The Mandalorian: Review
season 1
COURTESY IMAGE // DISNEY
Winter is great for many things, cooler weather, the end of the semester, and especially the premiere of the new Star Wars space-western The Mandalorian on Disney+. This show had big shoes to fill in the Star Wars universe. The series is a lot more than the adorable baby Yoda, who has taken my heart and my money (you can ask my Tervis cup and shirt about that), and, spoiler alert, actually isn’t baby Yoda. The Mandalorian has a lot of standout characters with an interesting storyline that leaves you wanting more after every episode. This show checks off all the boxes of making it successfully binge-worthy.
The Mandalorian takes place a few years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, which occurs in between Episodes VI and VII of the Star Wars timeline. It focuses on the bounty hunter lifestyle of a Mandalorian, appropriately nicknamed “Mando.” After being commissioned to retrieve a mysterious target, which ends up being “The Child” aka baby Yoda, Mando struggles with a constant internal battle between doing what is expected of his work and doing what is right. He eventually turns to living life on the run with baby Yoda and you get to join them on the various adventures and challenges they face along the way. Throughout the season, Mando learns more about himself and the world that he lives in, a classic character development sequence and I’m a sucker for those.
There are a lot of incredible action sequences to remind you of the movies, sans lightsabers, although the stormtroopers do have slightly better aim this time around. While most of these fight scenes were action packed and visually appealing, they left you on the edge of your seat eagerly awaiting the outcome of the conflict. My favorite characters of The Mandalorian so far are Greef Karga and Cara Dune. Other than being portrayed by the iconic Carl Weathers, Karga was a standout of the show. He is charismatic and works with Mando by supplying him information on various bounty targets, and later in the season has his own “come to Jesus” moment where he realizes why Mando is doing the things he does. Karga is usually there to provide the voice of what is expected, which builds on the internal struggle Mando is already dealing with. Dune is an all-out girl boss. She is ready to kick some butt when necessary and is a former fighter for the rebel alliance. Her and Mando have a special relationship because they are often put in situations where trust is all you have. They come together to work as a team a few times and end up being the dynamic duo you never thought you needed.
The Mandalorian is masterfully created and never reveals too much to give the end away too soon. Disney didn’t even begin production of baby Yodas until after the premiere to limit the risk of spoilers. It has a great blend of action, backstory, and development throughout the season and I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of season two. If you are into Star Wars even just a tiny bit, I highly recommend giving The Mandalorian a watch. It’s a nice break from the trilogies and an entirely new area for Star Wars to explore. I am excited to see how this series pans out now that the introduction period is over, and it looks like the future is very promising. If you need me, I’ll be rewatching the show for details I missed the first time around while sipping water out of my baby Yoda cup and getting ready for the next season. I cannot recommend this show enough.