However, our wishes were granted when on November 12th, Disney launched their ‘Disney +’ streaming service and with it the premiere episode of The Mandalorian, the first ever live-action Star Wars show. The brainchild of Iron Man (2008) director Jon Favreau and The Clone Wars show-runner Dave Filoni, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) as the titular bounty hunter plying his trade in the aftermath of the fall of the Galactic Empire. But, was the Mad Max inspired ‘space western’ worth the wait?
The show takes place four-years after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983) and twenty-five years before The Force Awakens (2015). The Empire has all but collapsed in the civilized Core of the galaxy, but out in the lawless Outer Rim, life remains as challenging as ever. Far from the politics of the New Republic senate, scoundrels, thieves, and ordinary citizens still live under the boot of the Imperial Remnant.
It is against this backdrop that we meet the, as yet un-named, bounty hunter known only as “The Mandalorian”. One day, after collecting his fee for several completed jobs, our anti-hero is given the opportunity to collect for a special client – a mysterious Remnant leader. Aboard his ship, the Razor Crest, The Mandalorian heads off to Arvala-7 and a job that will send him on a new path.
The shows second outing sees our anti-hero attempt to escape Arvala-7 with his prized asset in tow, only to discover he is not the only being in the galaxy itching to get their hands on the precious bounty. To do so they will need to pry it from the Mando's cold, dead hands...
Episode 2 features more from Nick Nolte's charachter, the Ugnaught named Kuill. Based on the old prostector archetype from countless Westerns, Kuill wants nothing more than to be left alone by everyone. But to return to his peacful life, he must first help out the mysterious bounty hunter when he runs into some trouble with some Jawas. The best part of episode 2 is that we finally get an aswer to that age old question "Who would win in a fight, Boba Fett or 100 of those faceless alien things that go 'Utini?"
Both episodes of the show look stunning. Which is a relief, because prior to this show, director Dave Filoni had only worked in animation and some were worried about the transition to live-action. Fear not. Filoni is a fine director with a highly defined vision as to what the Star Wars universe should ‘feel’ like and he pulls this off in live action as well as he does in animation.
Some fans were not too impressed with the concept art and trailer shown at Star Wars Celebration Chicago back in April, claiming the show looked poorly edited and like a high-quality fan film.
You can watch the full panel for free on Youtube by clicking this link.
In terms of performances, the show is harder to judge. Hiding behind that mask, Pascal’s job of emoting is made much harder. However, I feel he succeeds in this endeavour. His dialogue, although limited, is enough to give us a glimpse of his personality behind the helmet and his action sequences are spectacular. Nick Nolte and Taika Waititi (director of Thor: Ragnarok) give serviceable voices to their characters Kuill and IG-11 respectively, but the standout performance of from the show’s opening two episodes is given by legendary director Werner Herzog (Nosferatu The Vampyre, Fitzcarraldo) The German plays an Imperial Remnant figure known only as “The Client”. With only a few minutes screen time he steals the show and I was left wanting to know all about him. I have a strong suspision we have not seen the last of him.
The script by Favreau is sparse but all the better for it. The whole show feels very toned-down from the high-octane, fast paced adventures of the movies but it does not suffer for it overall. However, I must admit the pacing of the action feels a little off and I am not yet sold on Ludwig Goransson’s score or the chemistry between The Mandalorian and Kuill.
The first season of the show will consist of eight episodes. It has already been re-ordered by Disney+ for a second season before episode one aired on November 15th. Jon Favreau posted a teaser image of the Mandalorian's helmet on Instagram after the news was announced.
I hope as the season progresses, we involve more characters and the goings on of the wider galaxy. These problems are minor however and I trust what Favreau and Filoni are doing and their plans for our characters going forward. The Lucasfilm story group has, as of yet, not let fans down since their creation in the wake of the Disney takeover. Content in the new canon has been intervowen together in a way that shows care and allows for fans of all levels and ages, to enjoy the stories from the Star Wars universe.
So far, so good for the Mandalorian, and we are only two episodes in. With the best yet to come all I can say is "I have a good feeling about this".
