Universe – a sweeping range of tie-ins in different mediums – was branded non-canon (or “Legends”) by Disney back in 2014. But speaking to ScreenRant at Star Wars Celebration 2025, Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni (now co-president) noted that many elements will be retained. Discussing Ahsoka Season 2’s upcoming Grand Admiral Thrawn plot, he noted specific plots were designed to honor Legends. “I deal with Star Wars history in that way–even though a lot has been shaken up over the years, there are certain pillars that I like to stick to,” he explained. This is why so much of the timeline matches up so well.
Stackpole and Allston’s novels are generally considered some of the best Star Wars books ever written, in part because (despite one Force-sensitive pilot) they veer away from the Jedi versus Sith dynamic. Set after Return of the Jedi, they explore the New Republic’s battles against the Imperial Remnant, showcasing a small band of elite pilots who change the fate of the galaxy. It increasingly looks as though the Adelphi Rangers, the starfighter pilots led by Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward and featuring Filoni’s own Trapper Wolf, are the canon equivalent of Stackpole and Allston’s Rogue and Wraith Squadrons.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is becoming even more intriguing, given the film is clearly lifting from some of the most popular Legends stories of all. What’s more, dogfights and space combat seem to be becoming integral to Star Wars’ future; next year will see the release of Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, after all. That’s in a very different part of the Star Wars timeline, but a theme definitely seems to be emerging.
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