The Mandalorian – Saviour of the Star Wars Franchise?

Monika Teleszová
In this article, I would like to write about the new Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian. As opposed to other Star Wars series which were animated, this is the first one that is live-action. The Mandalorian had its premiere in November 2019 on Disney+ and immediately became a hit. The first season, comprising eight episodes, was well received by the audience and critics alike. The Mandalorian was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards and won seven Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

The second season of The Mandalorian premiered on October 30, 2020. Another eight episodes have been released, the last of which, The Rescue, aired on December 18.

The series was created by Jon Favreau, and some of the episodes were written and directed by Dave Filoni, who worked on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. Ludwig Göransson, the brilliant Sweden composer, created beautiful music that is well suited to this project. The main character, Mandalorian Din Djarin, is portrayed by Pedro Pascal, who we may know from Narcos or Game of Thrones.

The story revolves around Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin, who takes under his wing a mysterious Force-sensitive child he has rescued from the Empire. He pledges to deliver this creature, referred to as “The Child”, to his kind; so the second season of this series may be described as a quest to find the Jedi.

That being said, it is quite clear that we can expect some of our favourite characters from other Star Wars projects to appear in the show. Some of them were revealed in previous episodes, including Bo-Katan Kryze and Ashoka Tano, whose appearance was highly anticipated and much appreciated by the fans.

It is interesting to note that Bo-Katan is played by Katee Sackhoff, who voiced this character in the animated series. Here, Ashoka Tano is portrayed by Rosario Dawson, although in the animated series the character is voiced by Ashley Eckstein. Whilst this may go down well with new Star Wars fans, it might disturb die-hard SW supporters, who are well accustomed to Ashley Eckstein’s voice.

As the second season unfolds and the first Jedi of the show is revealed, we finally discover the name of “The Child” referred to by fans as Baby Yoda. Ashoka Tano tells us it is Grogu. In addition, she is able to shed light on certain mysterious events from his past.

The aforementioned episode – The Jedi – also leads us to expect that other familiar faces to appear in the future, including Grand Admiral Thrawn and at least one of the remaining Jedi, such as Ezra Bridger, whose last appearance is connected with Thrawn.

As the Season Two finale aired before Christmas, we now know which other Jedi actually turned up in the series. The last couple of minutes of the finale are truly something to behold. I will remain silent about the Jedi’s name, though, for I don’t want to spoil the surprise for those who haven’t seen it yet. What must be said is that the finale is indeed astonishing. The creators have managed to deliver something special for the fans. In addition to an unexpected twist, the ending of the second season raises many questions related to the Mandalorian’s future.

When we set The Mandalorian against other recent Star Wars projects, such as the new Star Wars trilogy, we may say that Disney have managed to restore the Star Wars reputation. While the sequel trilogy has been much criticized by critics and fans alike, with The Mandalorian Disney have managed to create a project that fits into the Star Wars Universe very well. What’s more, they have captured the interest of viewers. The American website Rotten Tomatoes has given the series a 93 percent rating, which is, in my opinion, well deserved.

The story is gripping, captures the mood of restored freedom for the Galaxy after the fall of the Empire, and evokes memories and anticipation. As I see it, the potential is well exploited here. After the great things this show has already given us, I believe we can expect more of the same.

And what are the main advantages of the show? The reappearance of well-known characters speaks in favour of the show, as does the accurate portrayal of the background to the Star Wars Universe. Also, the main character is appealing and well developed. Yet in my opinion what attracts most attention and represents the biggest lure is “The Child”, also known as Baby Yoda.

The creation of Baby Yoda was an ingenious commercial move. Apart from him being adorable, it is his relation to Master Yoda that makes him hugely appealing. As Master Yoda was considered to be the most powerful member of the Jedi Order, we can expect Grogu to become equally mighty. Nevertheless, it is mostly his cuteness that makes him attractive to both adults and children, making him the perfect merchandise.

In conclusion, as a big Star Wars fan I have to say that I enjoy this TV series tremendously. It has brought to life my favourite animated characters, showed a different side of a Galaxy far, far away, and created probably the most adorable creature ever. In words of the Creed, “This is the way.”
And now we have no choice but to wait – for the third season of The Mandalorian, which promises a great deal of true Star Wars entertainment. In the meantime we can only speculate about what the future holds for our beloved characters.

“I have spoken.”

Sources:
Wikipedia contributors. (2020, November 30). The Mandalorian. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:23, November 30, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Mandalorian&oldid=991477125
Rotten Tomatoes. (2020, November 25). Star Wars Saga: The Mandalorian. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved from https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mandalorian
Pictures:
Picture 1: Mandalorian poster, by unknown artist, Lucasfilm / Disney+, Wikipedia, public domain
By Source, fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65681436
Picture 2: Baby Yoda, by unknown artist, NBCNews, public domain
https://cryptosvet.cz/baby-yoda-mistr-yoda/
Picture 3: Mando and The Child, by unknown artist, Disney, digitalspy.com, public domain
https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34551921/the-mandalorian-season-2-cameo-star-wars-r5/
Picture 4: The Child, by unknown artist, Disney, digitalspy.com, public domain
https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34724388/mandalorian-season-2-ahsoka-tano-star-wars/