Re: The Mandalorian
 

They did nothing fundamentally different than any other week. The difference that’s got you peeing your pants is a decision to reference a couple of extended universe characters, plus Yoda. You’re claiming this is somehow all pure and meaningful but I’m sorry I find that reaction a bit shallow.

The Mandalorian has been an unqualified success for Disney+ with characters that have gained recognition far beyond the actual audience. It tells straightforward, easy to follow stories in a universe that is both familiar and new. It does this week in, week out, to great acclaim. And Mrs and I enjoyed it equally as much this evening, even though I got the Grand Admiral Thrawn reference and she didn’t.

And yes, I bought and read the original Thrawn trilogy as it was published. I like Star Wars a lot, but I like the Mandalorian for its ability to move through the Star Wars universe without feeling obliged to initiate fangasms week after week.

Re: The Mandalorian
 

Thrawn was in Star Wars Rebels as well.

Another good episode, and a bit longer again this week. :)

Re: The Mandalorian
 

Indeed. And I know a lot of fanbois were sorely peeved that he didn’t show up in the final 3 saga films. But if they’re going to use a version of him in the saga continuity (it can only be a version, because his original novels from 1991-1993 have been disqualified) the Mandalorian is as good a place as any to do it.

That said, I really don’t think we’re going to see Mando drawn into the whole remnants-of-empire rearguard action. That isn’t the point of the series and it isn’t who he is.

Re: The Mandalorian
 

Correct, and it is the easy to follow stories which are shallow. It is a very Airwolf/A-team style series where you just hop from planet to planet every week for the weekly scrap. It would be believable if the series was just about his bounty hunter adventures but it isn't. There is supposed to be this big important story of how he is trying to reunite baby Yoda with his people and keep him safe and that doesn't gel with visiting every planet you come across and leaving him with random people. Imho they have got the balance wrong in storytelling and haven't put enough emphasis on the saving Yoda storyline and it is all revolving justifying and establishing the weekly punch ups. The last couple of episodes though look like they are changing direction and give me hope.

Incorrect. I know nothing of the extended universe so referencing Admiral thingy at the end and anyone else I might have missed didn't mean anything to me. You made the important point that the series exists in a universe that we know and when that happens efforts have to be made to keep the universe alive and make you believe that what you are seeing and experiencing is in keeping and part of that universe. There are two things that did it for me in that episode. The first one was seeing the Jedi, seeing her in action and listening to her talk about the force and interacting with baby Yoda. The purity and meaning I mentioned is how this is done. It isn't enough to say it or do some cheesy trick with the force. It is how it is executed from the tone of the dialogue (the Jedi believes what she is saying) and the manner in which it is executed. You believed every word she was saying and that she was a real Jedi, she lived the life and was determined to uphold her beliefs and values no matter the cost. That all comes across and is why these insignificant subtleties you don't care about matter. It all adds to the realism factor. They could have showed you somebody dancing around the forest with a lightsaber, waving their arm around and throwing some trees with the Force and saying they are a Jedi and you would have been happy with that but it would have been a disservice to the Jedi and Star Wars. You can slap all the locations and characters in a series you want but they are just cardboard unless they behave and interact the way you know they should do in a given situation and the experience is believable and realistic.
The second was (finally) getting some back story on baby Yoda, where he came from and why he is in his current predicament and what needs to happen going forward, These kind of things add depth to the character and story, give the story structure and make everything more realistic. If understanding Yoda's backstory isn't significant and doesn't hold any value then it doesn't matter whether he is in it or not. Kill him off in the next episode and Mando can continue to be on the run plodding from one planet to the next and all is good.
What is shallow is that you seem content for them to throw anything and everything into the series and say "it's ok, I know it is in Star Wars and I don't need to know anything else". Maybe when Mando lands on the next planet we have Jabba the Hut and the Millenium Falcon in the background. Everyone can get excited about seeing them but we don't need to know how or why they are there.

Re: The Mandalorian
 

Quite.

I think it’s pretty clear which one of us has the better appreciation of how a Jedi should be portrayed. For the record, she was well written and performed and she helped further the story. The Child is after all a youngling of the temple so it’s not random fan service to throw in a Jedi knight from time to time. But this series is about how one orphan saves another. It’s about a bounty hunter who is shown to have an honour code. It’s about his struggle to reconcile the two (which is why we see him frequently juggling the Child while trying to help every hopeless cause he comes across. It’s a pity this pretty fundamental piece of character exploration keeps going over your head, because it’s this, and not Yoda-esque monologues about the Force, that drives the story).

You still seem to be having trouble separating the saga films from a weekly serial, aimed at a family audience, and deliberately designed as a pastiche of a 1950s western. Which is a shame because they really couldn’t have laid on the lone gunslinger motif any thicker this week if they’d used a trowel.

If you’re not familiar with the extended universe, then I recommend you dip into it. Not all of it is entirely canon, particularly not Grand Admiral Thrawn as originally written because those original novels develop some of the main saga characters in ways that were later overruled by episodes 7-9 (to the annoyance of some fans). But they will give you an idea of how the wider Star Wars universe actually works, outside of the massive, multi-generational family empire saga that is told in the nine principal films. The Mandalorian is made by people who know how that universe works (Kathleen Kennedy in particular, produced all five Star Wars films released since 2015), and what they are making is entirely consistent with it.

Re: The Mandalorian
 

I think GM is expecting too much from a simple little show about a bounty hunter, tasked with reuniting the child with its species.
The story moves along nicely. Only visiting planets that are necessary and not just every planet he comes across.

Asoka is a pretty interesting character and is explored a lot in Clone Wars. Knowing who she is and who trained her is also a big part of her.

Re: The Mandalorian
 

The dual at the end was a perfect western quick draw, I could almost hear the good the bad and the ugly in my head. :)

Re: The Mandalorian
 

I’ll have to watch it again but I’m sure there were just a couple of notes in the soundtrack that referenced it.

Likewise when Ahsoka started monologuing about the Force I think there was the briefest of snippets of Yoda’s Theme from The Empire Strikes Back.

Re: The Mandalorian
 

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood...oka-tano-grogu

The Mandalorian: Rosario Dawson Tells All About Ahsoka Tano

Re: The Mandalorian
 

Ears, take a bow. :D

Re: The Mandalorian
 

Just getting in to this, started watching Season 1 at weekend, on episode 4 so far. :)

Re: The Mandalorian
 

This is the way. :cool:

Re: The Mandalorian
 

And the cutest thing in the galaxy, is a Baby Yoda. :D

Re: The Mandalorian
 

Grogu.

Re: The Mandalorian
 

This was revealed in Season 2, this information, I just read up, so thanks for that tiny bit of an unwarranted spoiler. As I said above, I am still up to Ep 4 of Season 1. :rolleyes: