The Mandalorian: Quick Review + What’s Next

The Mandalorian easily became one the best shows of the year around the world and for me personally. The gritty space-western proved that there is still a little magic in the Star Wars universe after all despite the split opinions of the new flock of films that started in 2015. The show provided it’s viewers with plenty of twists, character introductions, laughs, and even some sad moments all while providing the action that fans of the franchise are used to. Here’s my synopsis/review…

We start off the show with a mandalorian doing what he does best, collecting bounties in the outer-rim. Planets in the outer-rim are equivalent to that of the American wild-west prior to the 20th century where even the Empire (now gone for about 5 years) hardly bothered taming. The real story starts when Mando (the mandalorian’s nickname throughout the show) accepts a job from the Client for a very hefty reward. Not much is known about the Client other than he has deep involvement in what’s left of the Empire and is heavily guarded by Imperial Stormtroopers. The job is to retrieve an asset on Arvala-7 and bring it back to the the Client alive. Mando agrees and heads off.

In the beginning of Mando’s search on Arvala-7, he comes across an Ugnaught (small humanoid with pig like facial features) named Kuiil. Upon meeting, Kuiil knows exactly why Mando is there and informs him that many have come before him to retrieve this asset. Kuiil expresses that he is just a farmer and wants there to be peace on the surrounding land where he wishes to live out the rest of his days. Kuiil points Mando in the right direction and sends him on his way. Upon arrival to a hideout in the middle of the desert, Mando runs into a bounty droid, IG-11, on the same mission. They agree to work together and commence in a fierce gunfight to take down the guards. Using their trackers, Mando and IG-11 breach the main building that hides the asset. Their trackers then point them in the direction of a floating pod and, when opened, reveals to be carrying an infant of an all too familiar species. And thus, Baby Yoda is born.

Disney is bound to bring in the big bucks off of this adorable bastard’s merchandise alone.

To many Star Wars fans, this was the thing that hooked them in, including myself. The creature doesn’t have an actual name yet so fans dubbed thee Baby Yoda because, if you didn’t know, the creature is the same species as the famous Jedi Grand Master, Yoda. What also makes this creature so interesting is that hardly anything is known about the species in the first place. Before Baby Yoda, there were only two other characters in the Star Wars universe that represented the species, Yoda and Yaddle (another Jedi Master). There is no known name, home planet, or history of this species simply because George Lucas, himself, has seen to that. So to introduce another character of this species is something that no one expected and made the show a must-watch for Star Wars fans. It’s almost like Disney knows what they’re doing when it comes to creating buzz around their product and making money…who would’ve guessed.

The series continues with Mando taking Baby Yoda to the Client, collecting his payment (metals used by mandalorians to create armor), only to turn around and take him back while wearing a new badass set of armor that repels most blasters. This starts a season-long journey that follows Mando and Baby Yoda seeking refuge from other bounty hunters hired by the Client to capture the infant at all costs. Along the way, Baby Yoda shows sign of Force sensitivity that helps in crucial situations and Mando learns what it’s like to care for someone other than himself. I won’t go further into the series because if you have watched it then you already know and if you haven’t, well, you really should. The series excels at providing new and exciting characters every episode and really brings the Star Wars universe down to earth compared to the films. The show also expands the universe by introducing never-before-seen worlds and different ways of life including the mandalorians. It is a must see, in my opinion, even if you’re not a Star Wars fan.

The ending bit is what I’m really interested in. After what seemed like a boss fight with Moff Gideon, the man pulling all the strings including the Client, Mando and Baby Yoda set off to continue their life and hopefully live in peace without being hunted. However, Gideon appears to not be defeated after all, emerging from his downed TIE fighter by cutting his way out with what appears to be the one and only Darksaber. The Darksaber appeared frequently in both animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels.

This weapon has deep tie-ins with mandalorian history and lore. The Darksaber was created by Tarre Vizsla, the first mandalorian Jedi. After Tarre’s passing, the weapon was stolen by the house of Vizsla and passed down, generation by generation. The Darksaber has been used in many conflicts throughout it’s existence, even against fellow mandalorians. It eventually fell into the hands of the infamous Darth Maul for a while before being claimed by the mandalorian, Sabine Wren. Later on, Wren bestowed the Darksaber to yet another mandalorian, Bo-Katan Kryze, in hopes that she would lead the mandalorian race against the Empire. It is not yet known how Moff Gideon was able to get his hands on it but one can assume that Mando will be one very interested individual whenever their paths eventually cross again. This is the way.

Season 2 of The Mandalorian has already been confirmed to release in the fall of 2020. There has already been a lot of speculation as to who could appear and the stories that could be told but expect Disney to keep tight-lipped about it as they want to rack up those Disney+ subscribers. I have spoken.