I know, I know. The Mandalorian is already three episodes in but I thought it’d be a good time to start with episode one and recap what we’ve seen so far. We’ll catch up after a few posts.
The Mandalorian has been sweeping the world on Disney+ and it’s creator Jon Favreau has returned us to a galaxy far, far away. Not only does it pay great homage to the original trilogy with the fantastic transitions and shots but Favreau has also slipped in numerous references to The Star Wars Holiday Special as well!
Introduction to the Mandalorian
We are immediately introduced to the Mandalorian at a cantina at the beginning of the episode. He is after a bounty and dispenses of a few thugs in the process, using his blaster and neat wrist tool to wrangle one as he runs out the door, shooting the door closed separating the thug in half. It’s an introduction that lingers in your mind and makes you realize right away how awesome he is.
Later on in the episode we see brief flashbacks to when he was a child and seeing his home be destroyed (presumably by the Empire). I’m sure we will see more and find out more about the mythology behind the Mandalorians and their famous helmets.
Frozen in Carbonite!
Carbonite makes a return to the Star Wars saga! We are shown the Mandalorian traveling back to return his bounties after fleeing an enormous sea monster. How does he ride back in peace and quiet with all those prisoners? Freeze them in carbonite. Not only do we see he already has a few on his ship, indicating he’s probably been around a few systems already, we get to see the process of his newest bounty freezing. It’s a fun little treat to throw us in the first episode.
Supporting Characters
After our bounty hunter returns to collect his reward, he returns to known other than Carl Weathers (Predator, Rocky)! Greef Karga (Weathers) offers him a few more jobs, but he can’t take all of them. He must share with ‘The Guild’. Sharing is caring! Instead, he offers him another job, one off the books. Karga sends him to meet with a man about it, a man surrounding himself with none other than Storm Troopers!
This ‘client’ is played by the great director Werner Herzog (Jack Reacher, Grizzly Man). The client can’t tell him much about the target, other than it’s 50 years old and the general direction of where to go. It’s a short scene but features fantastic acting from Herzog and Pascal (The Mandalorian). In this scene we see the client offer a small bar of beskar, the rare metal the Mandalorian’s helmet is constructed from, and from what we’ve seen so far it’s near impenetrable.
Before meeting our next character, played by Nick Nolte (48 Hours, Warrior) we see a pretty cool smelting scene. There are more Mandalorians, and at least one on this planet. The Mandalorian takes the piece of beskar there to create a new piece of his beskar armor! It seems to be a small bar, so only a right shoulder pauldron is smelted. The client had promised much more after the job was completed, meaning we should be seeing the full armor set this series. Wonder if he gets a set bonus!
Ugh, Droids
For the final shootout of the episode, we’re taken to a quarry filled with an infinite amount of bad guys it seems. It also seems he’s not the only one with the job at hand. As he survey’s the area a bounty droid walks right into the compound and begins firing. This completely ruins any chance of surprising the enemy and he lets the droid know! It is a fun back and forth between the two as they have a blaster shoot out with what seems like thirty-forty baddies!
The Big Conclusion
You didn’t know you wanted it, I didn’t I wanted it, but we got it. ‘Baby Yoda’ has not only stolen the episode but has taken over the internet with endless memes. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order, so it’s not actually the Yoda we all know and love, but a creature of the same species. It was a gigantic reveal and one that has everyone talking!
The big thing I’m talking about is how a bounty hunter didn’t complete his bounty! We all know he has a heart, and the ‘baby Yoda’ is adorable but he had a job to do. I’m only kidding. A little. That droid was right though.
We’ll be going through each episode and catching up to the current week! Be sure to comment on anything you caught, trivia or references and comment below! Next stop, episode 2 of The Mandalorian.
Trivia
The following pieces of trivia were exerted from www.IMDB.com
- The Mandalorian using his phase-pulse blaster on a sea monster is a reference to the animated sequence which introduced Boba Fett in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) when Fett used his lance to spur on a sea creature.
- Kowakian monkey-lizards can be seen roasting over fire and in cages. Salacious B. Crumb (Jabba The Hutt’s diminutive sidekick in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi) is of this species.
- In the Mandalorian Tribe base, there is a Mandalorian in the background wearing the armor Boba Fett wore in his Holiday Special animated debut.