Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you know that Disney+ launched today, on November 12, 2019. Years from now, we, as a society, may look back on this day as a landmark moment for popular culture. Truly, if executed as it should be, Disney's brand new streaming service will be life-changing. For the first time ever, most of Disney's movie and television library can be found under the same roof. Animated classics - even those that have been "locked in the Disney Vault" for years - Pixar movies, Disney Channel originals, Marvel, Star Wars and Disney+ originals are all available with the click of a button. It's going to be great.
One of the most highly touted original series to premiere on Launch Day is a weekly, episodic installment of Star Wars content called "The MandalorianThe Mandalorian." As described on IMDb, the series chronicles "the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic."
Be warned: from this point on - and, I hope, weekly, after each episode, I'm going to break down what happens in the show, including FULL SPOILERS. If you haven't watched Episode 1 of "The Mandalorian," now would be a great time to stop reading. (But come back later, please, and discuss with me after you've watched!)
So what is "The Mandalorian"?
"The Mandalorian" will be based on the adventures of a yet-to-be-named bounty hunter. At this point, we honestly don't know much about him. But he is reminiscent of the legendary Star Wars character Boba Fett, and he's apparently very good at what he does. While Episode 1 only lays a little bit of the groundwork for who this guy is and what the series is about, episode previews listed on IMDb (for the first three episodes) seem to indicate that the season will largely revolve around the target acquired at the end of the first show.
If we learned anything about the tone of the series after one episode, it truly feels like a throwback to the O.G. Star Wars. Chronologically, Executive Producer Jon Favreau has stated that "The Mandalorian" takes place five years after the fall of the Empire and the events of "Return of the Jedi." This means that a lot of the characters and set pieces look similar to Episode VI - and that's a good thing. The season premiere does have its fair share of CGI (and, for the most part, it looks really good), but it also incorporates a lot of practical effects, from costumes to creatures and props. It's also nice to see a lot of familiar costumes that look like they walked off of the set of "ROTJ." For a day filled with an over-abundance of Disney nostalgia, this step back into the glory days of George Lucas' original vision was a breath of fresh air.
Who is The Mandalorian?
As far as the character, himself, is concerned, The Mandalorian (who I may periodically start referring to as "TM" for the sake of brevity), looks awesome. He's got great armor, cool weapons and a gorgeous ship. In my mind, he instantly became one of the best-looking characters in the Star Wars universe.
He doesn't talk much. I suppose you could say that TM chooses his words wisely. He's no wise-cracking Marvel character - that's for sure - and, when he does talk, his dialogue seems important.
We learn that he had a troubled childhood. We briefly see glimpses of a child, who we presume was The Mandalorian, running through a pillaged town with his parents, gunshots blasting in every direction. We see a couple images of him being hidden by his father, from which we can deduce that the bounty hunter was raised as an orphan.
I also sensed that TM is inherently kind. At one point, after he is saved from almost certain death, he sincerely thanks a stranger for his help. Behind the rough exterior, it would seem that The Mandalorian is a good person. Time will tell.
Intergalactic fun! - Episode 1 Recap
While some early world of mouth indicated that "The Mandalorian" gets off to a slow start, I dug it from the very beginning. The opening cantina scene (which aired during halftime of last night's Monday Night Football) was a good way to kick things off. It felt like it came from the same vein as the "Han Shot First" scene from Episode IV. The part where that the guy got split in half by the mechanical door was brutal and I loved it.Upon retrieving his first on-screen bounty, TM hauls the criminal back to his ship. Moments later, a gigantic underwater beast breaks through the ice and attacks the spacecraft. That was a fun moment, introducing the first hint of external danger. Generally, the galaxy is not a safe place. It isn't long before the newly bound prisoner tries to weasel his way to freedom. The Mandalorian puts an end to that unfruitful quest by icing the guy with carbonite - simultaneously linking this series to the iconic moment when Boba Fett dooms Han Solo to a similar fate in the original trilogy.
Carl Weathers (best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" franchise) is introduced as a reluctant creditor who has an exclusive job for The Mandalorian. It's great to see him on the screen again! This leads to TM encountering a group of ex-Empire stormtroopers and a wealthy client (played by veteran actor Werner Herzog). He offers TM a lucrative bounty for a highly valued target. Of course, our man accepts the job and heads out for the task.
Along the way, he is saved by an extra-terrestrial stranger (apparently played by Nick Nolte), who, as previously mentioned, saves The Mandalorian's life, then teaches him how to ride some gnarly fish-beasts to cross the desert planet. Meanwhile, the stranger indicates that this particular region has been a hotbed of mercenary activity as of late, and that all bounty hunters who have passed through have died in their pursuit of treasure.
The Mandalorian reaches his destination at the same time as a robotic bounty hunter who I regret to inform you is not the legendary IG-88. Nope. This one is called IG-11, and he's voiced by "Thor: Ragnarok" director Taika Waititi. I really liked the character design of IG-11. His robotic movements and ability to rotate his arms and body 360 degrees were really cool.
IG-11, we discover, is after the same bounty as The Mandalorian and, after a brief moment of hostility, it agrees to help TM acquire the target for a share of the reward (and all of the reputation credits associated with the capture). The two join forces to take out the hostile bystanders outside the building in question. This was my favorite scene of the episode - great action and a lot of exciting moments. The robot's (manufacturer-installed) propensity to initiate his self-destruct protocol was hysterical, too.
When the coast is finally clear, The Mandalorian and IG-11 make their way inside the building and eliminate the last man standing. TM's tracking beacon indicates that the target is nearby. TM discovers the bounty's precise location, but shows some signs of confusion. He had been informed that the target was 50 years old, but what they had stumbled across did not meet that description. The camera reveals that the target, in fact, is...
It's a little baby Yoda?!
IG-11 insists that the target must be eliminated, but TM refuses and kills the droid, instead. The episode closes with a shot of The Mandalorian reaching out toward the tiny hands of his childlike bounty.
Whoa.
Questions
- What happened to The Mandalorian as a child?
- What was the significance of the Beskar steel?
- Why don't Mandalorians take off their helmets? (They mentioned it several times, after all.)
- Where did this Yoda baby come from? What does that mean, exactly? Was Yoda not the last of his species?
- Why do so many people want the Yoda baby dead?
- At the end of the episode, was the Yoda baby hovering with the Force, or was the pod/cradle doing it? (Great question from Clyde Ratliff!)
- Will this show affect future movies or the expanded Star Wars universe?
Quotes
- "Stay off the ice. That's the understatement of the millennium." - The Bounty, after narrowly escaping the ice monster
- "We have him four to one." "I like those odds." - Stormtroopers, The Mandalorian
- "Bounty hunting is a complicated profession." - The Client
- "Anyone else?" - The Mandalorian, after eliminating the last hostile
Qualms
- Overall, I really liked this episode, so I really don't have any major complaints about it, but the second I saw that big, intimidating Mandalorian at the weapons forge, I knew they would end up being a female. It just seemed like the obvious "Disney" thing to do. I was right.
- The playback was a little bit choppy for me. I'm unsure whether this was because of my internet connection or because of extremely heavy traffic for the Disney+ servers, as widely reported throughout the day.
- Also, in the opening cantina scene, there were tons of unnecessary commas in the subtitles. That was quite troublesome to me, as a writer.
Instant Analysis
"I expected it to be good, but it was better than I expected. I didn't anticipate it ending that way at all. I thought we were just gonna have a solid action bounty hunter series. I didn't expect to play with emotions. That baby was adorable."
- Clyde Ratliff
- DJ Mein
"Having had kept up with additional canonical series like 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' and 'Star Wars: Rebels' in recent years, it made this show really exhilarating to watch and makes me excited to see what they have in store next."
- Cody Christensen
"There were a couple of fun surprises for true Star Wars fans. This is a promising series with 21st Century Star Wars special effects."
- Gayle Christensen
"Wtf is that yoda"
- Chris Martellaro
***
Well, what did you think? Did you watch "The Mandalorian"? (If you made it this far, I certainly hope so!) I'd love to hear your thoughts and have a nice, weekly conversation about the show. Feel free to add your thoughts to the comments section below, hit me up on Facebook, or tweet at me (@atownmania or @sottunderground). If you'd like to contribute to these posts in the future, we'd love to have you!
Episode 2 of "The Mandalorian" hits Disney+ this Friday, November 15, and then the weekly cycle will commence, with new episodes streaming each Friday, through December 27, 2019.
Until next time,
Do not self destruct. We’re shooting our way out.
