Debuting on the new Disney Plus streaming service, The Mandalorian is the first live action Star Wars television series, it takes place after the fall of the Empire but some years before The First Order, allowing for some major time to grow new characters away from the movie franchise itself. The Mandalorian is centered around a bounty hunter armed in Mandalorian armour who’s name and face so far we have not seen. We know Mandalorian armour is sprinkled throughout the Star Wars series as seen on characters such as Boba Fett and Jango Fett. Although we do not know too much about this particular line, some key details to keep in mind about the Mandalorian are their origin from the planet Mandalore, their reputation as esteemed warriors, and that their armor is considered sacred, handed down by generations- fingers crossed, we’ll learn a little bit more about them throughout this riveting series. The series is set to air eight episodes, the first of which premiered with the unveiling of Disney Plus, and has left many Star Wars fans (myself included) very impressed and excited to see where the show takes us.
Episode 1 : The Breakdown
The episode starts as any classic Star Wars film would, with action. In the middle of a dispute at a bar, The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal aka Oberyn from GOT) walks in claiming his bounty and returning him to the head of a bounty hunter organization (Carl Weathers) who then sends him on another hunt- one which has been mysteriously kept under wraps for which he is sent to meet the client for further intel. Throughout the show there is a very prominent western feel, dating back to the beginning idea of Star Wars which was similar to western fighting only in space. From the music we hear to the characters we meet to the scenes that we watch, there is certainly some deep rooted Star Wars fandom underneath all of it- and for those paying close attention, some major easter eggs were perfectly placed in the episode. Read further if you want to hear about a few of the many planted in Chapter 1 of The Mandalorian.
Episode 1 : Easter Eggs
Starting off with the most obvious- the carbon freezing our Mandalorian bounty hunter used on his captured bounty, sending us flashbacks of our beloved Han Solo having the same done to him in The Empire Strikes Back, not to mention the failing sound of his ship can also be recognized from Solo’s Millennium Falcon. Another I looked back on after watching was the haggling scene between The Mandalorian and Carl Weathers’ character- while this isn’t much of an easter egg it does tell us something about the period of time we are in- where Imperial credits are still making the switch over to new Republic credits, so he settles for other currency. Later in the episode, upon visiting the client and receiving his first sum of payment- The Mandalorian is handed a plate of Beskar steel, the material Mandalorians use to make their armour which he then takes to have made into a single shoulder plate- giving us the idea that an underlying goal may be for him to have a full suit of Mandalorian armour by the end of the series. And finally, with an ending to the episode that certainly rattled me- we see a baby “Yoda” (the name of Yoda’s species is still unknown, as mysterious as it is) who as we know ages very slowly, explaining the fifty-year old hint our hunter was given- the clients intentions for this baby are unknown but we do know he hoped to have him alive, so potential for the baby’s connection to The Force is of course a strong motive.
Episode 1 : Closing Remarks
This episode was chock full of potential for where this series may take us, between the easter eggs and the new unexplored tribe of our main character there are endless possibilities for what they are able to include next. Bringing back many elements from the original Star Wars films, and incorporating more western feel than ever before this series already exceeded my expectations. I was left completely in awe by the end of the episode, and left wanting more- lucky us, there is a second one coming out this week (thank you Disney)! The casting is exceptional, and although we have yet to see his face, I can’t wait to see more of Pascal’s phenomenal job so far- what is most impressive is the admiration for a faceless character that we are left with by the end of the episode. Looking very forward to Chapter Two of The Mandalorian airing Friday November 14th.
Thanks for reading!
Late to The Game 11/15/19
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