Tag: Star Wars

Before I watched a minute of Chapter 10 of The Mandalorian, I had already read a couple of messages and seen enough Twitter comments to know presume that the episode was going to move a bit slowly. Then, less than 10 minutes into the episode, the characters themselves made it clear. To me the conversation between Peli Motto and Din Djarin about how to best transport those eggs was more than instructions on how to move those eggs; to me it was a message from the show’s creatives that this show is going to move slowly and that they believe that slow-moving pace is the best way to develop their baby. And those eggs…they’re not just eggs.

Traveling sub-light is a bit dicey these days…

As our own, talented Joao Pinto wrote here, The Mandalorian goes against the grain by refusing its viewers the instant gratification that we’ve become used to. Creators Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have a story to tell in this world but they have repeatedly proven that they are in no hurry to tell it. Their deliberate and restrained pace has caused some frustrations for fans, but they don’t seem too rattled by it, as this episode seems to prove. Favreau is playing with ideas that are in the same sandbox that George Lucas built in 1976. We’ve spent a lot of time on Tatooine exploring and expanding that “rock” that Luke Skywalker himself couldn’t wait to escape and I think that’s telling. Favreau’s growth as a story teller over his career has been nothing short of remarkable and now he’s doing something that many mature story tellers have done over the years: finding value in things that others have overlooked.

As for Filoni, we already know he’s probably the world’s biggest Star Wars fan and that pretty much nobody alive loves their job as much as he does but there’s more to the story there, too. Filoni has LIVED Star Wars not just as a fan but as one of its most prolific creators. Dating back to his work on Clone Wars, Filoni has spent thousands of hours developing and curating the universe that Lucas built and, in that time, has developed a love affair with the most minute of details. The pair of them working together on this show was never going to go any other way.

Their partnership dates back to The Clone Wars where Favreau voiced Pre Vizsla and first wielded the Darksaber, an artifact we saw reemerge in Season 1 of The Mandalorian, and as someone who is currently watching The Clone Wars as a companion to The Mandalorian, it seems evident to me that Filoni and Favreau are still exploring themes and ideas they first tinkered with over a decade ago. If you think they’re going slow now, stop and think about that: in some cases they’re still telling a story that began in 2008 and they are in no rush to get to the last chapter.

Moving fast is the only thing keeping me safe…

Once the realization above sinks in, it’s much easier to sit back and enjoy The Mandalorian for what it is: the live-action Star Wars version of Kung Fu with Din Djarin out fighting for justice, protecting the underdog but, most of all, walking the Earth (ok, the galaxy) all while avoiding all those other bounty hunters out to get him. While Kung Fu was a martial arts Western, The Mandalorian is a sci-fi Western. Westerns are a lot of things: they’re nostalgic, exist on the border of civilization and wilderness and, most of all, typically move at an almost glacial pace. For this reason, their popularity has waned over the last 30-40 years despite a handful of very well-made Western films. Filoni and Favreau know this. They know that modern fans have the “I wanna go fast” mindset of Ricky Bobby, but if you paid attention to this episode, they told us all loud and clear that they’re going to continue telling this story their way and continue the homage to Akira Kurosawa that Lucas began in 1976. They believe in the long game, a game they’ve not only been setting up episode by episode but before that and they are going to continue narrating this tale in that way because just like those frog eggs, story telling like this is becoming more rare by the minute but, by taking proper care of the story, by avoiding the urge to jump into hyperspace, they believe they’ll save what’s almost a lost art of storytelling.

One of the hallmarks of The Mandalorian so far has been the fact that it has managed to keep, for the most part, its disputes with somewhat lower stakes than your usual live-action Star Wars project. Unlike the movies, here we don’t have any planet-killing weapons or galaxy-wide conflicts. This is partially due to the fact that we are now dealing with a TV show, which doesn’t have the budget to compete with the likings of a theatrical blockbuster. At the same time, it also feels like a conscious decision to keep the storyline a bit more compact, with a scope that’s easier to grasp for newcomers. But with one season already behind us, we’ve now gotten a few hints that season 2 seems to be taking steps towards what could be perceived as the natural progression in the show’s narrative, upgrading its storytelling (and military) resources.

Season 1 has already hinted at this, even if at a sluggish pace which helped to make it a bit less obvious. Not only did we see Mando facing increasingly powerful foes, from criminals to stormtroopers, from mercenaries to an AT-ST, from Death Troopers to a TIE fighter, we also got Din himself constantly upgrading his own armor. Firstly getting his hands on some beskar pauldrons, then a full cuirass, eventually getting equipped with a jetpack. Season 2 should continue with this constant escalation, and there are a few indications that help to figure out what the path could be for that to happen if you focus on how the overarching story is being told.

We’re only two episodes into Season 2 but one thing that’s becoming increasingly clear is that even the most overlooked plot points from some season 1 episodes are due to be paying off, at some level, in future installments. We already got the confirmation that Boba Fett was the mysterious figure at the end of Chapter 5 (possibly making the events of that episode matter a bit more down the line) and also Chapter 6’s events (an episode that seemed the be pretty much a self-contained story) were essential to the way Din Djarin managed to, not so much escape the New Republic patrol they came across, but begin to establish a good rapport with said patrol members in this last episode. So being, it’s fair to say that taking all of this into consideration (the way that enemies leveling-up are met by Mando’s own upgrades, and that small details tend to payoff a few episodes down the line) we are due for some incredible showdowns that’ll feature a few of the characters and factions we’ve already met.

We’ve already established that the New Republic isn’t exactly treating Mando as a genuine criminal, having proof that he risked his life to try and save a New Republic officer in Chapter 6. We also know that Moff Gideon (with Mandalore’s Darksaber in his possession) has access to aircraft that belonged to the Empire, and is actively looking for The Child. If the show indeed continues on this path of not repeating its fights/battles, raising the stakes as we go along, what we should now be expecting to happen is that Moff Gideon keeps aggressively approaching the capture of Baby Yoda with his personal army and Din Djarin, being no match for such forces, will succeed in getting the New Republic to help level the odds with their military might, making for some great X-Wing vs Tie-Fighter action. Mando could either bring the fight to a sector under New Republic jurisdiction, so they can’t help but be involved, or manage to get them to full-on attack Gideon’s forces wherever they may be. This way, and while still essentially focusing on the more personal side of the fight (this is still a show focused on Din and The Child), we can get something new out of the show, and yet another connection to the greater galactic conflict that has been present throughout Star Wars history.

Also, since the show is probably getting an appearance by a former Jedi Rebel Alliance spymaster, the chance she could be helping Mando navigate through all of this, connecting the dots and devising a strategy to ultimately keep Baby Yoda safe, is probably not off the table. It probably won’t take long until we find out.

We all live in an increasingly fast-paced society where most things that take time are almost immediately rejected in favor of quicker paths. Sometimes we struggle just by trying to slow down, but it’s often by doing so that we find what’s really worthwhile. In the past few years TV, and more specifically streaming services, has massified the concept of binge-watching TV shows which, combined with the growing use of social media, have somehow forced us to consume these products promptly in fear of having the experience spoiled if we are just a couple of days late. Disney+, and a few others, have tried to go against this way of approaching their streaming media (for financial reasons, obviously), and not only does that work in The Mandalorian‘s favor, the show itself doubles-down on making itself take its time through their storytelling approach.

By focusing on Din Djarain and The Child (notice there are hardly any side-plots that take the focus away from where they are and what they are doing and experiencing) the pace of the show has always been more on the slow side. We often go from point A to point B in such a manner that we allow for character growth just by witnessing the small and apparently innocuous day-to-day interactions between characters that, over time, become meaningful traits. And the same can be said when considering the over-arching storyline: Delivering The Child to his own.

In Season One there were a few episodes that ended up making people feel a bit underwhelmed since they seemed to add little to the story, apparently not getting the characters any closer to where they were meant to be headed. Chapters 4 through 6 weren’t so much about The Child as they were about the world surrounding Mando, the people he met, the places he visited, the events that occurred. The importance behind all of these things wasn’t really apparent at the time, which lead to the complaints, but just two episodes into season two, and we now realize that the payoffs were there to be had. It just took them a bit longer than people might have expected, and dare I say that they were probably all the better for it. In hindsight, the appreciation for those episodes should increase, showing that sometimes people should just step back, and enjoy what they are given instead of complaining about that they didn’t get.

With season two underway, we are probably getting that same approach from Favreau and his team. Chapter 9 brought us Boba Fett, after being teased way back in Chapter 5, and now, even though Chapter 10 might seem like a bit of a filler episode since it did little to advance the overall plot, we got some interesting season one references that probably should grow into something more in the future. Along with a few concepts, locations, and creatures that may very well deliver in spades in upcoming episodes. This way of doing things is sure to make for much more fulfilling moments down the line, making the audience feel like the wait was worth it, and the payoffs were earned. For instance, there is no doubt in my mind that not addressing Boba Fett’s return right after confirming it is the right decision, and it will only make that moment that much sweeter when it does occur. The bottom line is we just need to be patient and, while doing so, pay more attention to what we do get with each episode. The Mandalorian wants us not only to reach the destination but to enjoy the ride. We’ll eventually get to where we’re supposed to be, and the little things along the way are what could make it all the more special.