The Mandalorian: Chapter 1

November 12, 2019 9:53 AM - Season 1, Episode 1

A Mandalorian bounty hunter tracks a target for a well-paying client
posted by Rock Steady (82 comments total)

So is the Taika droid dead? Bit confused by its appearance in the credits, I could believe that the bounty hunter just disabled it.

Amazing CG other than the beasts, which looked pretty rough in the mid distance. Story was OK but oddly laboured for such a short show. I guess this is what happens when your main character barely talks.
posted by adrianhon at 10:34 AM on November 12, 2019 [1 favorite]

I wish they filmed the pitch meetings, "you're asking for one hundred million dollars... for..." "baby yoda", "here's the check".

Love BountyBot!

Do note there is a nice bit of foreshadowing in the market, yum, roasted muppet!

Why did he refuse a taxi driven by a droid?
posted by sammyo at 11:06 AM on November 12, 2019 [4 favorites]

I KNEW I heard Werner Herzog in the trailer.
posted by bq at 11:20 AM on November 12, 2019 [2 favorites]

Why did he refuse a taxi driven by a droid?

Maybe he doesn't like droids ?
Maybe it's a religion thing ?
Maybe he likes cabby small talk ?
posted by Pendragon at 12:18 PM on November 12, 2019 [1 favorite]

Why did he refuse a taxi driven by a droid?

He doesn't trust self-driving cars? I think he just doesn't like droids (exemplified by his annoyance at the behaviour of the IG unit).

So is the Taika droid dead? Bit confused by its appearance in the credits, I could believe that the bounty hunter just disabled it.

Possible that IG-11 is a common model and he'll meet various versions of it in the future? Or that one will be recovered and repaired (you could just slot a new droid brain in like you were replacing some bad RAM). I loved the animation on the droid, it partly looked like stop-motion (but in a good way), and really captured the murderous efficiency that I imagined an assassin droid would have.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:20 PM on November 12, 2019 [8 favorites]

Entertaining interview with Werner Herzog.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:45 PM on November 12, 2019 [6 favorites]

All interviews with Werner Herzog are entertaining.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 1:49 PM on November 12, 2019 [18 favorites]

Possible that IG-11 is a common model and he'll meet various versions of it in the future?

Yep, I learned on Reddit that IG-11 is shown in trailer scenes that weren't in ep 1, so it's definitely coming back!
posted by adrianhon at 1:55 PM on November 12, 2019 [2 favorites]

I enjoyed (seeing) the roasted Salacious Crumb. YAAAAAHAHAHAHA!
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 2:53 PM on November 12, 2019 [9 favorites]

I enjoyed this a lot. Really captured the lived-in feel of the original trilogy, properly felt like a glimpse of a corner of a real galaxy rather than just a parade of fanservice wrapped around a plot. Those round critters were the only really glaringly obvious CGI and they still weren't immersion-breakingly obvious. I liked all the bits of lore we got and I liked that he actually comes from this sort of Mandalorian refugee colony, he's not just a complete loner. Also really liked that the show was willing to actually trust audiences and have faith that we could figure things out without having our hands held and every single thing spelled out for us.

I have only two gripes and they are really pretty minor: One, I wasn't in love with the music. It's probably unfair to compare anyone else to John Williams but you're doing Star Wars so you get stuck with comparison like it or not. I could tell they were going for something more Western-feeling in the score but it just didn't quite land for me.

And two, and this may improve in later episodes, but if they're really gonna keep Pedro Pascal in his helmet and barely talking for the whole series (and it sure does seem like "Mandalorians never take their helmets off" is true in this show...they may have to reconcile that with the Clone Wars cartoon and Rebels at some point!)...well, you can definitely still make the series work but it does feel like a waste of his talents! Not that I'd hold it against the guy for taking the role, I'm sure he's having fun. But nothing about this episode made it clear to me why they got a guy with as fantastically much charisma and acting ability as Pedro Pascal for the role.
posted by mstokes650 at 3:00 PM on November 12, 2019 [12 favorites]

Well, I don't disagree that the pace was a little slow, but I liked the western-y vibe and the part with IG-11 was fun. It was nice to see a sci-fi show that didn't skimp on the budget. Far too many sci-fi and superhero shows try to do things on the cheap. Go big or go home.
posted by Fleebnork at 3:31 PM on November 12, 2019

I wasn't in love with the music.

I didn't love it, but thought it was doing a good-enough job walking a line between John Williams Star Wars and spaghetti-western.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:55 PM on November 12, 2019 [4 favorites]

This seems charming so far, so many great little details. The swipe fade was a nice homage to an earlier speeder sequence. Not appreciating the continuation of the cutesy cgi for the kiddies.

The bounty droid's articulation is interesting, though.

I couldn't place the scientist guy- it's Omid Abtahi (American Gods - Salim).

Wonder if Pedro Pascal is going to get to do any face acting?

I took a quick look, couldn't find anything, but has there ever been an explanation for beskar - the Mandalorian armor metal? Is it a rare tranuranic element or something, or just an alloy that's hard to create? And why can it be smithed so easily, yet be so protective? Why not create a weapon that uses the similar principles for smithing the material?
posted by porpoise at 5:47 PM on November 12, 2019

The music is the most aggressively not-John-Williams anyone has ever dared in a Star Wars thing from what I can remember. I dunno how I feel about it.

I think the problem with the helmet is that between that, little talking, and his sort of stiff way of walking I just have no read on his personality, and I feel like you need a crumb of something to care about a protagonist. But I'm willing to give the show some room to solve that problem.

Overall I would like more, and particularly I would like more Carl Weathers.
posted by selfnoise at 5:48 PM on November 12, 2019 [3 favorites]

Definitely do NOT like the music. Husband and I basically said it simultaneously when they started riding the whatever-those-things-are-called. Just. No.

Other than that, I love it.
posted by cooker girl at 5:51 PM on November 12, 2019

I loved this, start to finish. I think the suicidal IG droid was just marvelous, loved the way he shot every which way in such a completely non-human way. I thought the writing was really good, very efficiently bringing in the Mandalorian’s background and establishing his character with just a few moments. For me, the settings, the creatures and the characters were just perfect Star Wars. Can’t wait for more.
posted by dellsolace at 6:09 PM on November 12, 2019 [5 favorites]

I have a feeling his helmet will get knocked off during some critical moment of self-reflection of his purpose during an action sequence.

A very special character reveal.

Otherwise, this episode was mostly about atmosphere and tone. And cute babies.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:09 PM on November 12, 2019 [1 favorite]

I kinda liked the music. It seemed to fit a new thing, in a new way. Hit all the right notes.

Commandeering the big gun? Holy shit!
posted by rp at 6:17 PM on November 12, 2019 [8 favorites]

Also: “I haven’t evacuated since the solstice!”
posted by dellsolace at 6:24 PM on November 12, 2019 [2 favorites]

Yeah, the moment after the big shootout was really good. Like, "holy shit. what just happened?"
Actually seeing what an IG droid can do was also amazing. I'm just a meatball, and I had and IG-88 action figure when I was a kid, and never really got why that was supposed to be scary or intimidating.
posted by rp at 6:39 PM on November 12, 2019 [5 favorites]

We are going through a Boba Fett phase here and I basically looked like a wizard when I surprised the fam with this tonight. I enjoyed it! I liked that it really doubled down on "Space Western" and baby Yoda. Ready for episode 2.
posted by annathea at 7:08 PM on November 12, 2019 [3 favorites]

Ten year old me would have lived for this. Adult me is happy SW is doing something outside the Skywalkers and the rise and fall of the Empire. Through 13 year old me is mad this isn't about Boba Fett after he used his jet backpack to escape the Sarlacc. I will continue to watch this program.
posted by riruro at 7:18 PM on November 12, 2019 [7 favorites]

The music indeed was at least a level below everything else. It's not just that it's different, it's just... second-tier. No offense to Ludwig Göransson but they really need someone like Giacchino or Desplat for this.

I have spoken.
posted by reductiondesign at 9:08 PM on November 12, 2019 [6 favorites]

If you went back in time and told my younger self that one day Nick Nolte would play an Ugnaught, I would never ever have believed you.
posted by jason_steakums at 9:40 PM on November 12, 2019 [10 favorites]

Also that IG droid had some Crow T. Robot flavor in its movement and I mean that as a compliment, it's the perfect amount of jankiness.
posted by jason_steakums at 9:45 PM on November 12, 2019 [23 favorites]

I'm actually a bit shocked people don't like the music. I thought it was great!
posted by Pendragon at 12:15 AM on November 13, 2019 [18 favorites]

There was a (non-canon now, perhaps always not really canon) short story about the creation of IG-88 where some Imperial scientists accidentally create a murderous AI/droid personality that uploads itself into the IG-88 body and kills them all. The way it's described (it can think and move super fast and so is incredibly deadly) fits really well with IG-11's performance here (although IG-88 wanted to take over the galaxy not self destruct).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:08 AM on November 13, 2019 [2 favorites]

I liked the music, though it risked getting a little intrusive at parts. I'm also OK with the slow unfolding of stuff; consider that we're all probably used to our Star Wars moving pretty damn fast, since they were either movies or TV-series-for-kids. I could see more Breaking Bad-ish pacing of plot and character elements working for this.

Other than that, my only real gripe is that the stunt casting of Brian Posehn and Horatio Sanz kinda took me out of it, and right at the start. They were fine in their roles, but it hurt immersion for me.

But Herzog nailed it as a bitter, yet still cruelly tyrannical, Imperial-officer-in-hiding.

This is the gritty, grown-up Star War that we all hoped we would get back when George announced that the prequels would happen.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 3:14 AM on November 13, 2019 [8 favorites]

So freezing in carbonite is a universal thing? I always thought that Han only got frozen in carbonite because the facilities were on Cloud City as part of its mining operations.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 4:38 AM on November 13, 2019 [7 favorites]

Yeah, I really liked just about everything about this, including the music - which I thought was perfectly "Star Wars Western" - though I am not a very sophisticated critic of film/TV scores. I loved IG-11's physicality and attitude. Pascal was good, despite the limitations of few lines and wearing a helmet. I loved the Anglo-Saxon-iness of the Mandalorian armorer's helmet - it was a neat way to visually bridge the very modern angularity of the "classic" Mandalorian helmet to more "historic" armor traditions.

> CheesesOfBrazil: Other than that, my only real gripe is that the stunt casting of Brian Posehn and Horatio Sanz kinda took me out of it, and right at the start. They were fine in their roles, but it hurt immersion for me.

It's always slightly challenging for me to see actors I know from their previous work appear in Star Wars films - I think it comes from the fact that Star Wars were among the first movies I ever remember seeing, so all the actors were brand new to me. That said, can you really call Posehn and Sanz "stunt casting"? Horatio is one of my favorite SNL alums and I was obsessed with Nerd Poker for a while, but I feel like they probably just auditioned for those roles like any other actor would, no? Herzog is the much bigger stunt here, I think.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:48 AM on November 13, 2019 [5 favorites]

I think I only really noticed the music when it was at its most trying-to-be-a-Western-soundtrack, although I didn't dislike it. I think it fits with the vibe of the show so far. I have spoken.

So freezing in carbonite is a universal thing? I always thought that Han only got frozen in carbonite because the facilities were on Cloud City as part of its mining operations.

In Empire, Vader says: "This facility is crude, but it should be adequate to freeze Skywalker for his journey to the Emperor."
You could read this as carbonite-freezing being a known way to put people in suspended animation for transport, but the Cloud City facility was only rated for industrial use, not people. No-one seemed shocked that Vader was going to freeze a person, just that he was going to freeze a person here. So it seems like it was an existing practice.
Alternatively, Solo was frozen successfully and put on display for all of Jabba's pals (and very famously survived), so even if Cloud City was a first for freezing a person, it would have been quickly picked up by bounty hunters as a handy way to keep their bounties under control.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:48 AM on November 13, 2019 [26 favorites]

it's really fun seeing people who grew up playing with kenner's star wars toys getting to play with the real thing.. watching the falcon crash through the trees and slide to a stop sideways in the snow atop a cliff in tfa, seeing luke effortlessly survive a barrage from a fleet of walkers in tlj, the ig droid whirling and shooting like a dervish in the mandolorian, these all feel like scenarios we used to imagine in the sandboxes of our youth
posted by entropicamericana at 5:46 AM on November 13, 2019 [28 favorites]

It was very cool to get to see an IG droid in action. IG-88 just stood in a corner in Empire, and looked kind of stick-figure-ish. The fast swiveling and precise aiming, with pistons in the arms to absorb the blaster recoil, gave it a lot of context, in understanding why IGs were feared.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:52 AM on November 13, 2019 [7 favorites]

Also I totes watched the episode again on my work computer before coworkers arrived this morning
posted by Fleebnork at 5:53 AM on November 13, 2019 [2 favorites]

The only bit that seemed cringingly "Star Wars-y" was the "Pucks and fobs and chits, oh my!" bit end of the negotiation between the Mandalorian and Carl Weathers's* character:

"Give me the puck."
"No puck, but here's the fob."
"What's the chain code?"
"I can't give you the whole thing, do you want the chit or not?"

*Speaking of casting well-known actors in Star Wars stuff, it appears Arrested Development has ruined my ability to take Carl Weathers seriously. I kept expecting him to get a Neimoidian stew goin'.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:47 AM on November 13, 2019 [23 favorites]

Not only are "a lot of westerns" a bit goofy, "Star Wars" is it itself goofy right down to its bones. So, you know, it's not like anything here is really all that much off-brand.
posted by Ipsifendus at 7:15 AM on November 13, 2019 [11 favorites]

My 8 year old laughed with delight at GONK. He was protesting a bit at having to watch Dad's stuffy old Star War before playing some video games, but GONK helped.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:15 AM on November 13, 2019 [3 favorites]

I literally shouted out "GONK DROID!" when it appeared, and my girlfriend cackled.

Herzog is the much bigger stunt here, I think.

I disagree. You only cast Herzog when you need Herzog. There is a quality that only he can bring, and bottomless-abyss-staring evildoer offering a Faustian bargain is very much in his wheelhouse. I think his casting is perfect.

Regarding the music - I *noticed* the music, which is sort of problematic, but I quickly realized I was hearing not-John-Williams, and I guess that's a good thing?

Overall, I'm excited. I think this is a strong first step out. It *feels* so much like Star Wars, which is the critical thing.
posted by rocketman at 7:30 AM on November 13, 2019 [7 favorites]

I took a quick look, couldn't find anything, but has there ever been an explanation for beskar - the Mandalorian armor metal? Is it a rare tranuranic element or something, or just an alloy that's hard to create? And why can it be smithed so easily, yet be so protective? Why not create a weapon that uses the similar principles for smithing the material?

It's an alloy that is basically a Mandalorian trade secret; there's some secret smithing process to maximize its energy-weapon-resistant capabilities that only Mandalorians know how to do (which judging from this show apparently involves some manually hammering it out, not just pouring it into a mold and calling it a day). And a weapon that specifically targeted and superheated that metal was actually the subject of a couple episodes on Rebels, though it being a kids show the weapon sort of inexplicably vaporized the wearers rather than cooking them alive. (Honestly it was still pretty dark by kids' show standards!) Anyways, it's one of several popular things that became "Legends" (non-canon) when Disney bought everything but was re-introduced by Rebels, so there's actually a lot of old info out there, any or all of which might or might not be non-canon now.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:42 AM on November 13, 2019 [4 favorites]

So freezing in carbonite is a universal thing? I always thought that Han only got frozen in carbonite because the facilities were on Cloud City as part of its mining operations.

Maybe who ever took over Cloud City after Lando (Lobat would be the most qualified, but knowing the Empire, it went to some brown noser who knew Palpatine since the Naboo days) saw the potential in selling carbonite to bounty hunters. When you oversee a gas mining operation, you're always looking for new markets for gas.
posted by riruro at 11:36 AM on November 13, 2019

This was a ton of fun and it went by TOO fast. Like I want to eat 12 more of these Star Wars tacos.

Thank you Dave Filoni. You've earned this. Your work on Clone Wars and Rebels has been beautiful. You know how to write and build character, to tell stories that matter. I want Dave to be put in charge of the story development for the rest of Star Wars because him and his crew just get it.

I'm feeling very happy with the direction that this series is going.
posted by Fizz at 1:22 PM on November 13, 2019 [13 favorites]

I have spoken.
posted by Fizz at 1:23 PM on November 13, 2019 [26 favorites]

I'm feeling like this isn't going to be what people expect. I'm getting a serious Lone Wolf and Cub vide from this first episode.
Several people have commented on how "stiff" he walks. He walks like a samurai in full armor. He moves carefully, like a warrior prepared for an ambush with every step. My friend said it looked like he was too causal, like he was "strolling". I felt like the intro scene sets it up best. He walks into the bar, doesn't respond to the antagonism from the local thugs, and then just cleans house and gets his bounty. If we didn't know that he was a bounty hunter already, one could assume he was just some guy in a cool suit of armor, dropping into the local dive bar. But we know why he's there.

Can't wait to see where they go with this.
posted by daq at 3:28 PM on November 13, 2019 [9 favorites]

Yeah, with The Mando betraying his contract and likely becoming the hunted, that last framed shot of the baby in it's repulsor-bassinet and him together immediately made me think they were going to riff on Lone Wolf and Cub too.

And hey, look, there's a nice convenient pile of scrap IG parts just sitting there to weaponize the Cub's repulsorcart.
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 4:05 PM on November 13, 2019 [2 favorites]

I watched it. Then I immediately watched it again. It's a keeper.

Actually, I watched the end credits an additional time, on their own. Did anyone else get a mid- to late-80s vibe from those credits? Painted scenes not quite from the episode, titles in a severe sans-serif, cast names in ALL CAPS. It felt like someone cribbed the end credits of Magnum P.I. or something.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 5:28 PM on November 13, 2019 [5 favorites]

With this IG model dead, I'm hoping that Taika Waititi is the default voice for the model, and we'll get to experience lots of them across the series, each with a differing personality.   Maybe the running gag will be IG deaths in various flavors—he could be the Kenny of Star Wars.

…mid- to late-80s vibe from those credits?

I'll take it one step further—the tableaus felt almost Frazetta inspired, if Frazetta had produced art with fewer boobs and over-muscled men.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 8:42 PM on November 13, 2019 [4 favorites]

Did anyone else get a mid- to late-80s vibe from those credits? Painted scenes not quite from the episode

I got Ralph McQuarrie Concept Art vibes, tbh
posted by Jon_Evil at 1:45 AM on November 14, 2019 [13 favorites]

Q&A with the cast and creative team (including Werner Herzog!).

Some titbits:
- The some of end credit art was pre-production concept art.
- It's "Car-ah Dune" not "Cah-ra Dune" (as per Gina Carano).
- The soundtrack composer, Ludwig Göransson, said he wanted to do something different to John Williams' music (since that was too hard to follow) so he started with... a recorder. [Soundtrack link]
- Favreau said he wanted the music to reflect the "Mad Max-y" chaos that exists after the Empire has fallen.
- They used large screens showing real-time rendering of the surroundings so the actors can see what they're acting against instead of just green screens.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:08 AM on November 14, 2019 [11 favorites]

I was nervous this was going to be lame. The first half of the episode moved so slowly my wife decided to run errands and my kids were getting antsy. When the IG droid showed up all doubts were removed and I think it's enough (along with the green baby) to convince my wife to join me for a re-watch this weekend.

Maybe I'm crazy, but there were a few points where the music made me think "Twin Peaks?"
posted by the christopher hundreds at 7:13 AM on November 14, 2019

I loved the fight sequence until about the ninety-fourth minute.
posted by Etrigan at 7:37 AM on November 14, 2019 [7 favorites]

My wife and I both were negatively distracted by the music. It was too reminiscent of 1970s TV themes, in specific, incidental music in shows such as Fantasy Island, the Love Boat, and, yes, Battlestar Galactica. We associate it with cheese. Our associations may certainly be unfair, but they is what they is.

Anglo-Saxon-iness

(Ricardo Montalban voice) Ah, er, Greek, surely. Rich, Corinthian bronze. (/)

I performed a full-on spit-take at “I was hoping to make it home by Life Day!”

My wife, the Star Wars fan in the house, literally had no idea that this show was in any stage of production and literally could not believe that she was watching what appeared to be a Star Wars TV show that held her attention. I have previously attempted to get her engaged with any of the other series and, nope, the settings were all ones she really couldn’t give a rat’s ass about. Sorry George, Genndy, alls y’all. She does appear to be excited!
posted by mwhybark at 1:15 PM on November 14, 2019 [5 favorites]

There's a lot of writing about this show on the web but I would like to highlight Let's Take A Deep Dive Into The First Toilets Seen In The Star Wars Universe on Jalopnik.
posted by chrchr at 3:26 PM on November 14, 2019 [12 favorites]

The First Toilets Seen In The Star Wars Universe on Jalopnik.

We don't know enough about alien anatomy to be confident this is true—toilets may previously have appeared in the movies and we simply didn't recognize them. Maybe the "helmet" with the "blast shield" that Luke used in ANH was actually a Wookiee-porta-potty with a splash guard...
posted by The Tensor at 4:11 PM on November 14, 2019 [3 favorites]

The ending music is pretty good, I think! Some solid 70s vibes.

Also if this really is Lone Wolf & Cub I am going to be so jazzed.

Running time felt fast. Been in kind of a funk and thought, ugh, 40 minutes... but then it was over and I wanted more.
posted by curious nu at 8:04 PM on November 14, 2019 [4 favorites]

Chronologically (in-universe) carbonite freezing happened before Han, Anakin used it in on himself the clone wars. So Vader had some personal knowledge of the process :)
posted by thefoxgod at 8:37 PM on November 14, 2019 [4 favorites]

Sawed-off Doug Jones? Hm

“He’s young so his glands” OMG yes ok, it’s a bankshot reference to Jones on the new Trek show. Ruled in-bounds.

I have spoken.
posted by mwhybark at 9:23 PM on November 14, 2019 [6 favorites]

> mwhybark: (Ricardo Montalban voice) Ah, er, Greek, surely. Rich, Corinthian bronze. (/)

That is a much better match. I was thinking it was like the Sutton Hoo helm, but on pulling up an image of that, I was kind of off the mark. Either way, it is the "ancient" quality I really liked.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:32 AM on November 15, 2019 [2 favorites]

Loved the reference to Life Day (from the Holiday Special.)
posted by porn in the woods at 9:15 AM on November 15, 2019 [5 favorites]

Life Day may have originated in the legendary Holiday Special, but continues to this day as a yearly in-game event in the Star Wars MMO (SWTOR). It's definitely kind of a sort of quasi-canon thing.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 11:55 AM on November 15, 2019 [7 favorites]

I cannot believe there's 69 whole comments in here (nice) and most of them aren't about the Jawa!! I really enjoyed him. Star wars is much better better at scratching my "cool alien" itch than the new star trek
posted by FirstMateKate at 7:02 AM on November 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Felt like the cover and interior of a mid-level Zahn Star Wars novel brought to life. But if they can keep the visuals entertaining I'll keep at it.
posted by chortly at 6:55 PM on November 17, 2019

I cannot believe there's 69 whole comments in here (nice) and most of them aren't about the Jawa!!

Was this meant for the Chapter 2 thread or do you mean the Ugnaught, Kuiil?
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:24 AM on November 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

Other than the stupid monsters they rode (which were so twee and Lucasy they instantly aroused my eyebrow of hatred and took me out of the show), I thoroughly enjoyed this. I loved how it looked real and grimy, I loved how it didn't hold our hands and told us just enough for us to be intrigued. I loved Pedro Pascal but I'd really like him to take the helmet off.

Also WERNER HERZOG! I mean....
posted by biscotti at 5:24 AM on November 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

The Mandalorian End Credits Art Officially Released (TV Web, for episode 1 only).
posted by filthy light thief at 11:31 AM on November 18, 2019

Was this meant for the Chapter 2 thread or do you mean the Ugnaught, Kuiil?
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:24 AM on November 18 [1 favorite −] [!]

Oh, yes! Him! I'm not a starwars fan or regular, so I know...nothing. But i like him
posted by FirstMateKate at 11:51 AM on November 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

For everyone talking about how Ennio Morricone-esque the music was trying to be, I made this mash-up which works surprisingly well (hit the main Play button below both videos).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:53 AM on November 21, 2019

Wow, that bit with him jumping on the huge gun and mowing everyone down who were, as far as we know, protecting a bounty hunter target from the fucking scum of the universe seemed very inappropriate! Especially with the music swelling up like it was somehow heroic?

Anyway, not so sure about this show, but I'll give it another episode or two.
posted by ODiV at 9:24 AM on November 21, 2019 [4 favorites]

And then after that massacre is over we find out that 1. it's an adorable baby, and 2. everyone likely thought he was there to kill the baby. Not a good look. Even if you had a rough childhood.

Of course I fully expect everything to be retroactively ok in an episode or two. Like we find out later the guards were actually evil and planning to freeze dry, grind up, and snort the baby or something. But still, it's not leaving me with the best first impression.
posted by ODiV at 10:50 AM on November 21, 2019 [4 favorites]

That is the exact problem I had with it. All those bounty hunters are out to kill or capture Baby Yoda. How do we know all the guys he massacred weren't just there to protect Baby Yoda from harm? They weren't handing him over to the Imperial baddies after all.

Same with the casual killing of the guy he cut in half at the cantina. That guy was running away from him. Why they hell did he drag him back in? Sure, he was shown to be a baddie, but still.

Oh well. Questionably morality seems par for the course for Star Wars.

Still love the show.
posted by fimbulvetr at 10:57 AM on November 21, 2019 [3 favorites]

IG-88's movement reminded me of Equilibrium's gun-kata.

I laughed at his killing IG-88, briefly his partner in crime, then the two of them showing up in the credits art together.
posted by Pronoiac at 9:36 PM on November 24, 2019 [1 favorite]

I enjoyed (seeing) the roasted Salacious Crumb. YAAAAAHAHAHAHA!
I think that was his brother, Delicious Crumb.

The space lingo was hilarious but my favorite was learning that the Mon Calamari unit of currency is “Calamari Flan”. Chit, fob, puck whatever, as long as I get some of that sweet sweet Calamari Flan.
posted by artychoke at 10:49 PM on November 24, 2019 [7 favorites]

I finally caught up with this. I enjoyed it - just. You know what really pissed me off to the point of nearly stopping, though? I counted 17 speaking roles in the episode. Of those 17, one was a woman. What the fucking fuck Disney?? Seriously what the hell it's 2019, and you got criticised for this shit in Firce Awakens. It's unacceptable.

Imagine if there was a show with one man in it (two if you count an extra that walked past at one point). It's all anyone would talk about. But that's just television if it's a guy. They better fucking correct that ratio asap.
posted by smoke at 11:54 AM on November 26, 2019 [17 favorites]

Good point, smoke. Gina Carano has always had second billing in any listing of the cast I've seen, so presumably she's got a solid role coming up, and maybe that will help even things up.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:51 PM on November 26, 2019

It's so frustrating. My eldest daughter would potentially love the show and there is nothing in it for her. I see I'm not the only person who noticed, and the awful usual suspects are out threatening women who talk about it.
posted by smoke at 5:01 PM on November 26, 2019 [8 favorites]

If you went back in time and told my younger self that one day Nick Nolte would play an Ugnaught, I would never ever have believed you.

If you went back a little further in time and told Nick Nolte he would not get the Han Solo part he was up for, but he’d play a pig-faced alien in a spin-off from the movie when he was 78, he might wonder what his career arc was going to look like.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:33 PM on November 30, 2019 [14 favorites]

On second viewing, the all-too-eager to self-destruct IG-11 makes me think of Marvin the Paranoid Android.
posted by larrybob at 11:02 AM on January 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

Of those 17, one was a woman. What the fucking fuck Disney??

This is true and well spotted, but that woman was awsome. The Armorer is terrific!
posted by JHarris at 7:12 AM on January 22, 2020 [3 favorites]

Same with the casual killing of the guy he cut in half at the cantina.

Late to the party, but had to say that the door that'll kill people took me right out of the moment, since who installs a door that will kill people? Who makes a door that will kill people? Wouldn't the Space Consumer Product Safety Commission insist that any doors sold don't kill people?
posted by mikelieman at 10:21 AM on July 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Given the Empire’s occupational safety record and specifically their penchant for bottomless shafts unprotected by any sort of railing, you probably need a special exemption from SCPSC to buy a door that doesn’t kill people.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:41 AM on July 5, 2020 [6 favorites]

I mean the ubiquitous FTL technology can also be used to unleash incredible destructive power, like if you could turn a car's petrol engine into a nuclear bomb if you drove into something at full speed.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:58 AM on July 6, 2020

who installs a door that will kill people? Who makes a door that will kill people? Wouldn't the Space Consumer Product Safety Commission insist that any doors sold don't kill people?

Headcanon: He didn’t just shoot the open/close switch, he shot the Door Safety System, rendering an otherwise “safe” sharp-edged iris door “deadly.”
posted by Mister Moofoo at 10:53 AM on July 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Late to the party, but had to say that the door that'll kill people took me right out of the moment, since who installs a door that will kill people? Who makes a door that will kill people? Wouldn't the Space Consumer Product Safety Commission insist that any doors sold don't kill people?

I assume one of Sheev's first acts as Emperor was abolishing Galactic OSHA. Remember how quickly the Death Star's doors shut in ANH?
posted by entropicamericana at 7:33 AM on July 10, 2020 [2 favorites]