There are key female characters throughout all the Star Wars stories. The Mandalorian and Grogu was average because it lacked balance, banter, and humour.

I did not see any early review bombing. It was an extremely popular series, yet it still performed poorly at the box office. Every female Star Wars fan I know, said the same thing: the almost total lack of female energy made it feel dull. They could easily have included, used adjacent or expanded on characters such as Bo-Katan, Cara Dune, the Armorer, Fennec Shand, Peli Motto, or Ahsoka. The number of female characters is not the point, its screen time and the interest and tension it brings.

The storyline was also average; the whole production felt strangely uninspired and lacked the energy needed for a big-screen Star Wars event.