The Mandalorian’s U.K. trailer acts as if Baby Yoda is still a major spoiler. The hit Disney+ original premiered in the U.S. and a handful of other countries last fall when the streaming service first launched. In the months leading up to the show’s release, Lucasfilm put together another one of their patented secretive marketing campaigns, keeping many story details under wraps in trailers and TV spots. Viewers were subsequently surprised when they tuned in for the first Mandalorian episode and discovered instant fan-favorite Baby Yoda was the driving force behind the season 1 narrative.
Due to Disney+’s staggered global rollout, Star Wars fans in many countries around the world were unable to watch The Mandalorian, but they were still aware of Baby Yoda’s existence thanks to the abundance of viral memes the character generated. Baby Yoda seized control of the zeitgeist, and was even added to Dictionary.com in the latest update. Just about everyone is aware of who Baby Yoda is, which is what makes The Mandalorian’s U.K. promotion a bit strange.
Today, the official Star Wars UK YouTube channel uploaded a Mandalorian trailer ahead of the show’s U.K. debut on March 24. Fans may notice it is identical to the final domestic trailer that came out in October 2019, meaning Baby Yoda remains hidden in advertising. Watch it in the space below:
Baby Yoda was absent from U.S. Mandalorian marketing at the behest of series creator Jon Favreau, who wanted the character to be a big reveal. However, The Mandalorian is being released in Europe under entirely different circumstances, so it’s curious as to why there isn’t a different advertising strategy. This isn’t to say international Mandalorian trailers should spoil some of the show’s biggest moments and developments, but it seems silly to put up a facade where Baby Yoda is still a massive secret. This isn’t the first instance of Disney+ U.K.’s handling of The Mandalorian being odd; it’s already been revealed the episodes will be released weekly, even though the season 1 finale aired in the U.S. and a handful of other countries last December. Chances are, Baby Yoda and his cute antics aren’t going to surprise European viewers in the slightest.
Since Baby Yoda is common knowledge to even those who haven’t seen an episode of The Mandalorian, it probably would have made more sense to cut an entirely new trailer that got into more detail about the show’s story and featured Baby Yoda in some capacity. Even the most dedicated spoiler dodgers couldn’t avoid Baby Yoda’s presence for this long, and the cat’s been out of the bag for a while. The Mandalorian’s international marketing and release isn’t going to have the same effect as it did in the U.S. when it took the internet by storm. The good news is when it comes time to promote The Mandalorian season 2, Baby Yoda should be front and center.
