Disney+
Disney+ has arrived and with it The Mandalorian. The biggest original launching with the streaming service and the furthest removed Star Wars offshoot thus far. Starting off with a very cool new logo featuring flashes of classic characters, The Mandalorian wastes no time in setting its tone.
The main takeaway I got from this first episode was this is a return to form for Star Wars. The series returns to those space western fantasy roots that seem to be slipping in the background of the more recent films. Though the western part of the equation takes center stage and so far the fantasy elements aren’t really showing much.
There is a healthy amount of CGI in the show and some moments are film quality near perfectly pulled off, while a few other moments have that unnatural movement that takes you completely out of the moment. Luckily these are the exception and not the rule. But what really makes this feel like Star Wars is the healthy amount of practical effects and puppets used.
In scenes that might as well be Mos Eisley cantina we get those great and varied aliens the series is known for, and while the puppets and prosthetics might still have that clunky and quaintness to them, and I’m sure some younger viewers will be put off by this, that craftsmanship and tactile element is what I love about this franchise.
There are some fairly violent bits in the series though clever editing keep things bloodless and the more extreme parts are merely implied. There is a punch and patient approach to the pacing and edit of this first episode that lets you breath in between scenes while still building tension and then exploding in action. It really was very effective and I hope carries through the whole season.
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The casting is another area that shined with out of the box thinking. While I had heard comedian Bill Burr would be featured later on, I was surprised to see Horatio Sanz, Brian Posehn, and the vocal talents of Taika Waititi. All known for their comedic talents but in a show that is otherwise dry and serious these little comedic dashes help keep things from getting too dark. Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog also have supporting roles and though they would be my last picks for anything sci-fi much less the granddaddy of all space epics … somehow they work incredibly well.
This show is pretty much everything I’ve wanted since Disney took hold of the Star Wars universe, a look into the lives of people not connected to the Skywalkers or the central struggle of the film universe. A return to the series roots while also giving us a different viewpoint and building the world more. Since this takes place a few years post Return of the Jedi after the Empire has fallen, and decades before The Force Awakens there are so many questions and so much potential to be mined from that twenty to thirty year gap of time. Two small examples are when the point of currency is brought up, as Imperial credits are not seen as stable so how do you get paid when transitioning between the Empire and the New Republic? Also we are given a peak into the guild as well as a Mandalorian tribes inner workings. The flashes of The Mandalorian’s origins seemed a bit heavy-handed in their setting up a dark secret revelation to come down the line but otherwise very well crafted.
I also must give huge props to the series for taking a page from the film Dredd and leaving our unnamed hero in his helmet the entire time, keeping his mystique intact.
The only real spoiler I want to get into is the bounty subject at the end.
A baby version of Yoda’s race wanted by possibly more than one client leaves us with a lot of questions, and me with a strong sense of where things are going. Is this a clone of Master Yoda? Or just another of his race? Could force sensitivity be what makes this child so valuable? I feel like the series could quickly become Children of Men with The Mandalorian protecting this child from all manner of attackers.
So one week in and I love this series, though not perfect it does perfectly satisfy my craving for more Star Wars in a way that Solo completely missed and Rogue One only half satiated. The care taken from literally the opening logo to the beautiful paintings over the credits show that Disney is not messing around with this series.
What did you think of the premiere? Sound off in the comments below!
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