A Spaghetti Western in Space
Writing for the Star Wars Universe can be challenging. Fans are often divided when a new movie, TV show or book is released. For all of those landmines, Disney+ has released a series that is almost universally celebrated. That show is The Mandalorian.
The Story
Mandalorians are defined by their armor and their traditions. Star Wars fans usually equate the name with storied villains Boba and Jango Fett. (Neither of whom are actually Mandalorians. Feel free to comment.) This series follows an unnamed bounty hunter who is simply referred to as “The Mandalorian” or “Mando” by his colleagues.
Like many bounty hunter stories before it, this show relies on the title character taking action despite having operated under a set of rules his entire career. Mando takes a bounty to deliver unspecified cargo to an operative of the former Empire. When he discovers just how precious this cargo is, he goes back to rescue it. (That cargo winds up being Internet sensation “Baby Yoda.”)
The Release Schedule
Disney+ broke ranks with the majority of streaming services by staggering the release of the show’s eight episodes. This provided almost two full months of anticipation as viewers tuned in to discover Mando’s identity, the outcome of his next adventure, and to fawn all over Baby Yoda. (That hasn’t stopped.)
Expect a number of streaming services to learn from this approach. Netflix’s Marvel shows often carried a $40M budget per season, and were binge watched over a weekend and then no longer trending. The Mandalorian provided a ton of momentum (and a boatload of trial subscribers at its launch) for Disney+ as it enters the market.
The Cast
Mando is played by Game of Thrones’ own Pedro Pascal. The show doesn’t give him a name and he spends 95% of the time with a helmet masking his face. He has to rely on mostly dialogue to tell his story. The supporting cast is jam packed. Gina Carano plays the tough soldier, Cara Dune. Long-time action star, Carl Weathers, is the gamesmaster of the bounty hunters. Actor/Director Taika Waititi manages to give an assassin droid a ton of emotion. Emily Swallow is a true standout as The Armorer.
Acting legends Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte help to give the series a ton of gravity in the early episodes. Breaking Bad antagonist Giancarlo Esposito shows up later to really raise the stakes. Other contributors include Ming-Na Wen, Clancy Brown, Bill Burr and Jason Sudeikis.
Conclusion
The Mandalorian brings a fresh take to Star Wars while teasing a ton of nostalgia. The series features a ton of characters, technologies and creatures that had never previously appeared in live action TV. Series creator John Favreau proves that he can once again inherit a well-known franchise and fill it with some unprecedented nuance. The result is a fun action show complete with comedy, drama and tons of sci-fi excitement.