I never thought that I’d absolutely love a story in this universe again, but here I am!
With the obvious exception of Rogue One, I think it’s easy to say that most of the Disney Star Wars films have provoked reactions that range from relative indifference (The Force Awakens) to outright rage (The Last Jedi). To make matters worse, nothing seems to be selling all that well, and the lack of even the broadest of outlines is drawing even further negativity from a certain menace in the fandom. Above all else, it seems like the entire creative enterprise is about to glide into irrelevance.
So, what is a film studio to do?
Bring in creatives like Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Deborah Chow, and Taika Waititi to pull that X-Wing up to new heights!
And that is exactly what Lucasfilm did with The Mandalorian, a Disney+ exclusive that is nothing short of exceptional.
This is the way.
The Cast Is Incredible.
Sometimes, the best hero is the common man.
The Mandalorian is quite interesting because it represents a creative challenge on many fronts. How can a creative team make people care about characters who are aliens, stuck behind a mask, or generally out of the ordinary? Well, it starts with great casting!
Pedro Pascal carries quite a bit of the show as the titular bounty hunter. While he isn’t always under the helmet because of the various stunts in the show, Mando’s characterization is rock solid because Pedro knows how to properly bring emotion across in his vocal performance. Most of the time, I felt like I could see through the mask and read his expressions throughout the story, which is rather interesting because Mando is the strong but quiet type.
Gina Carano and Carl Weathers back up the lead as Cara Dune and Greef Karga, respectively. I like both characters for different reasons, but it’s worth noting that their motives aren’t convoluted or odd. Cara is a charming ex-Rebel in the mood for a fight, and Gina knows how to weave between the serious action girl and a little bit of introspection. By contrast, I knew Carl Weathers from the Rocky franchise and Happy Gilmore, so it was interesting to see his twist on a somewhat self-interested bounty handler.
And of course, there’s Baby Yoda, who sometimes overshadows everyone else on the screen. Sure, this based little guy moves around and gurgles a lot of the time, but he’s so adorable and funny that it’s extremely easy to forget that he’s just a puppet.
Don’t believe me? Chunks of the cast and crew forgot about that on the set!
Now, what about the villains? Nothing approaching a main one shows up until final few episodes, but that would be telling you too much. I’ll just say that Giancarlo Esposito is extremely intimidating and leave it at that.
Keep It Simple, Stupid.
This meme is a dream.
Huge chunks of the mainstream entertainment press have made hay out of the idea that the fans of this franchise are virtually impossible to please. As Razorfist once put it, the media thinks that the fans turned on The Force Awakens because it was way too similar to A New Hope, only to turn around and dump on The Last Jedi because it was different. Of course, we all know that those two films have wildly inconsistent characterization and story beats, which is why The Rise of Skywalker landed with a thud.
So, why does The Mandalorian succeed where the main films failed?
Apart from the novelty of going somewhere new in a vast universe, this show purges virtually all of the convoluted nonsense that plagued the Sequel Trilogy, maintains focus, and plays with the themes of the franchise in an interesting way.
On a macro level, the Star Wars franchise steeps itself in family bonds, temptation, corruption, and many of the other lessons that are commonly taught through myths and fairy tales. The Mandalorian takes all of that and shoves it down into two distinct story arcs.
On one end, there are the episodic plots that explore The Mandalorian and The Child’s daily life, relationships, and ability to make a living in an unforgiving galaxy. By focusing almost all of our attention on two characters and the people who pop in and out of their lives, the writing humanizes them in an odd but endearingly sweet way. Over the course of the story, I got the sense that Mando is a decent man who strives to do the right thing against all odds, even when other people screw him over.
On the other, there’s the overarching mystery of The Child. While we know that he is the same species as Yoda and incredibly strong in the Force, the writers pose several interesting questions that can carry a series, such as:
- Who are his real parents?
- Why does the Imperial Remnant want him?
- Will Mando and Baby Yoda find a way to bridge the gap between the Mandalorians and the Jedi?
- What will become of their personal attachment?
After the first few episodes, I would have been content with seeing Mando and The Child kick ass and cruise around the galaxy, but Star Wars has always tried to be more than that.
It’s All In The Little Things.
The attention to detail is absurdly amazing.
Back in my take on The Rise of Skywalker, I mentioned that writers should always try to keep the audience from asking questions that fundamentally violate concepts like the suspension of disbelief. With that in mind, there’s no question that The Mandalorian does things differently. You already know about the broad questions that I mentioned above, so let’s do a deep dive into two far more subtle questions that affect the brain in important ways.
In “Sanctuary,” there are a few scenes where a widow by the name of Omera (Julia Jones) starts to take an interest in Mando. He’s a mysterious badass with an adorable little guy in tow, and she’s a widow with a sweet little girl of her own named Winta (Isla Farris). It seems natural that they’d develop some sort of connection, but the show throws a bit of curveball when Cara Dune suddenly starts getting nosy.
Gee, Cara. Why are you suddenly interested in Mando’s love life? After all, it’s not like you’re more his type or anything!
Even if Cara wasn’t poking around for her own reasons, do you see how that question reflects my interest in the characters and where they might go? That can only be a good thing!
On a way, WAY more subtle note, let’s consider another question: What is an ice cream maker doing in the show?
In “The Sin,” Mando receives a camtono of beskar steel for his exploits over the course of the story, but it’s almost impossible to miss that the carrying case is really just an ice cream maker with buttons and segments cut out of the side. At first, one might think that it’s just a tip of the hat to the janky, B-movie feel that this saga is known for, but there’s actually much more to it than that.
In Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau point out that it was also a wink and a nudge at Willrow Hood, which blew my mind. I noticed the guy and his ice cream maker before, but I didn’t know that he had a bio and that fans dress up in jumpsuits, fros, and 80s mustaches to run around convention halls.
Jon and Dave have such a love for this series that they created an actual story thread for a seemingly ridiculous piece of background minutiae. Now that’s what I call dedication to the craft!
I could on for a while about all of the other little things that tie The Mandalorian to the larger universe, but you’ll just have to watch the show (if you haven’t already) and discover them for yourself.
Conclusion.
What’s next?
There are many reasons why The Mandalorian has been nominated for 15 Emmy Awards, but I can sum it up by saying that the show is amazing in every conceivable way. The cast is excellent, the stories are intriguing on their own, and all of the little references are treats and a half. If you’ve written off the sequels for whatever reason or are simply starving for something fun, you’d have to be crazy to miss this thrill ride.
I can’t wait for Season 2. This is what Star Wars should be!
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