The Genius of the the Mandalorian Character and Looking Back at the Show

The Genius of the Mandalorian Character and Looking Back at the Show 

By: Noah Newcomb

Possible Spoilers Ahead for The Mandalorian  

        The Mandalorian finished a few months ago I've been looking back on it for the past few weeks and overall it's a fantastic show. It pushes the boundaries of the Star Wars universe. Sure there were some episodes of that I wasn't crazy about but there were none that were trash, but I'm not talking about the show, I'm talking about the Mandalorian. Now obviously when this show was announced people were thinking of Boba Fett who, for some reason is a big deal amongst most Star Wars fans. I've never understood his massive appeal. I think he hasn't one of the coolest costumes in the Star Wars universe, but he's really all style and no substance, and the Prequels did some things that kind of ruined the character. Him being a clone and seeing his back story didn't do much for the character either. It takes the mystery out of the character that probably appealed to many of his fans. Shortly after The Force Awakens and with the release of Rogue One there were talks of a Boba Fett spin-off that I didn't hear much excitement for. Eventually, the Boba Fett film was canceled and The Mandalorian show was announced, that wasn't Boba Fett! Mandalorians had always been apart of the Star Wars universe beside Jango and Boba Fett. The 2008 Clone Wars show featured Mandalorians fairly regularly, so there was certainly a possibility of there being a success in this show. John Favreau was overseeing the project which is always a plus in my book. The show had huge potential. It had a chance to start from scratch. The Mandalorian brought no baggage like Boba Fett would. The idea was, genius. The character had huge potential. Then the show began and it was a massive hit. A lot of the buzz was around Baby Yoda, who is incredibly cute by the way and Disney did an excellent job of concealing that part of the show., but I think the character that people weren't talking about enough was the Mandalorian. If you compare Boba Fett and the Mandalorian, the Mandolarion is quite obviously the coolest of the two. The Mando has the best gun/rifle (like really cool), the best armor, and has the best feats. The only two arguments I think you could make to the previous statement I just made is that Boba Fett has a jet pack and the Mandalorian gets one at the end! If you disagree with me, that's okay, let me know why down in the comment section. I would love to hear your thoughts. The show expands beyond the Star Wars universe as well, as I mentioned earlier, which might be one of my favorite things about the show. Solo gave us a ground view of the universe as well but I think I enjoy this take as well. Don't get me wrong, I like Solo, I honestly thought it should've been a television show as well, I think it could've been more successful there but we got what we got and I enjoyed it. The Mandalorian took the right route and became a show. Having this broken down into small episodes somehow helps you enjoy that ground view more. To be honest I'm not sure why I think it just lets you level with it more then it would with a big, billion-dollar, blockbuster. I have to say though, this feels like it was made with a million-dollar budget. This has to be one of the best looking TV shows I've ever seen. Disney goes big or they go home. The budget for The Mandalorian was 15 million dollars per episode. It's right up there with Game of Thrones as one of the most expensive shows ever. Even though it's a show it feels apart of the universe, which is incredibly crucial. Not all the episodes are great, however. The Prisoners is my least favorite episode. It feels pretty pointless. The last two episodes are by far my favorite. They were each directed by Takai Watiti which explains why they are so good. While this show takes a ground view of the Star Wars universe it feels episodic. The show has made us grow to like these characters and appreciate them. When Nick Nolte's character Kuiil died at the end of episode  7 I feel sad. I liked the character and it was a bummer to see him go. When IG-11 died it was sad as well, cause that droid kicked tail! By far one of the coolest droids! The R2 unit with legs that rowed the boat was cool and kind of weird at the same time. The reveal of the Mando's face was actually a pretty humanizing moment. It shows that the Mando is more than just a soulless bounty hunter. I have to say, I'm not sure how I feel about Moff Gideon as a villain. He's rather skinny, non-imposing, and doesn't make a big impression. I did enjoy the black saber reveal. Once the Mandolorian gets his jet pack it's a huge cheer moment. (The last two episodes are full of cheer moments.) Then he takes out Moff Gideon and proves he's awesome! The last two episodes are awesome! The fact that Takai Watiti won't be returning for Season 2 is disappointing because he ended the first season so well. Overall, it was refreshing looking back at the show. I think this is a fantastic show. The action set design, and the characters are fantastic. It fits perfectly into the Star Wars universe. I haven't seen many shows. I'm in the middle of Star Trek and have seen The Office, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and this. This is my second favorite show underneath The Office. It was fun looking back at The Mandolarion. Excellent addition to the Star Wars universe.

Mandalorian Official Trailer