Review: The Mandalorian

Yesterday, Disney+ released it's final episode of season 1 of it's first major original series, The Mandalorian. The series was created by Jon Favreau (our lord and savior) and stars Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian, a bounty hunter that travels the galaxy in search of contracts.

I was very excited when I heard that Disney was going to create a spaghetti western-style Star Wars series starring a character of similar nature to one of cinema's most iconic characters with the least amount of screen-time: Boba Fett. I was less excited when they announced it would be through their streaming service, thwarting my original plan to boycott the newest player in the great streaming wars.

I did, however, have very low expectations for it because Disney's handling of the Star Wars franchise has been sub par at best.

QUICK RANT: Aside from Rogue One, which was a very satisfying movie that really emphasized the war aspect of Star Wars (though it was just an entire movie dedicated to filling one major plot hole), every major movie that Disney has released has disappointed me. Force Awakens started off very promising but the more I revisit it, the more I realize it was a remake of A New Hope. We will NOT discuss The Last Jedi. I have yet to see The Rise of Skywalker but regardless, it's dreadfully obvious that Disney had no clear plan for what it wanted Star Wars to be. It's as if they wanted their new trilogy to have something in it for everyone, like every franchise decision was made with a focus group of people ages 6 through 65. This made for some sloppy execution and horrible pacing. Like here's some very dark thematic elements for the edgy teens, with Harrison Ford (acting like he has a gun against his head) for the adults, and OH LOOK AT THIS CUTE PORG CREATURE FOR THE CHILDREN. I saw Force Awakens as soon as it came out because Star Wars was such a huge part of my childhood, and I saw The Last Jedi as soon as it came out because the trailers totally fooled me. It's been two weeks and I still haven't made time to see The Rise of Skywalker - that's what Disney has done with this franchise for a lifelong fan such as myself.

ANYWAYS, The Mandalorian was a beacon of hope for me. It was AWESOME. Too often did Star Wars focus on the "big picture" with dueling Jedi and the themes of good vs. evil and I think that drove off older fans who wanted a little more grit and less melodramatic nonsense. The Mandalorian did something incredible and made a show that didn't rely on the Force or major intergalactic conflicts at all.

The Mandalorian follows...well...the Mandalorian or "Mando" as his chums call him. The series is set right after the fall of the empire (after episode 6) when the galaxy has been left unchecked now that there is no clear-cut governmental entity to run everything. He's a bounty hunter who travels from planet to planet, collecting bounties. He's clearly a morally grey character, which I love, and doesn't necessarily care about who he is taking in as long as he has secured the bag.

I mean look at the armor design - so badass.

The show kicks off when Mando is hired by ex-imperials who want an unnamed asset brought to them dead or alive, and they're willing to pay Mando top dollar. After a shootout straight out of a Clint Eastwood Western, complete with a Star Wars version of a Gatling Gun, Mando finds out that the asset is...wait for it...

Everyone bow to the newly-crowned prince of the internet, Baby Yoda.

To be clear, this is not actually the baby version of everyone's favorite grammatically-challenged frog, but a baby of the same species. But wow did Baby Yoda take the world by storm, seemingly triggering even the toughest men's fatherly instincts. My only fear is that this may inspire a hoard of green, Baby Yoda-themed food, accessories, and merchandise. Remember that godless time when green Shrek merchandise was everywhere? Have we not learned our lesson? Nevertheless, this is the first time I 100% do not mind a clear and shameless marketing stunt by Disney. I mean, look at this parallel I definitely didn't just make up:

Simply beautiful, no?

I don't want to spoil too much, so I'll just mention how Mando and Baby Yoda form a Lone Wolf and Cub duo that dominates the screen. The show does some great fan service by including some iconic star wars lore, awesome cameos, and side characters. My favorite was Bill Burr playing a Bill-Burrish bounty hunter in one episode.

Also, Carl freaking Weathers is in it. CARL WEATHERS, APOLLO CREED HIMSELF! Along with great side characters like Kuiil who is played by Nick Nolte, Cara Dune who is played by the ass-kicking Gina Carano, and Taika Waititi as the assassin droid, IG-11.

Do yourself a favor and watch the series if you have Disney+, and if you don't own a subscription then watch it when you eventually fall into line with Disney's mind-controlled army of dependent drones and buy one. I have spoken.