The Mandalorian SHOW discussion - Spoilers Allowed for all aired episodes

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

You're not supposed to think.

[rough cut 1,714]

I don't see it as a trope that the good turn out to be evil. If anything, the trope is that good triumphs over evil, and then they lived happily ever after. The trope might be including a "twist" where the prince was actually an evil wizard acting in his own interests all along (for example, Frozen).

 

Another trope might be charachters acting posing as servants of good, when really, they are only serving their own selfish needs for power and twisted views of reality. The corrupt officers in Andor might be a good example of this. The anti-hero is another trope that plays out well in story telling, no example needed. ; )

 

Today, I see the need to over explain things is a sign of our times, and I think it makes for boring and over complicated story telling.

 

Sure, Game Of Thrones and shifting allegiances is fine and entertaining, and keeps the audience guessing because nothing is black or white, but in terms of classic story telling you lose the magic.

 

Bad guys are seldom just bad any more, and good guys not just good. There is a "need" to give every charachter and every story "nuance". Malefeciant, and the story in Wreck It Ralph II, are the most obvious examples of this, but it is evident everywhere. The New Republic torturing people is another. What is the need?

 

But I think you're right (or the podcast you listen to at least) that the torture scene was used as a plot point to illustrate that Elia Kane is a shady charachter, and give her some mystery (to be resolved later). Too bad they had to do it by throwing shade on The New Republic (that are supposed to be heroes?)

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

I dont like very much this new republic. At least the old legends new republic went down in about thirty years after many crisis. But when mon mothma and leia ruled they were good.  In rogue one and andor they greyed the rebel alliance, and they are greying the new republic too. Its the trendy realistic approach. But it makes you wonder how the heroes of the OT allowed this.

[GerateWohl 4,320]

30 minutes ago, Luke Skywalker said:

I dont like very much this new republic. At least the old legends new republic went down in about thirty years after many crisis. But when mon mothma and leia ruled they were good.  In rogue one and andor they greyed the rebel alliance, and they are greying the new republic too. Its the trendy realistic approach. But it makes you wonder how the heroes of the OT allowed this.

It does not make much sense how bad these new republic guys are at handling the new republic as the empire existed for only about 30 years after a thousand years of galactic republic in a universe where seemingly all species except humans seem to have a lifespan between 200 and 900 years.

[SilverTrumpet 638]

All I know is I saw one episode of Andor when it came out and was so bored I didn't bother continuing. This episode felt like Andor. 

[Jay 37,249]

Andor gets off to a slow start; The first 2 episodes are the worst of the entire show.  By episode 3 all that setup throughout those finally pays off, and then after that the show just gets better and better until it becomes one of the best shows Disney+ has made.  Give it a second chance!

[Jay 37,249]

The thing with The New Republic is an issue really you can blame on JJ and the sequels and not Mando itself

 

In other words, the original movies gave us a happy ending where the good guys defeated The Empire.  Any stories about what happened after that were eventually made non-canon when Disney bought Lucasfilm and decided to tell their own stories.

Well TFA came out first and said well actually, things aren't that great, there's this First Order now, and Leia isn't in charge of anything in the New Republic anymore, in fact she's in this thing called The Resistance.  (Whether that group was meant to be Resisting the New Republic, or just Resisting the First Order because the New Republic didn't want to themselves, was never clear to me, and I don't think explained on-screen)

 

So now Mando being set 5 years after ROTJ can't just tell its own story any way it wants to, it has to inevitably leads towards the canon of the Sequel Trilogy, where Snoke is a clone of The Emperor and there's a First Order and a Resistance, instead of only a peaceful galaxy run by a New Republic that everyone likes.

 

So here we are.

[SilverTrumpet 638]

6 hours ago, Jay said:

Andor gets off to a slow start; The first 2 episodes are the worst of the entire show.  By episode 3 all that setup throughout those finally pays off, and then after that the show just gets better and better until it becomes one of the best shows Disney+ has made.  Give it a second chance!

 

Everyone tells me that, and I think its such a lame thing for a show to take so long to get started. It's like the "dude just keep playing the game. It's boring for the first 20 hours but then it picks up" types...but my deli guy was pissed I haven't kept up with Star Wars so in the spirit of not disappointing him, I've been going through everything. All caught up on Mando, halfway through Bad Batch season 2, and I'll do Andor last since the season's over and I won't keep falling behind. 

[Jay 37,249]

Yea I hear you, but the first episode of Andor was something like 33 minutes without the end credits so it's not quite analogous to your video game analogy

[SilverTrumpet 638]

Was it? I remember it being a lot longer.

[GerateWohl 4,320]

The first two episodes of Andor were published at once. So maybe you took the first two as one episode.

[Jay 37,249]

17 minutes ago, SilverTrumpet said:

Was it? I remember it being a lot longer.

 

The first 3 episodes are all super short; I believe in total (without logos, recaps or end credits) they are only 90 minutes combined

 

 

Just now, GerateWohl said:

The first two episodes of Andor were published at once. So maybe you took the first two as one episode.

 

It was the first 3 that all released at once

[enderdrag64 624]

44 minutes ago, SilverTrumpet said:

It's like the "dude just keep playing the game. It's boring for the first 20 hours but then it picks up" types...

[DarthDementous 1,059]

5 hours ago, Jay said:

 

So now Mando being set 5 years after ROTJ can't just tell its own story any way it wants to, it has to inevitably leads towards the canon of the Sequel Trilogy, where Snoke is a clone of The Emperor and there's a First Order and a Resistance, instead of only a peaceful galaxy run by a New Republic that everyone likes.

 

So here we are.

None of those eventual outcome mandates that you have to portray the New Republic as a 1984 style government

[Andy 4,070]

6 hours ago, SilverTrumpet said:

 

Everyone tells me that, and I think its such a lame thing for a show to take so long to get started. It's like the "dude just keep playing the game. It's boring for the first 20 hours but then it picks up" types...but my deli guy was pissed I haven't kept up with Star Wars so in the spirit of not disappointing him, I've been going through everything. All caught up on Mando, halfway through Bad Batch season 2, and I'll do Andor last since the season's over and I won't keep falling behind. 

Don’t listen. It gets better, but only because of exposure time and familiarity.  It’s not my thing. I was bored to tears.   But I guess you should take one for your deli guy. 

[SilverTrumpet 638]

1 hour ago, Andy said:

Don’t listen. It gets better, but only because of exposure time and familiarity.  It’s not my thing. I was bored to tears.   But I guess you should take one for your deli guy. 

 

The sandwiches are worth it. 

[Jay 37,249]

I learned on a podcast this week that the whole "last remaining rock on Corscant" thing was an idea by Ralph McQuarrie a long time ago, and it actually appeared on screen in the new ending made for the ROTJ: SE in 1997?

 

I guess it's the thing seen here at 1:20?

 

 

[Brando 1,848]

Where at specifically in the frame? I don't see a rock

[Jay 37,249]

I think I was wrong, I think the thing in the center of the frame there is whatever these are:

 

 

From: https://deadlystream.com/blogs/entry/136-blog-32-coruscant-as-envisioned-by-ralph-mcquarrie/

[Manakin Skywalker 4,889]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

I learned on a podcast this week that the whole "last remaining rock on Corscant" thing was an idea by Ralph McQuarrie a long time ago, and it actually appeared on screen in the new ending made for the ROTJ: SE in 1997?

 

I guess it's the thing seen here at 1:20?

 

They're partially right. Ralph McQuarrie did create the concept art (as you posted above) for this particular area, and this same location (Monument Plaza) is the location seen in the Special Edition of ROTJ; however in the SE the plaza looks completely different and does not show the actual mountain peak. The location as it appears in The Mandalorian is based off a combination of Ralph's artwork as well as its appearance in The Clone Wars season 2 (which is primarily based off of Ralph's artwork as well, but with the added mountain peak).

 

Interestingly this location first appears in TCW during the first Mandalore arc, which brought Jon Favreau into the mix.

 

 

[Tallguy 3,359]

Yeah, I recognized the McQuarrie concept when I saw the episode. I don't know what level of nerd Favreau is but Filoni has forgotten more about Star Wars art and collectibles than even I will ever know.

 

 

[Jay 37,249]

Ah OK so it had been on-screen before, but in Clone Wars and not ROTJSE.  Got it

[JNHFan2000 2,938]

Episode 4 - The Foundling

 

It was very short, but I loved it.

 

When the episode began I wasn't too sure. It went a little slow. But after that creature grabbed the foundling and the episode title came on I was hooked.

 

The flasback of Grogu was great. I'm so glad we finally get some insights in his past. It still only has to do with The Purge. But it ended in a way that I'm very curious to see what comes next.

Seeing The Clone Troopers in live action again was incredible. They looked fantastic.

I'm also intriguid to who the Jedi is that helped Grogu. I thought he had a great look and it'll be great to see what happens with him.

 

Then the whole rescue party sequence. This was also great. It felt a bit like a side quest again, but when they're this fun, it doesn't matter.

The dragon/bird like creature was really cool. And again the visual effects are just stunning. The fight in the air was really well done and I just love seeing the Mandalorians fly. And the way it died, by one of those creatures from episode 1, was really nice 

 

Then at the end with Bo-Katan and the Armorer, I'm not sure if the Armorer believes Bo-Katan. I do feel that The Mandalorians need to communicate a bit more.

Does anyone else feel that "This Is The Way" is almost the same as "I Am Groot" in Marvel. It can mean a million different things. I find it a bit confusing.

 

Shirley composed some great music. Both action scene were fantastic. And I feel that is beginning to do a bit more his own thing, while still honoring the sound of Göransson.Let's see a first volume is released this friday or next week.

[Jay 37,249]

You mean episode 4?

[Knight of Ren 775]

Episode 4 was great! After the interesting but a bit disappointing detour from the main storyline, this episode entirely focuses on the mandalorians, and has some great action sequences as well as a nice revelation during Grogu's flashback.

 

I wasn't expecting to have such a long flashback sequence, but I really liked, and it's so great that the jedi that rescues Grogu is played by Ahmed Best! I think we might learn a lot more from Grogu's past during the rest of the season, and I cannot wait for it!

 

The action sequence with the dinosaur-like creature was also cool, and I liked the "always a bigger fish" end for the creature, which reminded me of Phantom Menace but also of Jurassic Park. And I'm really liking the character exploration they're doing with Bo Katan, which is now much more a protagonist than Mando I would say. She is really changing as a character, and I feel that she will slowly accept the Way of the Mandalore, leading up to the return to Mandalore, Mythosaur included.

 

Shirley's music was nice as well, with some cool action set-pieces, being especially noteworthy the one underscoring Grogu's flashback during the Order 66! If you want to read a more in-depth analysis on the score, I'll leave here my soundtrack analysis for the episode, so feel free to check it out and share your thoughts. Enjoy!

Chapter 20: The Foundling

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

So…. Is amhed best a naboo jedi?

 

i expected anakin to make a cameo in order 66 but oh well…

 

no cin drallig* either. They could have showed his demise at the hands of anakin that we glimpsed in the rots temple recordings yoda and obiwan watch.

 

*Jedi played by Nick gillard, stunt master of the prequels, who was swordfight master in the temple.

 

 

when i said the crocodile creature looked like jurassic worlds mosasaur i did so for a reason. Its like the reused the same scene with another cgi skin for the mosasaur and pteranodon 😅

[Gabriel Bezerra 299]

To anyone wondering who was the Jedi that saved Grogu, here it is:

He's played by Ahmed Best who did the performance capture for Jar Jar Binks, so "some friends from Naboo" probably has triple meaning (as Natalie Portman and him are still good friends)

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

Super bombad jedi…

[Andy 4,070]

Maxi big da Force. 
 

This episode was terrific fun.  The aerial fight was astounding.   The brief Order 66 sequence was more exciting than the whole of Kenobi. 

[DarthDementous 1,059]

That was very bad. Ahmed Best had some cool moments as Cellareq, that's about it. The more we see of the Covert the worse they get I swear...

[SilverTrumpet 638]

On 20/03/2023 at 9:57 AM, Jay said:

Andor gets off to a slow start; The first 2 episodes are the worst of the entire show.  By episode 3 all that setup throughout those finally pays off, and then after that the show just gets better and better until it becomes one of the best shows Disney+ has made.  Give it a second chance!

 

I caught up with the show last night. It was just as bad at the end of episode 12 as it was during episode 1. I can see people getting used to the style, but nothing was likable about the show. At all.

 

6 hours ago, DarthDementous said:

That was very bad. Ahmed Best had some cool moments as Cellareq, that's about it. The more we see of the Covert the worse they get I swear...

 

When the episode started and the kid got taken away and I saw the runtime I immediately had a "Ugh, it's just going to be a rescue the kid plot?". 

 

Then Super Bombad Jedi shows up and we can an exciting escape from Coruscant scene out of nowhere. It was almost cringey that it was him but it was an exciting sequence and I'm a big sucker for dual wielding a green and a blue lightsaber.

 

I think this whole era of Disney TV shows has proven that Star Wars is the Jedi. The people who claim that the problem with Star Wars is that we've always been too focused on the Jedi are just flat out wrong. Every really interesting thing that happens in everything from Rebels to Mandalorian involves the Jedi. The whole hook that makes Mando more interesting than just some random Mandalorian walking around quiet is something Jedi related in a super young member of Yoda's species who survived Order 66.

[GerateWohl 4,320]

One issue with the star Wars content in the Disney aera is, that the evil organizations like the empire or the first order are characterized as either stupid or unnecessarily cruel and evil.

 

But totalitarian systems don't work like that. They are much smarter and manipulative as it is shown in these TV shows and movies.

 

George Lucas showed in the prequels really in a clever way, how the chancellor manipulates everyone including Anakin to reach his target without being unecessarily cruel working in the shadows.

 

Ok. Then came clone wars, a kids show, that tried to make the villains accessible within one eposide. But it was clear, that this is just simplified for the children.

But Disney took over that simplification and now regularly shows these stupid imperial officers, which goes complete against their targets to gain control over the galaxy.

 

[Andy 4,070]

Think the Mandos will "Train Their Dragons" by season's end?   Hey, get Powell to score the flight sequences when they learn to ride the baby dragons.

[GerateWohl 4,320]

1 minute ago, Andy said:

Think the Mandos will "Train Their Dragons" by season's end?   Hey, get Powell to score the flight sequences when they learn to ride the baby dragons.

This reminded me rather of Sid in Ice Age 3 and his baby dinosaurs.

But that was scored by Powell as well.

 

[1977 1,743]

Eggbert, Yoko and Shelley

[DarthDementous 1,059]

8 hours ago, SilverTrumpet said:

I think this whole era of Disney TV shows has proven that Star Wars is the Jedi. The people who claim that the problem with Star Wars is that we've always been too focused on the Jedi are just flat out wrong. Every really interesting thing that happens in everything from Rebels to Mandalorian involves the Jedi. The whole hook that makes Mando more interesting than just some random Mandalorian walking around quiet is something Jedi related in a super young member of Yoda's species who survived Order

Disagree, it’s all in the execution. Mandalorians are perfectly capable of carrying a whole show but almost nothing about this version of them makes any sense and is incredibly meandering. So when it cuts to something that has already been established as significant by other media, Order 66, it’s like a jolt out of the stupor the episode has put you in. Case and point, Obi Wan Kenobi focused entirely on the Jedi and was terrible

[1977 1,743]

On 22/03/2023 at 10:31 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Does anyone else feel that "This Is The Way" is almost the same as "I Am Groot" in Marvel. It can mean a million different things. I find it a bit confusing.

 

 

[Tallguy 3,359]

Star Wars is either the best or the second best movie and it barely features the Jedi. And it has a lightsaber duel where neither participant uses the Force.

 

Also, Rogue One and Andor would like a word. (And me? I'm a fan of Solo.)

 

Keep your space wizards. Give me spaceships and gun battles.

 

Oh, and Andor: I hate to say "It gets really good by episode 3" especially since I enjoyed the first two episodes as world building, but it gets good by episode 3. Or I should say "More stuff happens by episode 3."

 

Has anyone tried getting someone to just jump in at episode 4 and see what they think?

[DarthDementous 1,059]

37 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

Has anyone tried getting someone to just jump in at episode 4 and see what they think?

Interesting experiment but a very bad idea, a lot is set of foundational stuff is set up in those first three episodes that pays off later

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

If andor does not feature a jedi or sith (palpatine counts) i will eat my hat….

[Henry Sítrónu 494]

On 15/3/2023 at 9:51 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

But I believe it was the "March Of The Resistance". I really liked it.

it was.

[DarthDementous 1,059]

1 hour ago, Luke Skywalker said:

If andor does not feature a jedi or sith (palpatine counts) i will eat my hat….

It’ll likely feature one, there’s already plausible theories that Luthen is an ex-Jedi, but I don’t expect the focus to shift to them and nor should it. If Luthen is a Jedi then that’s already a much more nuanced and more human take on a Jedi character than previous, barring the OT

[Jay 37,249]

The Mandalorian 3x04 The Foundling

 

I thought it was interesting that the "Previously On" didn't reference the Coruscant stuff from last week at all; though as soon as it did I knew the episode wouldn't pick up that thread.  I guess we'll know which episode this season will when it appears in that Previously On

 

Man, I thought the opening shot of this episode was really goofy, all the Mandalorians wasting ammo and basic combat training on the lakeshore.  But then when it got to Grogu playing with the "rocks" it was adorable, and I loved his combat training against the other kid, too.  It's such an interesting situation where Grogu is clearly a baby in so many ways, but also 50 years old, and able to actually hold his own in combat in other ways... really makes you think about how right or wrong it is to have him raised by these Mandalorians when he can't really speak for himself about what he wants out of life or anything yet.  I dunno.

 

So then when the dinosaur came and snatched a foundling kid away... I dunno, I was taken out of things here, like "why would they choose to life in a place where this can happen?  And how do they not hear a giant dinosaur approaching?  Or have technology to detect and alert them?"  But I guess I'm not supposed to think about these things....

 

I really liked Grogu's flashback that detailed his escape as Order 66 was enacted!  It was excited and just looked great throughout.  I noticed the lone mountain rock from the last episode made an appearance too.  

 

The rescue of the foundling was pretty neat too!  I liked seeing Bo take charge, figure it all out, lead the team, but then still having the variable of Paz rushing in and them having to improv on the fly.  All the action in the air was so cool!  It was a little silly that the dinosaur got eaten by a larger dinosaur in the water, and I even thought to myself that her babies are now like foundlings of their own before it was revealed they took them in.

 

One part I didn't get though: When they all get dinner, Din tells her that they CAN take their helmets off to eat, they just don't do it in front of each other.  Doesn't this clash with everything The Armorer's said about how their cult works?  I remember in previous episodes Din kind of finding ways to drink beverages with his helmet still on for example.  Can anyone explain the helmet thing in more detail for me?

I loved the ending with Bo talking to The Armorer.  I thought it was neat that every Mandalorian can wear a Mythosaur pauldron along with the one from her own tribe (and I love that hers is an owl), and the skepticism with which The Armorer took in Bo's story of seeing a living Mythsosaur was really well done.

 

I can't believe the season is half over already!  These are so short!

[Manakin Skywalker 4,889]

22 minutes ago, Jay said:

One part I didn't get though: When they all get dinner, Din tells her that they CAN take their helmets off to eat, they just don't do it in front of each other.  Doesn't this clash with everything The Armorer's said about how their cult works?  I remember in previous episodes Din kind of finding ways to drink beverages with his helmet still on for example.  Can anyone explain the helmet thing in more detail for me?

 

Wasn't he in the company (or potential company) of others when he ate/drank that way? Because I mean it wouldn't really make sense if they couldn't ever take their helmets off. Plus I imagine their faces would look like when you leave a bandaid on your finger too long. 

[Jay 37,249]

I agree, but I'm just going by what I thought the show told me in the past!

[Faleel 5,326]

Didn't he take it off in that lady's hut (when she wasn't there obviously) in S1?

[Jay 37,249]

I don't remember!

[Faleel 5,326]

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

I don't remember!

I just watched it, he does. He sets it down too!

[Tallguy 3,359]

I think Bo-Katan is being astonishingly polite to not scream "You're all NUTS!"

[Andy 4,070]

Nah she just knows what their response would be.