Well, we finally have a live-action Star Wars TV show… and what a show it is.
I signed up for Disney+ back in November of last year, and as soon as the streaming service was up and running — I wasted no time on binge-watching the whole thing. However, It took me a while to write up a quick blog post about it. Mostly because throughout the last few months, I have continuously been watching the first season multiple times.
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), also known as Mando, is a Bounty Hunter who takes on bounty hunting jobs and gets paid upon delivery of the fugitive. Mando is a member of a warrior culture called Mandalorians, known for their unique way of life and a strict code of ethics. You can either be born or adopted into the Mandalorian culture…. (Jango Fett was supposed to be a Mandalorian who went rogue). We learn that weapons are part of their religion, and they never remove their helmets in front of other people. Pascal is excellent here playing this character while wearing a helmet, and the way he uses his body language and tone to project Mando’s mood is remarkable.
The show takes place about 5 years after Return of the Jedi (before Force Awakens). The Galactic Empire is no more, and there are rogue imperial factions still roaming around the galaxy.
The force, Jedi or Sith, is never mentioned in any way. There are Easter eggs all over the place — you gotta pay attention and maybe watch it multiple times to notice things.
By now, everyone knows about “The Child,” or Baby Yoda, which is what we will call him for now until we learn his real name next season. We know very little about Baby Yoda and his origins — We know “The Client” (Warner Herzog) has been tracking Baby Yoda, and they want something from this force-sensitive child. We also notice the cloning symbol of the Kamino cloners from Attack of the Clones on the uniform of Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahl).
Could this child be a clone of Master Yoda? Or a test subject for clones? Or maybe a clone of future Yoda-like clones?
…. and here are some things I found to be pretty interesting:
We finally get to see “force healing” officially become part of the canon (before we got to see Rey use force healing on The Rise of Skywalker). We get to see some awesome droids, especially the bounty hunting droid IG-11 (voiced by Taika Waititi). We have jet-flying Mandalorians, mercenaries, assassins, and all kinds of cool, exciting characters. We visit Tattoine and our favorite “wretched hive of scum and villainy” in Mos Eisely spaceport. Jawas get some much-needed screen time. We also have some castaway storm troopers working alongside former agents of the Empire before the creation of The First Order.
All in all, The Mandalorian is a well-crafted, entertaining show. There is a space western vibe to it, leaning towards the vibe and spirit of Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV), closer to Rogue One in tone. I sense a Sergio Leone influence here — I only wish each episode was an hour instead of shy of thirty minutes. Hardcore Star Wars fans will love this show…. Kudos to Jon Favreau and his team of writers: Dave Folini, Rick Famuyiwa, and Christopher Yost.
Five out of Five Popcorn Bags 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
The Mandalorian (Season 1). Streaming on Disney+
Rod Rioja 