The Mandalorian S1E1

So this was all leading up to an advertisement for this season’s hottest Christmas item: ‘tickle me Yoda’? Well . . . . . . . . I’m in.

 

I like that the show let it be known that the Mando doesn't like droids by him refusing a ride with one. Then they show him and his family being attacked by droids during the Clone Wars. He then has to work with IG-11 when he absolutely has to. And then shoots IG-11 without problem.

I fully expect IG-11 to be back and "angry".

 

I told yaddle that staying a secret it will not.

 

This may be a controversial opinion, but as far as live action Star Wars on the small screen is concerned, this is better than ‘Caravan of Courage’.

 

Yoda has a love child..

 

I wonder the same thing, is there something I missed?

First live action reference. 2nd reference that I can recall. There was a scene in SW Rebels that showed a bathroom and a sink.

 

Okay, finally watched it and I LOVED it. Feels like all the best vibes of Solo and Rogue One stuffed into a 40 minute episode.

Anyway, here are some (obviously spoilery) scattered thoughts:

- I don't love the design of the Mando's ship, BUT I do love that it has a portable Carbon Freeze appliance

- I feel like this film had the best balance of new and old alien species that we've seen post Disney. Really well done there.

- Honestly, this could've been released as a short film called The Mandalorian: A Star Wars Story, and it might be the best spinoff so far. Really, it almost feels like its own short story, not even necessarily needing the final 7 episodes (though I'm obviously still pumped they're coming).

- I like how they ticked off a lot of the classic western boxes, giving fans what we obviously wanted but opening up the rest of the series to be a little less derivative.

- The action was incredible. I think it ran a really fine line well by being grittier than we're used to in the Disney canon, without going full on obnoxiously edgy. This is the kind of show that a kid can watch with their parents and feel really cool, without the parent really subjecting them to too bad of violence.

- As an inverse, the kiddier elements didn't feel all that juvenile either. I've read a lot about how the blurrg training scene was cheesey, but... maybe it's just me, but I really didn't think it was all that bad.

- IG-11 was incredible. I kinda hope that he returns somehow (88 had three other units, remember) but I also kinda like that his death has a big punch. Also, it was not distractingly Taika, which I was worried about. F to pay respects.

-End credits are is just win after win, set to an incredible score.

- Another incredible soundtrack moment hit when the Mando was riding the Blurrg across those craggy plains.

- Speaking of which, world design was top notch. I was worried that we'd get just another series of desert planets based off the trailers, but instead we got some of the most creative planets we've seen in a while- Icy sea monster planet, craggy plains (any chance that was Ryloth?)... can't wait to see where they go from here.

- There was a badass Mandalorian blacksmith babe AND she had a Mando helmet clearly designed with hoplite influence? Give me more of her please, thanks!

- Really, the entire Mando refuge was cool. Hope to see more of that.

- I hope we get a more prolonged flashback into the Mando running from the Seperatist attack, because I could really use some gritty live action Clone Wars, please and thanks

- I literally didn't even notice Bill Burr in this, and honestly, I'd like to keep it that way (or was he even in this episode?)

- Nolte and Weathers were good, and Herzog gave an incredible performance. Hope to see him again soon.

- Pascal really surprised me. He managed to have a Mandalorian/ Man with No Name coolness about him, but also kinda had some charm. Definitely not as flat as I'd originally expected.

- Uhh, baby Yoda is freakin adorable. I expect my wife to not be totally on board with the series at first (she's more into the sequel trilogy, not a fan of stuff like the spinoffs), but she's gonna fall in love with this show the second she sees that. I can't wait.

 

I would type out my thoughts in detail.. but easier for me to say.. what @cawatrooper said ^ !

musically I wasn’t grabbed by it.. yet. quite often they grow on me, so we'll see.

loved it! roll on Friday

 

What do you all think: is the baby actually the child of Yoda? Will it be force sensitive or will this even matter given its young age? Why is it so valuable if it is just an infant of a rare species and why does a scientist want it so badly?

 

Neither him or Gina Carano appear in this episode.

No.

Maybe

This is a very good question. We have next to zero lore when it comes to Yoda's species so this is going to be fun to learn more.

 

My crackpot theory: If the species has incredibly long lives, then it would seem to make sense the Empire (a faculty of the Dark Side) would be highly interested in obtaining and learning if there is anything to gain from this species....like in a cloning process

 

I was a little nervous watching it with my kids. The action scenes were a whole bunch of zapping i.e. killing.

I love the blurrgs. I don't know why, but I just do.

That part to me felt out-of-place, like some of the music in Rogue One. Those cues ended up seeming fine on repeat viewings though.

The mood there was spine-tingling. Loved it.

 

So....what planets were we on?

Kinda important....wouldn't it be?

 

Super interested in finding what's going on there.

I don't think Yoda himself has a child. Apparently it's called The Being, so I'm almost wondering if Yoda's species is more like the Maiar of Middle Earth- physical manifestations of and conscious yet fallible avatars of the Force, in a way. Maybe not.

Maybe it's wanted because it's simply rare? Seems like a less than compelling story then, though.

Now, I know that every Snoke theory sucks (especially after TLJ) but my crackpotiest of the crackpot theories has me wondering if like humans, what if Yoda's species tends to have infants that are kinda similar to their elderly? I'm almost sure this is false, but what if Snoke is what a middle aged Yoda creature looks like, and they don't turn back to their small shriveled green selves until they're elderly again? The show has already bent over backward to show that these things age strangely. *removes tinfoil hat*

I initially thought that this thing could be a reincarnation of Yoda, but that was me forgetting it's already 50 for a moment.


So... well, what would a post ROTJ Empire want? Note that this isn't necessarily the First Order that we're seeing, this appears to be more or less an Imperial remnant. I ask rhetorically, because I haven't the foggiest.

I'm not sure anything was said, but given the surface appearance as well as the additions of Blurrg, it's possible the final could've been Ryloth.

 

You're probably the right path here. There might be certain person who has been spending the last 50 years trying to find a way to live a longer life. That person might be in The Rise of Skywalker.

 

I really don't think Lando is that nefarious

 

Someone on reddit posted all the artwork from the end credits in better quality as an imgur album here:



This one is just epic.

 

Watched it again during lunch. Sheesh, this is really darn good.

Like @cawatrooper said, there is a good mix of aliens we've seen while, at the same time, bring in some new ones. It just FELT right. I loved seeing a Kubaz!

Again, just like cawa I really dig the western themes/vibe. I Love all the call backs to not only the OT (even the "Holiday special" which I've not seen in AGES but I think imma watch it again here soon) but to the old spaghetti westerns.

I was soooo immersed in it the first time I didn't notice the music, but the music is very good. I'd love to see someone do a smash up (mash up???) of scenes from just this series set to the theme song from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Indeed. And just hitting puberty Yoda baby dude could be in it as well? Totally can't wait for episode 2. BTW when does that bad boy come out?

 

Next episode drops on Friday and the rest come once a week except the week TROS comes out. That episode will be on Wednesday.

 

Oh yeah! Another reason to look forward to Friday's.

I gotta say, this is what we needed. I've not been this happy about Star Wars in a LONG LONG time. Bravo LFL and Disney. I might criticize you all quite a bit, especially since late in 2017, but you all deserve a round of applause for this one.