Mandalorian

CULTURE

Thoughts from a Star Wars fan

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Star Wars fan. I loved the storyline of the original movies and the world they were set in. That being said, the Mandalorian did not disappoint and lived up to the hype. The series, available on Disney+, takes place after the sixth Star Wars movie “Return of the Jedi.” The show follows the story of a Mandalorian bounty hunter searching the galaxy for jobs to fulfill.

The Mandalorian himself, Din Djarin, is a great addition to the franchise. His character develops extremely well over the first two seasons. At the start of the series, he’s portrayed as a hardened bounty hunter as if he’s already seen the most terrifying things the Star Wars galaxy has to offer like the Galactic Empire, the Confederacy of Independent Systems and crime families like the Hutts. By the end of Season 1, Djarin becomes a father figure to another character, Grogu.

Over Season 2, Grogu doesn’t do much or even develop as a character. He’s another member of Yoda’s species. Before this series, fans only knew of two members of Grogu’s species: Yoda himself and Jedi Master Yaddle, who only appeared in the Phantom Menace.

Djarin’s goal throughout the series is to bring Grogu back to his own kind, the Jedi, who are known enemies to the Mandalorians. Throughout their journey the two characters become very close to each other like a father and son. Djarin feeds Grogu and even has a little room for him inside his ship where Grogu can sleep. The two both face great challenges together as Mandalorian and Jedi.

I should mention, this show gets tremendously detailed with it’s lore. For example, quite a few characters from the Clone Wars series appear including a couple of iconic characters from both the Clone Wars and the movies. Creators Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni also took inspiration from the Star Wars Legends series of novels, which were removed from the canon storyline when Disney bought LucasFilm. Both Favreau and Filoni incorporate certain parts of the Legends books back into the canon storyline. It’s a good way to cater to long time fans of the franchise. What really makes this show great is Moff Gideon, the main villain of the show who is played by Giancarlo Esposito. He is no Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine but he definitely earned his title as a villain, though whenever I see him I always think of Gus Fring from Breaking Bad running an intergalactic fried chicken drug empire. This show has so much going on and it excels at implementing Easter eggs from the movies, shows and books into its story. I believe the Mandalorian is great for anyone who is or is not a Star Wars fan. I can’t wait for it’s return in Season 3.

pages by Emily Zeller story by Gus Cordova illustration by Gus Cordova