About five seconds after Disney+ launched last year with The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda took pop culture by storm. And the rest is Star Wars (and merchandising) history.

Thankfully, the show wasn’t just that one hook, and it was more than an adorable gimmick. It told a compelling story with amazing characters and rich detail. It expanded the Star Wars galaxy and lore in an intensely satisfying way, and it was obviously crafted with love.

Quite honestly, it’s the best thing to come out of the franchise since Rogue One.

And even though we’re getting a full second season of the show, it’s not currently slated to land on Disney+ until October of this year (though there have been rumblings that the pandemic might accelerate that schedule). However, I have some good news for you.

Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian is a brand-new 8-episode “making of” documentary series that gives a behind-the-scenes peek at the creation and development of the show. And it’s a most welcome return to that world.

Left to right: Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, Taika Waititi, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard and Deborah Chow participate in a directors roundtable on DISNEY GALLERY: THE MANDALORIAN

We got an advance look at the first two episodes of Disney Gallery, and although the episodes feel like extended Blu-ray bonus features, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Yes, the episodes come shiny and polished with PR spin and rose-colored glasses, but that also means they come with incredible production values and unparalleled access.

From behind-the-scenes footage shot on set to staged roundtable interviews with cast and creators to vintage, rarely seen BTS footage from the original trilogy, this new show is a pure delight.

The series is executive produced by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, both of whom are featured prominently in the episodes… and come off looking the best. And even though Filoni is given a lot of screen time in the first two episodes, it’s actually the inclusion of the other four directors – Rick Famuyiwa, Deborah Chow, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Taika Waititi – that make the show required viewing.

Each episode of The Mandalorian has such a unique feel – yet they all seamlessly tie together into one whole – and that’s because the directors were given an incredible amount of freedom to tell their stories their way. And hearing from them all – both on set and in the moment and months later in conversation with the entire creative team – is creatively exhilarating.

It’s enough to make one truly hopeful for the future of Star Wars storytelling on Disney+.

Deborah Chow and Pedro Pascal on the set of THE MANDALORIAN

Speaking for myself, I could happily live in the room where the director’s roundtable took place. The experience and the stories wrapped up in those six filmmakers is remarkable. And though the stories that made it into Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian are amazing – including Filoni thinking he was getting punked by the Spongebob Squarepants animators when he got the first call from Lucasfilm (for The Clone Wars) and Bryce Dallas Howard sharing how she fell asleep in a meeting with Akira Kurosawa (she was only 5 at the time) – I’m left wondering what was left OUT of the show.

Oh, and if you don’t come out of this series with an even deeper love for Taika Waititi, you’re beyond all hope.

Taika Waititi on the set of THE MANDALORIAN

The first episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, featuring creator Jon Favreau and season 1’s five directors, drops on Monday, May 4 (May the Fourth be with you!).

Future episodes will air every Friday and focus on George Lucas’s legacy, the cast, the series’ groundbreaking technology, practical models, effects, and creatures, plus the creative influences, score, and connections to other Star Wars characters and props.

Pedro Pascal and Rick Famuyiwa on the set of THE MANDALORIAN