The Mandalorian - Spoilers thread

[Grumpy Gnome]

I quite enjoyed Prospect.

[mcfonz]

I was wondering if the title sequence for The Mandalorian - with all the different heads and helmets (pfff) flashing alongside the Stranger Things-style intro music was a hint that there's a variety of different stories being written, ready to be drip-fed into the TV episode format. If so, they're probably boxing a bit clever after dumping too many Star Wars movies in quick succession and maybe want to take things slower, making sure they have good stories, good characters and good casting, not to mention hunger from the public, before leaping into it.

Ironically, I think they learned a lesson of pitting their movies against other established big hitters. Throwing Solo in against Infinity War, for example.

So yes, I think they have responded a bit, especially with the toxic backlash to daring to have various other races and sexes play major roles in a Star Wars film... They did have plans for other movies which have been shelved. Which actually is another intelligent thing about the Mandalorian series. To me, they are clearly testing out and training up other directors to take on projects of their own under the stewardship of Filoni and Favreau.

[Manchu]

especially with the toxic backlash to daring to have various other races and sexes play major roles in a Star Wars film

Yikes, please don’t re-broadcast this corporate apologist nonsense. Notice how no one has trouble with race or gender when it comes to The Mandalorian.

Marvel has certainly done a good job of weaving a larger tale over the years. With Disney at the helm of each project, and with a strong drive to turn everything into a franchise/remake/reboot built into the Disney machine, I'd be absolutely stunned if we didn't have more projects like Rogue One in the works. I'm guessing we will see movies and TV series to support the expanding universe of lore. The good news is that there is already a metric ton of source material. Even if you did a live-action/CGI remake of the Clone Wars cartoons, you would have enough material for several years of TV. Video games, books... I think they landed on a gold mine. I doubt I'll live to see the Star Wars (or Trek) well dry up.

Reading this, I am transported back to 2015. In the interceding five years, I really learned not to take quality Star Wars content for granted. I should have learned it in 1999. But whenever something good (or even just OK) comes out, it’s easy to forget such lessons. Before The Mandalorian came out last year, things did not look great for SW.

Kids' show though it is, there are some interesting and mature nuances to the Clone Wars stories underneath the cartoon fun.

Yep and I think this is why Ahsoka is generally well-liked by SW fans despite a rocky start. At first, she seemed a little forced with her “too cool for school” attitude but her long-term arc was set up really well. She wasn’t just edgy for superficial reasons, but rather to rehabilitate the character of Anakin by showing how even despite the Jedi largely failing him, he could still be a good role model. And ultimately, the way she walked away demonstrates that Anakin certainly did not have to become a child-murdering psychopath.

[Mr Tough Guy]

TBH while I liked Ashoka in the Mandalorian she's still my least favourite star wars character, she was so fucking annoying the clone wars movie and the first few series of the clone wars cartoon that I absolutely hate her. Honestly if I was Anakin I would have turned to the Dark side a lot sooner with a padawan like her. To be fair she was alright in the season 7 of clone wars, but I still had trouble not hating her because it was the same character I couldn't stand, it helps that with the Mandalorian it takes place so much later and it's live action, so I can pretend it's a different character altogether.

[Cubs]

To me, they are clearly testing out and training up other directors to take on projects of their own under the stewardship of Filoni and Favreau.

I was watching the other day and randomly spotted on the credits that it was directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. I just went, "Wait, what?" and had to rewind to check I'd read it right. Then I wondered why I was surprised that someone I knew from one thing was doing something else!

[CookAndrewB]

Ron Howard's daughter directing something? Who could have seen that coming?

I can honestly say there is very little in the Star Wars catalog that I don't enjoy. Episode I is the hardest to watch, for me, but even that has a lot of redeeming moments. I can't say I've ever felt like the franchise was in trouble, or in dire straights. The box-office receipts certainly don't show a franchise that has struggled.

[mcfonz]

Ron Howard's daughter directing something? Who could have seen that coming?

I can honestly say there is very little in the Star Wars catalog that I don't enjoy. Episode I is the hardest to watch, for me, but even that has a lot of redeeming moments. I can't say I've ever felt like the franchise was in trouble, or in dire straights. The box-office receipts certainly don't show a franchise that has struggled.

This.^^

I felt the prequel series was patchy, I loved the pod racing though in all fairness, you could have taken it out and I'm not sure you would have lost anything huge from the plot from it. I think they made the Gungans too comical which along with the droids took an edge off the conflict between them. The feel was different because of the reliance upon CGI rather than the mix of the originals which was so brilliantly brought back by force awakens, Rogue One and Solo.

Ep II and III probably could have done with being less padded out. The romance dialogue between Anakin and Amidala and that segment was pretty poor, it was awkward and clunky and again, I think it wouldn't have suffered if it had been chopped. In fact I think this is handled better by Clone Wars which had their differences of approach to finding solutions slowly move them apart. I felt it was a bit like Spidey 3 where rather than see a darker side emerge we just got angsty teenager having strops almost (based on my own experience of being a teenager of course!).

Yikes, please don’t re-broadcast this corporate apologist nonsense. Notice how no one has trouble with race or gender when it comes to The Mandalorian.

There are two reoccurring main characters. I'll leave it there but I suspect that is the reason why there isn't such a backlash to Mandalorian in that sense.

As for Mandalorian not getting the negative attention... it somewhat has, just not as in such huge numbers. Same as Clone Wars or Rebels really. I think the flashpoint was the movies and those people are either abstaining from anything Disney does or they just call everything they don't like childish. And there is a fair bit of that still...

[Manchu]

It’s the internet, you can find someone posting anything (or just write it yourself under a pseudonym, then point at that). In reality, there is no appreciable backlash about race and gender. The supposed “backlash” is a figment of marketing, a distracting and divisive narrative meant to deflect legitimate criticism about the fundamental elements of narrative: character, plot, story, and theme.

The Mandalorian has been consistently strong in those terms so far. And people are responding enthusiastically to that quality. Some internet weirdos have from week to week glommed onto supposed “issues” such as “insensitivity toward indigenous peoples” (Tusken Raiders), “genocide” (Grogu eats eggs), and “sexism” (woman depicted with breasts). But who really cares about these hand-wringers when the show is actually so damn entertaining?

Just to be clear, I think Force Awakens is fine, Rogue One and The Last Jedi are awful, Solo is pretty good, Rise of Skywalker is utter garbage, and The Mandalorian is great. Most of the people I know have a similar range of opinions about the various Disney SW movies, albeit perhaps in slightly different configurations — but there is one common thread: The Mandalorian is great. People who were really put off by one thing or another Disney has done are coming back to SW for this show.

[ErikB]

Hey moderators, did someone delete my post about Gina and Cara both being heroes, on and off screen, and therefore an even more captivating character and actress fort her own series?

[Westfalia Chris]

Hey moderators, did someone delete my post about Gina and Cara both being heroes, on and off screen, and therefore an even more captivating character and actress fort her own series?

Yes, since it was a rather inappropriate and, frankly, unnecessary foray into politics and thus in direct violation of our forum rules. Please refrain from doing so again.

[ErikB]

I'm sorry you feel that way

Since we were discussing her as a spin off series, a character and actress who stand up for justice, I thought it was quite appropriate.

We can stick to space aliens, though.

[rumacara]

Grogu...

[Cubs]

Ron Howard's daughter directing something? Who could have seen that coming?

Ah, didn't know she was his daughter. That makes sense.

[OSHIROmodels]

Grogu...

This is the way...

[Sir_Theo]

I know Bryce Dallas Howard as an actor but I hadn't made the connection that she is Ron Howard's daughter. Doy!

I've enjoyed her episodes. The making of documentary on Disney+ is really good, and sort of shows the approach of John Favreau and Dave Filoni in using other directors to get different takes on the various stories.

What I enjoy about this show is how it almost harks back to an older form of tv series with self contained stories in each episodes. Im so used to shows with big season spanning story arcs (and nothing else) it feels like a refreshing change.