The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 6: From The Desert Comes A Stranger
February 2, 2022 1:09 AM - Season 1, Episode 6 - Subscribe
We meet some familiar faces.
I always found the animated Cad Bane to be pretty risible, so it was a very pleasant surprise that they made the live-action version so sinister. A big Clone Wars reunion all around in fact. It occurs to me that Grogu might have a strong reaction to meeting Boba (if this is still his show) considering the trauma of his last experience with the clones.
Poor Space Dad just wants to see his kid. Hope they’re reunited soon!
posted by orrnyereg at 1:18 AM on February 2, 2022
Poor Space Dad just wants to see his kid. Hope they’re reunited soon!
posted by orrnyereg at 1:18 AM on February 2, 2022
Dave Filoni slowly, slowly, getting his Clone Wars masterpiece into live action.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:25 AM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:25 AM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Lucasfilm Hired the YouTuber Who Used Deepfakes to Tweak Luke Skywalker ‘Mandalorian’ VFX
Sometimes, just sometimes, the corporate juggernaut does something right.
Luke looked and felt so much better in this.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:00 AM on February 2, 2022 [15 favorites]
Sometimes, just sometimes, the corporate juggernaut does something right.
Luke looked and felt so much better in this.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:00 AM on February 2, 2022 [15 favorites]
Is it just me, or did this episode hint that Grogu will eventually wield the Darksaber and rule as the Mandalore?
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:40 AM on February 2, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:40 AM on February 2, 2022 [7 favorites]
Is it just me, or did this episode hint that Grogu will eventually wield the Darksaber and rule as the Mandalore?
That's been my assumption since last season. The show is called The Mandalorian but I bet it's referring to Grogu, not Din Djarin.
posted by orrnyereg at 7:05 AM on February 2, 2022 [15 favorites]
That's been my assumption since last season. The show is called The Mandalorian but I bet it's referring to Grogu, not Din Djarin.
posted by orrnyereg at 7:05 AM on February 2, 2022 [15 favorites]
Wow, they really pulled out all the high-value treats for this one. (Sorry, been training a dog lately, but it feels pretty apropos)
I was never really sure what the Boba Fett show was supposed to be about. I didn't like it very much at first, but now that we've left the idea that it's about Boba Fett becoming a crime boss, I'm really enjoying it.
Since we've gotten a little glimpse of Grogu's story, let's get Fennec Shand's.
posted by rp at 9:24 AM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
I was never really sure what the Boba Fett show was supposed to be about. I didn't like it very much at first, but now that we've left the idea that it's about Boba Fett becoming a crime boss, I'm really enjoying it.
Since we've gotten a little glimpse of Grogu's story, let's get Fennec Shand's.
posted by rp at 9:24 AM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Season 3 of the Mandalorian has been good. It's been bumpy though, what with Boba's intentions being not very clear and sort of all over the place. He wants to be some sort of crime or city boss, but also the head of a family of fellow bounty hunters who no longer hunt bounties. So by keeping the city clean of the Pyke Syndicate or other major influences, other bosses will pay him money, is that correct?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:08 AM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:08 AM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
I was not entirely convinced by Cad Bane. He has wierd teeth that look a little goofy.
That said, Cad Bane has always been kind of over the top ridiculous.
Also the Armour or Lightsaber scene really is a full on videogame trope select your class kind of screen after the tutorial level.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 12:36 PM on February 2, 2022 [13 favorites]
That said, Cad Bane has always been kind of over the top ridiculous.
Also the Armour or Lightsaber scene really is a full on videogame trope select your class kind of screen after the tutorial level.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 12:36 PM on February 2, 2022 [13 favorites]
I'm glad we got to see both a SpaceJustified and SpaceDeadwood style shootout from Timothy Olyphant. Although Mando's plan of recruiting villagers to be their foot soldiers is odd. I haven't seen a lot of Westerns but the trope is usually training up the villagers to save their town, not then taking them to fight a mob war in the big city.
Also the Armour or Lightsaber scene really is a full on videogame trope select your class kind of screen after the tutorial level.
It reminded me of a Chinese tradition where you put various items in front of babies to predict their future. Here's a random fun youtube example, and I definitely think Luke should have also placed alien frog eggs on the mat if he wanted to really know Grogu.
posted by Gary at 1:27 PM on February 2, 2022 [13 favorites]
Also the Armour or Lightsaber scene really is a full on videogame trope select your class kind of screen after the tutorial level.
It reminded me of a Chinese tradition where you put various items in front of babies to predict their future. Here's a random fun youtube example, and I definitely think Luke should have also placed alien frog eggs on the mat if he wanted to really know Grogu.
posted by Gary at 1:27 PM on February 2, 2022 [13 favorites]
Just to dork out about the things I really liked here: WORKER ANT DROIDS. And apparently frogs are ubiquitous in the universe, even if they're cyclopean.
I thought it was pretty egregious when they dropped Fennec Shand and Cad Bane into the bad batch, but it makes me even more interested in getting more Ming Na Wen.
And finally, Grogu's expressions continue to be delightful.
posted by rp at 2:31 PM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
I thought it was pretty egregious when they dropped Fennec Shand and Cad Bane into the bad batch, but it makes me even more interested in getting more Ming Na Wen.
And finally, Grogu's expressions continue to be delightful.
posted by rp at 2:31 PM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
I haven't seen a lot of Westerns but the trope is usually training up the villagers to save their town, not then taking them to fight a mob war in the big city.
They already did that one - the Seven Samurai homage - in Space Dad season 1.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:40 PM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
They already did that one - the Seven Samurai homage - in Space Dad season 1.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:40 PM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
I feel like Luke is a bit high on his own supply. There's no good reason why Jedi have to forgo all personal attachments. That's what the old Jedi did, and they all fucking died.
The only ones who survived were:
Obi Wan, who was in love with the Duchess of Mandalore.
Asohka, who left the Jedi and went off and made a bunch of friends.
Yoda, who was surely the most unconventional of Jedi.
Even Luke ran off from training with Yoda to save his friends, and didn't forsake all personal attachments.
So recreating the Jedi ethos in full, without thinking about whether perhaps it could be improved, seems shortsighted. Luke needs to have a chat to some force ghosts and get his head on straight. Let the baby see his Space Dad!
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:49 PM on February 2, 2022 [36 favorites]
The only ones who survived were:
Obi Wan, who was in love with the Duchess of Mandalore.
Asohka, who left the Jedi and went off and made a bunch of friends.
Yoda, who was surely the most unconventional of Jedi.
Even Luke ran off from training with Yoda to save his friends, and didn't forsake all personal attachments.
So recreating the Jedi ethos in full, without thinking about whether perhaps it could be improved, seems shortsighted. Luke needs to have a chat to some force ghosts and get his head on straight. Let the baby see his Space Dad!
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:49 PM on February 2, 2022 [36 favorites]
I'm glad we got to see both a SpaceJustified and SpaceDeadwood style shootout from Timothy Olyphant.
When I tell you I squealed when Raylan showed up, and then had a showdown with Bane... I'm very satisfied in the choices being made here.
I feel like Luke is a bit high on his own supply. There's no good reason why Jedi have to forgo all personal attachments. That's what the old Jedi did, and they all fucking died.
strong fucking concur. There's no fucking reason kiddo cant have BOTH items, especially if the jedi ethos is "force for knowledge and defense, never attack". It's armour! IT CANT ATTACK.
If anything, the armour would be the more jedi choice.
posted by coriolisdave at 3:46 PM on February 2, 2022 [8 favorites]
When I tell you I squealed when Raylan showed up, and then had a showdown with Bane... I'm very satisfied in the choices being made here.
I feel like Luke is a bit high on his own supply. There's no good reason why Jedi have to forgo all personal attachments. That's what the old Jedi did, and they all fucking died.
strong fucking concur. There's no fucking reason kiddo cant have BOTH items, especially if the jedi ethos is "force for knowledge and defense, never attack". It's armour! IT CANT ATTACK.
If anything, the armour would be the more jedi choice.
posted by coriolisdave at 3:46 PM on February 2, 2022 [8 favorites]
Either he’ll give him both or its another sign of how messed up the Jedi are.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:06 PM on February 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:06 PM on February 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
I guess I should have paid more attention to whatever the spice is. Apparently the bad guys want to "run" it through Tatooine and the good guys understand that that is a very bad thing to do.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 5:43 PM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by paper chromatographologist at 5:43 PM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
The de-aging looked a lot better in this one, but still distracting at times. Maybe it is time for them to move on. Maybe introduce a younger actor as Luke’s cousin, Vance Skywalker, and team him up with Coy-Katan.
posted by snofoam at 6:08 PM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 6:08 PM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
“Is that a bench?”
posted by leotrotsky at 6:23 PM on February 2, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 6:23 PM on February 2, 2022 [12 favorites]
Damn, Luke. So far his training consists of revisiting the kid's nightmares about Order 66, surprise electrical shocks, and deciding for no reason whatsoever that the kid has to choose between the armor and the lightsaber. The show made it real clear that the armor is Grogu's... birthright isn't quite the right word, but something like that. (Even the Armorer didn't ask for it back when she booted Din out of the cult last week!) Intercepting that gift and twisting it into a loyalty test - after the Mandalorian has already left - seemed pretty gross.
...Also I finished watching The Clone Wars a couple months ago, and feel that my diligence has been rewarded.
posted by mersen at 6:34 PM on February 2, 2022 [10 favorites]
...Also I finished watching The Clone Wars a couple months ago, and feel that my diligence has been rewarded.
posted by mersen at 6:34 PM on February 2, 2022 [10 favorites]
I guess I should have paid more attention to whatever the spice is. Apparently the bad guys want to "run" it through Tatooine and the good guys understand that that is a very bad thing to do.
Well, yeah. That shit attracts those big damn worms.
Kinda bummed they killed off Olyphant. Why bring him back just to kill him? I’m assuming he’s dead. Looked like a solid gut shot.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:46 PM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Well, yeah. That shit attracts those big damn worms.
Kinda bummed they killed off Olyphant. Why bring him back just to kill him? I’m assuming he’s dead. Looked like a solid gut shot.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:46 PM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't think Olyphant is dead, they made a point to give his plucky deputy 4-5 shots to the torso, while he only got once glancing blow. It's interesting that Olymphant has now played law enforcement in the distant past, present, and distant future. He's a one man Christmas Carol at this point.
This was the last episode of the "season", apparently? The show got a whole lot better when it ditched its main character and started focusing.
Luke asks Ashoko whether he will see her again, and she says "perhaps", but all I heard was "yeah, I don't think we'd want to rule out your appearance in my spin-off series."
I am really impressed and mildly freaked-out at Luke's mostly unremarkable Luke-ishness, seems like a huge jump in quality from last season (which I was still very impressed by). We're really only a few years from having anyone appear as themselves at any age. I wonder if big franchise movies are doing anything to preserve high-res images of their stars at current ages so they can continue to do reboots for decades with the same fresh faces.
posted by skewed at 7:02 PM on February 2, 2022
This was the last episode of the "season", apparently? The show got a whole lot better when it ditched its main character and started focusing.
Luke asks Ashoko whether he will see her again, and she says "perhaps", but all I heard was "yeah, I don't think we'd want to rule out your appearance in my spin-off series."
I am really impressed and mildly freaked-out at Luke's mostly unremarkable Luke-ishness, seems like a huge jump in quality from last season (which I was still very impressed by). We're really only a few years from having anyone appear as themselves at any age. I wonder if big franchise movies are doing anything to preserve high-res images of their stars at current ages so they can continue to do reboots for decades with the same fresh faces.
posted by skewed at 7:02 PM on February 2, 2022
I hope we find out eventually what in the world was going on behind the scenes to give us this bizarre hodgepodge of a show. I’m sure COVID had something to do with it, but I feel like that’s not the only explanation. Some sort of backstage power struggle, maybe? An early u-turn based on poor screenings with the execs?
I just can’t imagine that this was the plan all along. If it was, why not brand it as The Mandalorian: The Book Of Boba Fett to put the series in context of the larger show?
I’m not even saying that I dislike these episodes! Indeed, they’ve been a lot of fun. But it really is some of the oddest television I think I’ve ever seen. It’s like if halfway through a season of Mork & Mindy the show just turned back into Happy Days out of the blue. And As much as I love Star Wars, I love behind-the-scenes drama even more, so I really want to find out all the petty little details.
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:09 PM on February 2, 2022 [18 favorites]
I just can’t imagine that this was the plan all along. If it was, why not brand it as The Mandalorian: The Book Of Boba Fett to put the series in context of the larger show?
I’m not even saying that I dislike these episodes! Indeed, they’ve been a lot of fun. But it really is some of the oddest television I think I’ve ever seen. It’s like if halfway through a season of Mork & Mindy the show just turned back into Happy Days out of the blue. And As much as I love Star Wars, I love behind-the-scenes drama even more, so I really want to find out all the petty little details.
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:09 PM on February 2, 2022 [18 favorites]
This was the last episode of the "season", apparently?
There's one more, next week.
I thought it was interesting? odd? that Luke offers Grogu the opportunity to "become a great Jedi," in contrast to friendship and love with his space dad. I mean, tempting little baby Yoda with greatness seems to be a bit off script for a Jedi, and I agree that Luke of all people should know that attachment to other people is not necessarily a bad thing.
All that said, I really enjoyed the episode. I was really excited to see Vanth return, and am interested to see what becomes of Cad Bane. However, it doesn't say much for the show that the best episodes are far and away the ones in which the title character has the least screen time. I also feel like these things they're doing now to establish the Pyke Syndicate as menacing probably should have been set up from the very start, not the second-to-last episode.
posted by synecdoche at 7:11 PM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
There's one more, next week.
I thought it was interesting? odd? that Luke offers Grogu the opportunity to "become a great Jedi," in contrast to friendship and love with his space dad. I mean, tempting little baby Yoda with greatness seems to be a bit off script for a Jedi, and I agree that Luke of all people should know that attachment to other people is not necessarily a bad thing.
All that said, I really enjoyed the episode. I was really excited to see Vanth return, and am interested to see what becomes of Cad Bane. However, it doesn't say much for the show that the best episodes are far and away the ones in which the title character has the least screen time. I also feel like these things they're doing now to establish the Pyke Syndicate as menacing probably should have been set up from the very start, not the second-to-last episode.
posted by synecdoche at 7:11 PM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
If Raylan Givens is dead, I will eat my hat. I guess the bartender knows enough to lead the town meeting, but: nah. Maybe he'll get some fancy new big-city innards like Shand.
posted by mersen at 7:17 PM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by mersen at 7:17 PM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Who cares about Boba Fett? He's barely in this episode, nobody gives a damn, and all we want is our cute wittle baby and his frogs.
Seriously, "no attachments" did not go well for the Jedi. Hell, if not for "attachment" Luke would not exist. You're the first of the new Jedi, you didn't get trained like that, why are you enforcing it on a 50-year-old traumatized toddler who just wants a dad?
That said, clearly we gotta get Grogu the hell outta there before that Jedi Academy gets going, so...
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:17 PM on February 2, 2022 [13 favorites]
Seriously, "no attachments" did not go well for the Jedi. Hell, if not for "attachment" Luke would not exist. You're the first of the new Jedi, you didn't get trained like that, why are you enforcing it on a 50-year-old traumatized toddler who just wants a dad?
That said, clearly we gotta get Grogu the hell outta there before that Jedi Academy gets going, so...
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:17 PM on February 2, 2022 [13 favorites]
I hope we find out eventually what in the world was going on behind the scenes to give us this bizarre hodgepodge of a show.
Can’t find the link but I remember reading somewhere that BOBF was always intended as sort of a Mando season 2.5 to act as a bridge into season 3. Pedro Pascal had shooting conflicts that would have prevented shooting and releasing a full season of Mando so, instead, we get a little Mando as a treat.
Still weird that 2 of the 7 episodes would basically be all-Mando story instead of being written as A-plot/B-plot.
posted by nathan_teske at 7:29 PM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
Can’t find the link but I remember reading somewhere that BOBF was always intended as sort of a Mando season 2.5 to act as a bridge into season 3. Pedro Pascal had shooting conflicts that would have prevented shooting and releasing a full season of Mando so, instead, we get a little Mando as a treat.
Still weird that 2 of the 7 episodes would basically be all-Mando story instead of being written as A-plot/B-plot.
posted by nathan_teske at 7:29 PM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
If Raylan Givens is dead, I will eat my hat
speaking of, Timbo is looking fine but this show is letting him down in the hat department.
Dude knows how to rock a chapeau, fuckin' let him.
posted by coriolisdave at 7:30 PM on February 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
speaking of, Timbo is looking fine but this show is letting him down in the hat department.
Dude knows how to rock a chapeau, fuckin' let him.
posted by coriolisdave at 7:30 PM on February 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
I feel like Luke came across as an asshole in this one. Because yeah, making the kid relive the horror of the Jedi massacre, and then forcing him to make a choice between the people he loves and his ambition?
Anyone who requires you to give up your emotional connection to other people is wrong, y'all. Wrong.
But to be fair, Luke doesn't know shit about Jedi philosophy except what the ghost of Yoda is telling him -- and Yoda's at least in part responsible for Anakin's fall. Luke's getting bad information and not, in fact, trusting his instincts.
I am cranky about Ahsoka as well: she did not read like the Ahsoka Tano we last saw in Rebels. That Ahsoka went her own way, didn't agree with all that the Jedi did, and was very aware of how flawed Luke's father was. Telling him he was like his father shouldn't have necessarily been a compliment.
posted by suelac at 7:32 PM on February 2, 2022 [11 favorites]
Anyone who requires you to give up your emotional connection to other people is wrong, y'all. Wrong.
But to be fair, Luke doesn't know shit about Jedi philosophy except what the ghost of Yoda is telling him -- and Yoda's at least in part responsible for Anakin's fall. Luke's getting bad information and not, in fact, trusting his instincts.
I am cranky about Ahsoka as well: she did not read like the Ahsoka Tano we last saw in Rebels. That Ahsoka went her own way, didn't agree with all that the Jedi did, and was very aware of how flawed Luke's father was. Telling him he was like his father shouldn't have necessarily been a compliment.
posted by suelac at 7:32 PM on February 2, 2022 [11 favorites]
It reminded me of a Chinese tradition where you put various items in front of babies to predict their future.
In several samurai films/stories (Lone Wolf & Cub being the first that comes to mind): father places a sword and a toy (often something related to the recently murdered mother) and the child can choose one or the other, often with the threat that the father will train the child if it chooses the sword but kill it if it chooses the toy. Alejandro Jodorowsky has a similar scene in El Topo, and of course there's that one episode of King of the Hill when Bobby Hill is possibly the reincarnation of a Buddhist teacher.
posted by Saxon Kane at 7:41 PM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
In several samurai films/stories (Lone Wolf & Cub being the first that comes to mind): father places a sword and a toy (often something related to the recently murdered mother) and the child can choose one or the other, often with the threat that the father will train the child if it chooses the sword but kill it if it chooses the toy. Alejandro Jodorowsky has a similar scene in El Topo, and of course there's that one episode of King of the Hill when Bobby Hill is possibly the reincarnation of a Buddhist teacher.
posted by Saxon Kane at 7:41 PM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Cad Bane talked about Boba, and we know they have a history, but he’s also had at least one run-in with Fennec. As far as we know the last time they saw each other they were fighting over a bounty—said bounty being Boba’s little sister. Does anyone else feel like they have to at least mention Omega before the end of the season?
posted by orrnyereg at 8:41 PM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by orrnyereg at 8:41 PM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
So, not that I'm disliking this--I enjoyed last episode & this one a lot--but it feels like spending all this time on not-Boba (& Fennec) is a weird choice. One episode would've been a cool side-jaunt. Adding this seems like a lot.
I keep thinking this feels like all the tie-in stuff a lot of fans expected from the MCU shows. I'm really glad the MCU stuff didn't do that; they remembered Wanda's show was for Wanda, and Sam & Bucky's was for Sam & Bucky, and not a parade of cameos and outsiders saving the day. Book of Boba hasn't gotten bad with this, exactly, it's just... I dunno. Odd choice.
But if I'm still having a good time, I guess it all works out.
Anyway, I hope Cobb is okay, and I'll be happy if Jennifer Beals's character survives, too, and most of all I really hope we get to see Fennec make Cad Bane eat her entire rifle.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:19 PM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
I keep thinking this feels like all the tie-in stuff a lot of fans expected from the MCU shows. I'm really glad the MCU stuff didn't do that; they remembered Wanda's show was for Wanda, and Sam & Bucky's was for Sam & Bucky, and not a parade of cameos and outsiders saving the day. Book of Boba hasn't gotten bad with this, exactly, it's just... I dunno. Odd choice.
But if I'm still having a good time, I guess it all works out.
Anyway, I hope Cobb is okay, and I'll be happy if Jennifer Beals's character survives, too, and most of all I really hope we get to see Fennec make Cad Bane eat her entire rifle.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:19 PM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
My head-canon is that Garsa Fwip is also an ex-drop trooper and there’s a very large gun she’s about to go unearth from the wreckage of her office. They blew up her place, she can’t sit idly by now.
This Luke is still a believer, unlike the bitter Luke we see in the sequels. So it sorta makes sense that he is making the same mistake the Jedi did, but he just comes off as an asshole for most of the episode.
I did like the throwback to running on Dagobah, but at the same time, this show is a lot of empty calories. “Hey look, more Clone Wars stuff! You like that! More!” At least the Lone Wolf and Cub sequence was new, even if they’ve been hinting at it since Mando season one.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:13 PM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
This Luke is still a believer, unlike the bitter Luke we see in the sequels. So it sorta makes sense that he is making the same mistake the Jedi did, but he just comes off as an asshole for most of the episode.
I did like the throwback to running on Dagobah, but at the same time, this show is a lot of empty calories. “Hey look, more Clone Wars stuff! You like that! More!” At least the Lone Wolf and Cub sequence was new, even if they’ve been hinting at it since Mando season one.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:13 PM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
Luke is not a good teacher and I am here for it!! Why should he be a good teacher when all his Jedi education consisted of very abbreviated sessions by profoundly retired, deeply traumatized genocide survivors? Let's be realistic here.
And yeah we also went "aaah!! Like a 100 days party!!" when Luke made Grogu pick. Our nephew picked a ball instead of a stethoscope...grave disappointment.
I've said it once and I'll say it again. Once you put Cad Bane on a show my only reaction is, I quote, "Now tell me, where is Hondo? For I much desire to see his dumb ass on this show too"
posted by potrzebie at 10:43 PM on February 2, 2022 [21 favorites]
And yeah we also went "aaah!! Like a 100 days party!!" when Luke made Grogu pick. Our nephew picked a ball instead of a stethoscope...grave disappointment.
I've said it once and I'll say it again. Once you put Cad Bane on a show my only reaction is, I quote, "Now tell me, where is Hondo? For I much desire to see his dumb ass on this show too"
posted by potrzebie at 10:43 PM on February 2, 2022 [21 favorites]
Olyphant's incredible hair is incredibly nice.
Nice enough that some shots cut it out of frame - so it's not a distraction.
posted by porpoise at 11:04 PM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
Nice enough that some shots cut it out of frame - so it's not a distraction.
posted by porpoise at 11:04 PM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
I thought it was weird that they kept Luke dressed in all black, but reading more here about how kinda shitty he is at teaching right now / embracing the wrong lessons about attachment makes me wonder if he is Struggling A Bit and might eventually turn into a Kinder, Gentler Luke.
posted by lazaruslong at 11:14 PM on February 2, 2022
posted by lazaruslong at 11:14 PM on February 2, 2022
Erh. I suspect Grogu will select neither and then get both.
posted by porpoise at 11:25 PM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by porpoise at 11:25 PM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also - I don't think of Din as being subject to the typical human-supremacist biases of so many in Star Wars (given his alien son and all) so I'm hoping he gets wise at some point relatively soon - but why oh why go to a small town sheriff for muscle when the fkn Jawas are RIGHT THERE?? They are fearless! subtle! reckless! and completely capable of fucking up any vehicle the Pykes own, PLUS they think our Mando is rad due to his sick new ride. Take advantage of that cred, Mando! No time like the present!
posted by potrzebie at 11:50 PM on February 2, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 11:50 PM on February 2, 2022 [11 favorites]
I did NOT like this episode, except as a hate watch. And I like Grogu! I just have no idea why he is in this show.
I keep hoping we’ll get more of the sand people, but instead somehow we’ve got Mando who doesn’t even recruit the Jawas (why not? His ship builder used to date one, maybe she could help). And then useless Luke (thankfully with better CGI), a horrid teacher who somehow learned exactly the wrong lessons. “No-attachments”? That’s the bullshit they kept from the prequels? Ugh.
I much preferred bitter Luke to this nonsense. I hope Grogu goes his own way and finds many tasty frogs in his future. And if we don’t see the sand people again I am going to be grouchy. Grouchier, anyhow. Maybe we should stuff Luke in a bacta tank so he can start healing what’s wrong with his inside, cause something sure is.
posted by nat at 12:30 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
I keep hoping we’ll get more of the sand people, but instead somehow we’ve got Mando who doesn’t even recruit the Jawas (why not? His ship builder used to date one, maybe she could help). And then useless Luke (thankfully with better CGI), a horrid teacher who somehow learned exactly the wrong lessons. “No-attachments”? That’s the bullshit they kept from the prequels? Ugh.
I much preferred bitter Luke to this nonsense. I hope Grogu goes his own way and finds many tasty frogs in his future. And if we don’t see the sand people again I am going to be grouchy. Grouchier, anyhow. Maybe we should stuff Luke in a bacta tank so he can start healing what’s wrong with his inside, cause something sure is.
posted by nat at 12:30 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
This show has really grown on me. Wasn't at all sure about it at first, but they've done a good job of humanising Boba Fett and showing us part of a larger universe. Loved the antdroids and the space Western shootouts in this episode.
Not sure Boba Fett is aiming to be a crime boss exactly. He's addressed as Daimyo which is a Japanese feudal lord. You could get to be a Daimyo by inheriting the title, but also by being promoted from a Samurai. So I think there's kind of a career path from warrior to minor feudal lord which he's trying to follow.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:02 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Not sure Boba Fett is aiming to be a crime boss exactly. He's addressed as Daimyo which is a Japanese feudal lord. You could get to be a Daimyo by inheriting the title, but also by being promoted from a Samurai. So I think there's kind of a career path from warrior to minor feudal lord which he's trying to follow.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:02 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
“Hey look, more Clone Wars stuff! You like that! More!"
I always end up groaning when it's a Filoni episode because it means all kinds of Clone Wars characters are going to show up for no particular reason.
I prefer it when the OT era shows do their own thing with less of the baggage of the previous stuff. It's ok to make some new characters and go somewhere other than Tatooine!
I'm so tired of Tatooine, y'all.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:38 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
I always end up groaning when it's a Filoni episode because it means all kinds of Clone Wars characters are going to show up for no particular reason.
I prefer it when the OT era shows do their own thing with less of the baggage of the previous stuff. It's ok to make some new characters and go somewhere other than Tatooine!
I'm so tired of Tatooine, y'all.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:38 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Man, am I the only one who thought the dialog was freshman-level writing bad? So terrible.
Really, the whole Jedi training scene just dragged on and on. Honestly, if we never had a Skywalker or Palpatine show up in a Star War again, I'd be very, very happy with that choice. Right now, the commitment to "filling in the blanks" has me questioning the creative abilities of the folks involved in this franchise.
posted by rocketman at 6:28 AM on February 3, 2022 [13 favorites]
Really, the whole Jedi training scene just dragged on and on. Honestly, if we never had a Skywalker or Palpatine show up in a Star War again, I'd be very, very happy with that choice. Right now, the commitment to "filling in the blanks" has me questioning the creative abilities of the folks involved in this franchise.
posted by rocketman at 6:28 AM on February 3, 2022 [13 favorites]
Am i the last person on earth to realize the mayor is named Mayor McCheese (Mok Shaiz)?
posted by bondcliff at 6:45 AM on February 3, 2022 [28 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 6:45 AM on February 3, 2022 [28 favorites]
I laughed so hard at this: "This is a real head-scratcher, and I’ll tell you what, I have no idea why given these crack training techniques that decades later Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) burned down Luke’s entire school."
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:57 AM on February 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:57 AM on February 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
Fleebnork and rocketman, you’re not alone. I loved the Mandalorian and was excited for BoBF, but have found it maddeningly inconsistent and frequently cringeworthy. And to have them keep retreading the same stories over and over, argh. I’m surprised they haven’t done a six part exposé on the blue milk from Ep IV, how it’s a secret dark Force/Empire mind control substance and Luke was more susceptible to Leia’s plea for help because they were almost out and Aunt Beru was gonna have him restock when he went to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters. Hey Disney, DM me.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 7:08 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 7:08 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Man, am I the only one who thought the dialog was freshman-level writing bad? So terrible.
I am soooo with you on this. My son and i happen to be watching the Witcher concurrently and the writing there is so very good that this show really does sound like what so many have been imagining: Favreau playing with action figures with his kid sister. So maybe middle school level dialogue?
posted by OHenryPacey at 7:17 AM on February 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
I am soooo with you on this. My son and i happen to be watching the Witcher concurrently and the writing there is so very good that this show really does sound like what so many have been imagining: Favreau playing with action figures with his kid sister. So maybe middle school level dialogue?
posted by OHenryPacey at 7:17 AM on February 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm glad we got to see both a SpaceJustified and SpaceDeadwood style shootout from Timothy Olyphant.
I just started a rewatch of Deadwood and am delighted again that here W. Earl Brown (Dan Dority) plays the bartender in the boozecan where Din Djarin and Cobb Vanth meet. I had forgotten that from his Mando appearance.
O for a Tattooine Al Swearengen.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:28 AM on February 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
I just started a rewatch of Deadwood and am delighted again that here W. Earl Brown (Dan Dority) plays the bartender in the boozecan where Din Djarin and Cobb Vanth meet. I had forgotten that from his Mando appearance.
O for a Tattooine Al Swearengen.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:28 AM on February 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
Concur that the writing was really frelling clunky.
Oh, and on the topic of Luke being an asshole: taking all the frogs out of the water and stressing them out/traumatizing them for no purpose was an asshole move. There was no need to do that, and it was mean. Torturing small animals!
Loved to see Dan Dority! That was great.
posted by suelac at 8:37 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, and on the topic of Luke being an asshole: taking all the frogs out of the water and stressing them out/traumatizing them for no purpose was an asshole move. There was no need to do that, and it was mean. Torturing small animals!
Loved to see Dan Dority! That was great.
posted by suelac at 8:37 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Am i the last person on earth to realize the mayor is named Mayor McCheese (Mok Shaiz)?
Oddly, the only other current show I am watching is Peacemaker, which had several explicit references to Hamburglar this week. And now that I think of it, I believe Tony Stark did mockingly address Thanos as Grimace once.
Maybe those 1978 McDonald's commercials set up some harmonic resonances or something.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:39 AM on February 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
Oddly, the only other current show I am watching is Peacemaker, which had several explicit references to Hamburglar this week. And now that I think of it, I believe Tony Stark did mockingly address Thanos as Grimace once.
Maybe those 1978 McDonald's commercials set up some harmonic resonances or something.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:39 AM on February 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
Torturing small animals!
He spent his childhood shooting womprats in Beggar's Canyon. Dude is a sick fuck.
posted by bondcliff at 8:42 AM on February 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
He spent his childhood shooting womprats in Beggar's Canyon. Dude is a sick fuck.
posted by bondcliff at 8:42 AM on February 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
He also maimed a wampa. PETA gives Luke a D rating.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:47 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:47 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
At least if you’re going to momentarily torture a bunch of frogs, have a point. What the hell was his point, “I’m stronger than you”? Or perhaps he was going for some “ad absurdum” strategy, some Kantian “your ethics don’t generalize”?
No, he was just showing off. Luke is a terrible teacher.
posted by nat at 8:54 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
No, he was just showing off. Luke is a terrible teacher.
posted by nat at 8:54 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
I keep hoping we’ll get more of the sand people, but instead somehow we’ve got Mando who doesn’t even recruit the Jawas (why not? His ship builder used to date one, maybe she could help).
I thought for sure that's where things were headed when Mando flew by that sandcrawler. A Jawa uprising would be so badass - I mean, imagine the hardware those guys have access to!
posted by EatTheWeek at 8:57 AM on February 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
I thought for sure that's where things were headed when Mando flew by that sandcrawler. A Jawa uprising would be so badass - I mean, imagine the hardware those guys have access to!
posted by EatTheWeek at 8:57 AM on February 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
A Jawa uprising would be so badass - I mean, imagine the hardware those guys have access to!
By 200 ABY, the entire galaxy is under the thumb of a Jawa Autarch. In the streets of Coruscant, oppressed citizens listlessly begin and end each conversation by saluting one another with the traditional Jawa greeting: both arms raised and a muttered "Utini."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:18 AM on February 3, 2022 [8 favorites]
By 200 ABY, the entire galaxy is under the thumb of a Jawa Autarch. In the streets of Coruscant, oppressed citizens listlessly begin and end each conversation by saluting one another with the traditional Jawa greeting: both arms raised and a muttered "Utini."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:18 AM on February 3, 2022 [8 favorites]
At least if you’re going to momentarily torture a bunch of frogs, have a point.
I heard it described on a podcast as the marshmallow test to incentivize Grogu. You can have one frog now, or you can learn to be a Jedi and then... eat all the frogs? It still leaves Luke as a terrible teacher but it's not pointless.
posted by Gary at 10:10 AM on February 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
I heard it described on a podcast as the marshmallow test to incentivize Grogu. You can have one frog now, or you can learn to be a Jedi and then... eat all the frogs? It still leaves Luke as a terrible teacher but it's not pointless.
posted by Gary at 10:10 AM on February 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
"Now tell me, where is Hondo? For I much desire to see his dumb ass on this show too"
Yes! You know Hondo's out there somewhere with his goofy gang of pirates.
posted by chbrooks at 10:52 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Yes! You know Hondo's out there somewhere with his goofy gang of pirates.
posted by chbrooks at 10:52 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Oh, and on the topic of Luke being an asshole: taking all the frogs out of the water and stressing them out/traumatizing them for no purpose was an asshole move. There was no need to do that, and it was mean.
Whimsical torment and playing pain as comedy for non-humans has always been a Star Wars thing. We see it with aliens and droids constantly, too. We're supposed to laugh when Grogu eats a bunch of eggs despite how much the mother clearly values them and wants them to hatch into her offspring. The list goes on and on. I'm not saying we should ignore it, because I agree this is shitty. Just noting it has always been like this.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:58 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Whimsical torment and playing pain as comedy for non-humans has always been a Star Wars thing. We see it with aliens and droids constantly, too. We're supposed to laugh when Grogu eats a bunch of eggs despite how much the mother clearly values them and wants them to hatch into her offspring. The list goes on and on. I'm not saying we should ignore it, because I agree this is shitty. Just noting it has always been like this.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:58 AM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Yeah, I think I've been listening to too much Conspirituality and IndoctriNation (or maybe I've been listening to the right amount) -- when Luke gave the choice of your attachments or your training I was like, RUN! IT'S A CULT!!
I was.. weirded out.. by the Luke deepfake. It's still uncanny enough that it makes me uncomfortable, and I think it's because there was no acting going on on the part of Luke. Every line was said with the same emphatic-but-flat tone. It was jarring. There were some lines that should have been said as quiet asides or gentle questions, but nope. And yeah, he's a jerk. And the constant subtle abuse only added to the cult recruiter vibes.
posted by antinomia at 11:13 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was.. weirded out.. by the Luke deepfake. It's still uncanny enough that it makes me uncomfortable, and I think it's because there was no acting going on on the part of Luke. Every line was said with the same emphatic-but-flat tone. It was jarring. There were some lines that should have been said as quiet asides or gentle questions, but nope. And yeah, he's a jerk. And the constant subtle abuse only added to the cult recruiter vibes.
posted by antinomia at 11:13 AM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
I am afraid that decades hence, growing ever deeper in my dotage, I will be certain that somewhere in the Star Wars/Empire/Jedi trilogy, Luke somewhere Force-levitated a bunch of frogs and I will be involved in arguments in the nursing home about which movie this scene was in.
Although it did not have a payoff (yet), I did like the dreamlike image of a massive krayt dragon (?) skull tied to the roof of a sandcrawler. And yes, Olyphant has hair that nearly upstages him.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:13 AM on February 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
Although it did not have a payoff (yet), I did like the dreamlike image of a massive krayt dragon (?) skull tied to the roof of a sandcrawler. And yes, Olyphant has hair that nearly upstages him.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:13 AM on February 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
imagine the hardware those guys have access to!
I dated a Jawa!
posted by snofoam at 11:16 AM on February 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
I dated a Jawa!
posted by snofoam at 11:16 AM on February 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
Mad at all of the gatekeeping Ahsoka did to keep Din from seeing Grogu. Also, R2D2 is a little shit who totally snitched to her. And just when Din was starting to like droids. I'm starting to just really dislike Jedi altogether and Luke Skywalker especially. Did you see Grogu do that little tiny baby jump? I mean, anyone else would have to smile and internally squee a little bit. Luke just starts reprimanding. Grogu is a baby. It feels so shitty. The whole Jedi "no attachments" mentality is the reason so many of them were fucked up and had unhealthy relationships with other family members.
Possibly Din will have to go get Grogu to heal Cobb Vanth. And possibly Cad Bane is going to massacre the rest of the Tuskens, like....I can barely even remember back to those episodes at this point because they just stopped with Boba's story! I've looked forward to every episode so far but dread this last one. Also the complete sidelining of Boba Fett is bizarre. Not only was he not even in one episode, but this latest one? He was in it but had no lines. Fennec Shand did all of the talking. He seemed unimpressed to see Din for the first time in...weeks? No idea what is going on but it's just so strange.
posted by the webmistress at 1:34 PM on February 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
Possibly Din will have to go get Grogu to heal Cobb Vanth. And possibly Cad Bane is going to massacre the rest of the Tuskens, like....I can barely even remember back to those episodes at this point because they just stopped with Boba's story! I've looked forward to every episode so far but dread this last one. Also the complete sidelining of Boba Fett is bizarre. Not only was he not even in one episode, but this latest one? He was in it but had no lines. Fennec Shand did all of the talking. He seemed unimpressed to see Din for the first time in...weeks? No idea what is going on but it's just so strange.
posted by the webmistress at 1:34 PM on February 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
Also, R2D2 is a little shit
Totally in character for that droid.
I feel like it would have been more effective to forego appearances by Luke, Ahsoka, and Baby Yoda and just have R2D2 give Din the runaround for a bit. Artoo has always been sassy as hell, and to have the droid just straight up run obstruction doesn't seem like much of a stretch. It forces Din to leave the beskar mail with the droid, and shortens that sequence by, like, a ton. It also eliminates all that godawful dialog.
Maybe replace that run time with Boba Fett doing something devious and clever to undermine the Pyke Syndicate. You know, since this actually called "The Book of Boba Fett", and the show so far has mostly explored all the ways he gets his ass handed to him.
By the end of the episode, it had leaned so hard into Western tropes that it pretty much fell over. Maybe don't do a Main Street quick-draw showdown? I dunno. I'm still watching, but my patience wears thin.
So sick of Skywalker and Jedi.
posted by rocketman at 2:08 PM on February 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Totally in character for that droid.
I feel like it would have been more effective to forego appearances by Luke, Ahsoka, and Baby Yoda and just have R2D2 give Din the runaround for a bit. Artoo has always been sassy as hell, and to have the droid just straight up run obstruction doesn't seem like much of a stretch. It forces Din to leave the beskar mail with the droid, and shortens that sequence by, like, a ton. It also eliminates all that godawful dialog.
Maybe replace that run time with Boba Fett doing something devious and clever to undermine the Pyke Syndicate. You know, since this actually called "The Book of Boba Fett", and the show so far has mostly explored all the ways he gets his ass handed to him.
By the end of the episode, it had leaned so hard into Western tropes that it pretty much fell over. Maybe don't do a Main Street quick-draw showdown? I dunno. I'm still watching, but my patience wears thin.
So sick of Skywalker and Jedi.
posted by rocketman at 2:08 PM on February 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
I was.. weirded out.. by the Luke deepfake. It's still uncanny enough that it makes me uncomfortable, and I think it's because there was no acting going on on the part of Luke. Every line was said with the same emphatic-but-flat tone. It was jarring.
I didn't much like it either, particularly the voice. Why not just get Hamill to do it? Why not use the same "de-aging" tech on him as they did for Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel? Granted, the latter might be more difficult, but at least use the actual voice for fuck's sake!
I thought that Mando was going to ask the Jawas if they could find a bunch of old droids they could use as expendable foot soldiers, since they can apparently get anything from anywhere at the drop of a hat. I like to imagine that all those big Jawa land-cruisers have secret Stargates in them, or maybe mobile wormholes, so that they can easily trade between planets.
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:10 PM on February 3, 2022
I didn't much like it either, particularly the voice. Why not just get Hamill to do it? Why not use the same "de-aging" tech on him as they did for Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel? Granted, the latter might be more difficult, but at least use the actual voice for fuck's sake!
I thought that Mando was going to ask the Jawas if they could find a bunch of old droids they could use as expendable foot soldiers, since they can apparently get anything from anywhere at the drop of a hat. I like to imagine that all those big Jawa land-cruisers have secret Stargates in them, or maybe mobile wormholes, so that they can easily trade between planets.
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:10 PM on February 3, 2022
I didn't much like it either, particularly the voice. Why not just get Hamill to do it?
?? The credits of the episode, Wookieepedia, and IMDb all have Hamill as Skywalker’s voice.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:43 PM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
?? The credits of the episode, Wookieepedia, and IMDb all have Hamill as Skywalker’s voice.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:43 PM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
It’s like if halfway through a season of Mork & Mindy the show just turned back into Happy Days out of the blue.
I tried to imagine Richie Cunningham transported to an alien planet where some people looked human and others not so much, and decided that that was basically Futurama.
Also, I watched the Tatooine part of RotJ and realized that cgi!Luke looks way younger than he did in the movie, thanks to the SFX erasing the scars from Hamill's car crash.
posted by Halloween Jack at 3:03 PM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
I tried to imagine Richie Cunningham transported to an alien planet where some people looked human and others not so much, and decided that that was basically Futurama.
Also, I watched the Tatooine part of RotJ and realized that cgi!Luke looks way younger than he did in the movie, thanks to the SFX erasing the scars from Hamill's car crash.
posted by Halloween Jack at 3:03 PM on February 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
My understanding was that they used a digital recreation of his voice, as they did in S2 of Mando, so it is his voice, but reconstructed? Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I've read...
posted by Saxon Kane at 3:41 PM on February 3, 2022
posted by Saxon Kane at 3:41 PM on February 3, 2022
It’s odd that he’d be credited for something he’s not in, then. People often appear uncredited but the reverse... if nothing else, I’d imagine it’d be a pretty grave violation of SAG rules.
I think more likely septuagenarian Hamill’s voice is a little (lot) more gravelly than when he was half that age, and they have tried to digitally smoothe it out with, admittedly, slightly noticeable artefacts.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:55 PM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
I think more likely septuagenarian Hamill’s voice is a little (lot) more gravelly than when he was half that age, and they have tried to digitally smoothe it out with, admittedly, slightly noticeable artefacts.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:55 PM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
He definitely didn't voice Luke in Mandalorian S2:
In a new Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian about the making of the Season 2 finale, creator Jon Favreau revealed it was yet another use of technology to replace real actors. "Something people didn't realize is that his voice isn't real," Favreau said during the special episode. "His voice, the young Luke Skywalker voice, is completely synthesized using an application called Respeecher."
More detail: "It's a neural network you feed information into and it learns. So I had archival material from Mark in that era. We had clean recorded ADR from the original films, a book on tape he'd done from those eras, and then also Star Wars radio plays he had done back in that time. I was able to get clean recordings of that, feed it into the system, and they were able to slice it up and feed their neural network to learn this data."
I would assume they used the same shitty* process in BoBF
*shitty because it replaces real actors with computers
posted by Saxon Kane at 4:08 PM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
In a new Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian about the making of the Season 2 finale, creator Jon Favreau revealed it was yet another use of technology to replace real actors. "Something people didn't realize is that his voice isn't real," Favreau said during the special episode. "His voice, the young Luke Skywalker voice, is completely synthesized using an application called Respeecher."
More detail: "It's a neural network you feed information into and it learns. So I had archival material from Mark in that era. We had clean recorded ADR from the original films, a book on tape he'd done from those eras, and then also Star Wars radio plays he had done back in that time. I was able to get clean recordings of that, feed it into the system, and they were able to slice it up and feed their neural network to learn this data."
I would assume they used the same shitty* process in BoBF
*shitty because it replaces real actors with computers
posted by Saxon Kane at 4:08 PM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Weird. I conjecture it is a new era of entertainment law where people whose images are used without their participation still get credited. I suppose it even predates the deepfakes era: I just pulled out my dusty DVD of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and there is Sir Laurence Olivier, 15 years dead, in the credits.
Incidentally, looking at the credits of this movie I have not seen since its theatrical release in 2004 reveals all sorts of people there I had entirely forgotten about: Giovanni Ribisi! Michael Gambon! Omid Djalili!
Anyway, I suppose with a single episode left to wrap up the season (and maybe series), the big showdown has a lot of things to toss into the final battle on the good guys' side -- two guys in Mandalorian armour, a bevy of cyborgs (some on brightly coloured scooters), a pair of hapless and put-upon Gamorreans, a recuperating marshal with top-notch hair, a Wookiee gladiator, and that rancor we have mostly forgotten about.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:43 PM on February 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Incidentally, looking at the credits of this movie I have not seen since its theatrical release in 2004 reveals all sorts of people there I had entirely forgotten about: Giovanni Ribisi! Michael Gambon! Omid Djalili!
Anyway, I suppose with a single episode left to wrap up the season (and maybe series), the big showdown has a lot of things to toss into the final battle on the good guys' side -- two guys in Mandalorian armour, a bevy of cyborgs (some on brightly coloured scooters), a pair of hapless and put-upon Gamorreans, a recuperating marshal with top-notch hair, a Wookiee gladiator, and that rancor we have mostly forgotten about.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:43 PM on February 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I was sort of wondering if Luke was a de-aged actor or if he was another example of the Unreal Engine 5 tech that brought back the 35 year old Neo in the Matrix demo.
I thought it was fine, mostly? I mean, if you're going to make a plastic actor, making them a placid and dull Jedi goes a long way towards hiding the limitations.
posted by Kyol at 8:19 PM on February 3, 2022
I thought it was fine, mostly? I mean, if you're going to make a plastic actor, making them a placid and dull Jedi goes a long way towards hiding the limitations.
posted by Kyol at 8:19 PM on February 3, 2022
I mean, if you're going to make a plastic actor, making them a placid and dull Jedi goes a long way towards hiding the limitations.
I said as much after his (quasi-)appearance in The Mandalorian. If this is what makes a role a good fit for this treatment, I think we will see thirty-year-old Kevin Costner in new roles for many years to come.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:53 PM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
I said as much after his (quasi-)appearance in The Mandalorian. If this is what makes a role a good fit for this treatment, I think we will see thirty-year-old Kevin Costner in new roles for many years to come.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:53 PM on February 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh God, it's going to be costner and Orlando bloom double features from here until eternity.
posted by coriolisdave at 9:48 PM on February 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by coriolisdave at 9:48 PM on February 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
And yeah, SAG-ish-wise, I'm not sure I necessarily mind living actors leasing out their old likenesses and reconstructed voices in small bits and pieces, but when we get to either long dead actors estates' leasing them out (Junior needs a new Jag, you see) or wholly reconstituted troupes of dead actors that ... Yeah, bring in some fresh blood. But that line isn't bright and clear between acceptable and unacceptable, and we've been kind of flirting with it for a while with wholly "original" CGI background characters.
And as much as I said it was a plastic actor playing a placid and dull Jedi, I was pretty much entirely convinced. I mean there were the briefest of moments where I remembered that Luke wasn't really that boyishly handsome with his hair all perfectly in place? But I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that Ahsoka was 100% mocap and CGI and not Rosario Dawson in 40lbs of silicone prosthetics, because I don't have any expectations for what Ahsoka looks like.
Also I'm glad I watched the Bad Batch because it meant I went AW DANG LOOK IT'S CAD BANE.
posted by Kyol at 6:21 AM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
And as much as I said it was a plastic actor playing a placid and dull Jedi, I was pretty much entirely convinced. I mean there were the briefest of moments where I remembered that Luke wasn't really that boyishly handsome with his hair all perfectly in place? But I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that Ahsoka was 100% mocap and CGI and not Rosario Dawson in 40lbs of silicone prosthetics, because I don't have any expectations for what Ahsoka looks like.
Also I'm glad I watched the Bad Batch because it meant I went AW DANG LOOK IT'S CAD BANE.
posted by Kyol at 6:21 AM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also also this is about just as much goddamn Skywalker as I want in my Star Wars these days, guys, please. It's a big universe, there's more going on than Annie and his descendants. Heck, I could stand with not seeing Tattooine ever again, too. It's a big universe, trust the audience to keep up.
posted by Kyol at 6:25 AM on February 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 6:25 AM on February 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
, I'm not sure I necessarily mind living actors leasing out their old likenesses and reconstructed voices in small bits and pieces, but when we get to either long dead actors estates' leasing them out (Junior needs a new Jag, you see)
Historically the residuals actors get for just voice work is not going to buy many Jags, and I don’t think it’d be a better deal for their estates. Harry Shearer, before he became as well-known as he now is, did a lot of looping work for big movies (including the original Star Wars, as I was startled to find out a few years back). Just last week I saw Rob Brydon interviewing him, and was equally surprised to learn Harry Shearer’s voice can be heard in Jaws as well — as a radio announcer and maybe as an offscreen voice during the town meeting. Because Jaws has been running on TBS and Cinemax and whatever for decades, Shearer mentioned that he has had a steady stream of royalty cheques for six or seven cents. He remarked that he finds it funny that it always costs Universal more to mail the cheque than the cheque itself is worth.
I was talking to a friend today about how the pandemic must affect the filming of the Boba Fett show, and I remarked to him (as I have previously on Fanfare) that a lot of the performers are behind masks of some sort anyway because they are armoured or to look like aliens and they may well have medical masks under there as well. I said to my friend that I assume that the bare-faced performers in pandemic times are sporting KN-95s almost all the time when they are not actually on camera. Of course, as soon as I said that I thought of Jennifer Beals’ casino owner and realized she has no ears to loop a mask over. Weird. What would a Twi’lek medical mask look like?*
*These intrusive thoughts are the sorts of things that have kept me from succeeding in the business world.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:16 AM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Historically the residuals actors get for just voice work is not going to buy many Jags, and I don’t think it’d be a better deal for their estates. Harry Shearer, before he became as well-known as he now is, did a lot of looping work for big movies (including the original Star Wars, as I was startled to find out a few years back). Just last week I saw Rob Brydon interviewing him, and was equally surprised to learn Harry Shearer’s voice can be heard in Jaws as well — as a radio announcer and maybe as an offscreen voice during the town meeting. Because Jaws has been running on TBS and Cinemax and whatever for decades, Shearer mentioned that he has had a steady stream of royalty cheques for six or seven cents. He remarked that he finds it funny that it always costs Universal more to mail the cheque than the cheque itself is worth.
I was talking to a friend today about how the pandemic must affect the filming of the Boba Fett show, and I remarked to him (as I have previously on Fanfare) that a lot of the performers are behind masks of some sort anyway because they are armoured or to look like aliens and they may well have medical masks under there as well. I said to my friend that I assume that the bare-faced performers in pandemic times are sporting KN-95s almost all the time when they are not actually on camera. Of course, as soon as I said that I thought of Jennifer Beals’ casino owner and realized she has no ears to loop a mask over. Weird. What would a Twi’lek medical mask look like?*
*These intrusive thoughts are the sorts of things that have kept me from succeeding in the business world.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:16 AM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Well, I'm thinking rights (i.e. it's a new performance using their likeness), not residuals (i.e. using work that was previously paid for in a new setting), but either way you're probably right it probably wouldn't end up with Billie Lourd financing a new car with the income from it.
And huh, I always guess I sort of assumed Twi'leks had ears under their (uh) hat straps, but they just don't show them.
posted by Kyol at 9:01 AM on February 4, 2022
And huh, I always guess I sort of assumed Twi'leks had ears under their (uh) hat straps, but they just don't show them.
posted by Kyol at 9:01 AM on February 4, 2022
I dunno, with prosthetics and all, they may not be masking or able to. I assume they're doing the whole "zone one" protocols thing for actors to perform without masks while in a certain cohort like all the other shows are doing.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:42 AM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:42 AM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
When I did a State Farm commercial during the pandemic in 2020, we had these big clear face shields that had like an adjustable collar (like for a visor but they could be opened and closed a bit) that went around your neck, with the face shield sticking up from that. The shield could also be tilted down so you could take a drink or whatever. We wore that between takes because it didn't risk messing up your hair or make-up, like a mask that loops around your ears and goes directly on your face would.
I'd be very curious to see if/how much Hamill got paid for his non-voice-over voice-over. I can't imagine it would be very much.
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:45 AM on February 4, 2022
I'd be very curious to see if/how much Hamill got paid for his non-voice-over voice-over. I can't imagine it would be very much.
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:45 AM on February 4, 2022
The more I think about it, the more sure I am that the last episode of Mando Season 2 would have been the perfect time to introduce a new Jedi. They could have been someone who escaped the purge and has been laying low like Ahsoka, or better yet someone from a Jedi equivalent to Mando's cult, a Jedi sect that split off to do its own thing and thinks the Jedi who died from Order 66 got what they deserved for entwining themselves with Galactic politics.
A new Jedi, with new lore and a new take on what it means to be Jedi is exactly what Star Wars needs. I've been rewatching The Clone Wars and listening to A More Civilized Age and it doesn't take much to see that the Jedi are deeply flawed and aren't as good and noble as they think they are, and it would be great to see more characters in Star Wars say that out loud. Another Jedi with a different perspective would be so much better than more time spent with the Skywalker dynasty.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 11:36 AM on February 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
A new Jedi, with new lore and a new take on what it means to be Jedi is exactly what Star Wars needs. I've been rewatching The Clone Wars and listening to A More Civilized Age and it doesn't take much to see that the Jedi are deeply flawed and aren't as good and noble as they think they are, and it would be great to see more characters in Star Wars say that out loud. Another Jedi with a different perspective would be so much better than more time spent with the Skywalker dynasty.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 11:36 AM on February 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
I've read comic books for ages, and I've definitely figured out things I like and dislike in media from it. I like self-contained series; if i feel like I'm missing important context by not reading, say, *all* of the X-Men comics, it's less satisfying. If I need to find a "recommended reading / viewing order" guide, or find a wiki to get something that was foregrounded without explanation, it feels much less fun and rewarding, and closer to homework or work. I do not have affection for big crossovers and tie-ins and an endless upsell, to put it mildly.
(I'm not even watching all of the Marvel series.)
So, I haven't watched Clone Wars, or Bad Batch. (Cad Bane? Boba's sister? Omega? I shrug.) For friends and family who enjoyed The Mandalorian, will I recommend all of Boba Fett, or just the episodes with Space Dad? (Right now, with only one episode to go: only those episodes, yes.)
posted by Pronoiac at 11:47 AM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
(I'm not even watching all of the Marvel series.)
So, I haven't watched Clone Wars, or Bad Batch. (Cad Bane? Boba's sister? Omega? I shrug.) For friends and family who enjoyed The Mandalorian, will I recommend all of Boba Fett, or just the episodes with Space Dad? (Right now, with only one episode to go: only those episodes, yes.)
posted by Pronoiac at 11:47 AM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
I would love for all future Star Wars series to have a line about "stopping at Tattooine" and then everyone groans and makes yuck faces and decides on a different course.
posted by emjaybee at 1:04 PM on February 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 1:04 PM on February 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
It's not a huge time committment, so they might as well watch the whole thing. Also, your friends shouldn't be deprived of the "like a bantha" dance in episode 2.
posted by orrnyereg at 1:36 PM on February 4, 2022
posted by orrnyereg at 1:36 PM on February 4, 2022
Star Wars Rebels was trying to bring in some “gray” Force ideas but it didn’t really go anywhere. The Last Jedi was also trying to break away from the Skywalker family but the last mess of a movie went hard on retconning everything back to the same villain that fell down a well and exploded.
Sigh.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:18 AM on February 5, 2022
Sigh.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:18 AM on February 5, 2022
Rebels definitely pushed against the idea that emotional connections hamper a Jedi's abilities, or even necessarily cause them to lean to the Dark Side. Kanan never tells Ezra that he shouldn't care about his friends; although Ezra definitely has issues with his judgment, and he does dip into the Dark Side a few times, the show does not really talk about these "attachment" issues in the same way.
From a Watsonian perspective, one can argue that's because Kanan was so young when Order 66 happened, I guess...
posted by suelac at 7:44 AM on February 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
From a Watsonian perspective, one can argue that's because Kanan was so young when Order 66 happened, I guess...
posted by suelac at 7:44 AM on February 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Thinking about it, the whole "don't have emotional connections to others or else it'll lead to the Dark Side" doesn't really mesh with my experience of playing the games at all, at least the RPGs. Like in Knights of the Old Republic, one of the factors that sways you to the Light side (especially at the climactic reveal/choice at the end) is how attached you are to the NPC party members (the "good" ones, at least). Even when I played one game going intentionally Dark Side pretty much through the whole story, I felt like a jerk for betraying Carth at the end.
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:33 AM on February 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:33 AM on February 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
Note that I am coming from the viewpoint that Last Jedi was a towering achievement and hands down my favorite SW Movie.
That being said. When Favreau and Filoni brought Luke back in Mando with that Vader-esque destruction of droids and everyone who wanted so badly to hate TLJ were like "Yes! That's MY Luke! Not that TLJ apologist." I was sort of disappointed because it felt like the showrunners might be purposefully calling out TLJ for the fanboys.
Now I'm not so sure. As much as Luke is the gold-standard for childhood space-heroes and how much I loved him becoming the teacher in this episode, his ultimatum left me cold. It's emotional fundamentalism and this show leans full fledged into it. He's building a school that we eventually gets burnt to the ground because it breeds a group of zealots. There was speculation that Grogu would survive this because of the Beskar armor but now this choice needs to be made, it is not at all the turn I expected. It is exactly the kind of choice that Luke from TLJ regrets.
Din Djarin expressing how his religion, the one he has now been expelled from for breaking a by-law, is built on connection rather than detachment is an almost too-cute polar opposite of the Jedi way. Djarin broke the procedural rules to uphold a deeper core belief. He did the right thing even when it meant abandoning the old ways.
There's really no confusing which side is the sympathetic one here for me. Grogu needs to choose connection. The other path is the one to darkness.
posted by M Edward at 7:11 PM on February 5, 2022 [12 favorites]
That being said. When Favreau and Filoni brought Luke back in Mando with that Vader-esque destruction of droids and everyone who wanted so badly to hate TLJ were like "Yes! That's MY Luke! Not that TLJ apologist." I was sort of disappointed because it felt like the showrunners might be purposefully calling out TLJ for the fanboys.
Now I'm not so sure. As much as Luke is the gold-standard for childhood space-heroes and how much I loved him becoming the teacher in this episode, his ultimatum left me cold. It's emotional fundamentalism and this show leans full fledged into it. He's building a school that we eventually gets burnt to the ground because it breeds a group of zealots. There was speculation that Grogu would survive this because of the Beskar armor but now this choice needs to be made, it is not at all the turn I expected. It is exactly the kind of choice that Luke from TLJ regrets.
Din Djarin expressing how his religion, the one he has now been expelled from for breaking a by-law, is built on connection rather than detachment is an almost too-cute polar opposite of the Jedi way. Djarin broke the procedural rules to uphold a deeper core belief. He did the right thing even when it meant abandoning the old ways.
There's really no confusing which side is the sympathetic one here for me. Grogu needs to choose connection. The other path is the one to darkness.
posted by M Edward at 7:11 PM on February 5, 2022 [12 favorites]
Totally agree, this episode did not present a sympathetic Luke at all. Seems like Favreau is a fan of TLJ, actually, and is extending that characterization of Luke. I also hope that Grogu nopes right out of there.
I still remain confused about two episodes of a seven-episode show actually being from a different, ongoing show. Book of Boba Fett now reads like a five-episode tangent from The Mandalorian. It would've made more sense to release it that way, The Mandalorian: Book of Boba Fett; call it season 2.5.
posted by LooseFilter at 10:10 AM on February 6, 2022
I still remain confused about two episodes of a seven-episode show actually being from a different, ongoing show. Book of Boba Fett now reads like a five-episode tangent from The Mandalorian. It would've made more sense to release it that way, The Mandalorian: Book of Boba Fett; call it season 2.5.
posted by LooseFilter at 10:10 AM on February 6, 2022
Luke really comes across as a controlling ultimatum issuing asshole bad boyfriend. Like Deep fakery pretties him up and he thinks he is all that and can start dictating. Red Flag DTMFA and get outta there little guy.
posted by srboisvert at 10:23 AM on February 6, 2022
posted by srboisvert at 10:23 AM on February 6, 2022
Yeah, there's a narrative problem with the audience knowing that Luke fails with the school, that he fails so bad he birthes a mass murderer that killed trillions. You just wanna pull the character aside and be like "bruh, come on, you need to do things a bit different, trust me on this".
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:57 AM on February 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:57 AM on February 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Hola. I tried to ask the following tiny question on Reddit, and somehow am getting a bunch of flak for it. Geez. My knowledge of the StarWarsverse is limited, and my cursory Googling hasn't revealed anything.
Luke is still wearing the glove to cover his bionic hand. Is there anything out there in the canon (besides what we see in the original trilogy) that indicates he still has a reason for wearing it? I mean, sure I can guess several reasons why, but I'm curious. The writers/director chose to do it.
Since a bunch of the young street folk in Mos Espa are into augments, and showing them off, it seems like he wouldn't have to worry about it as some kind of taboo if the skin was gone. I get that he could be self-conscious, if he still hasn't had it repaired.
Several of the kind Redditors suggested "it completes the look". : )
?
posted by bitterkitten at 11:06 AM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Luke is still wearing the glove to cover his bionic hand. Is there anything out there in the canon (besides what we see in the original trilogy) that indicates he still has a reason for wearing it? I mean, sure I can guess several reasons why, but I'm curious. The writers/director chose to do it.
Since a bunch of the young street folk in Mos Espa are into augments, and showing them off, it seems like he wouldn't have to worry about it as some kind of taboo if the skin was gone. I get that he could be self-conscious, if he still hasn't had it repaired.
Several of the kind Redditors suggested "it completes the look". : )
?
posted by bitterkitten at 11:06 AM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
bitterkitten, I have no idea, but IIRC, Anakin wore gloves to cover his bionic appendages both before and after his fall.
Or Luke is just a bit older than the Mos Espa Mods, and thinks it's tacky? Or a glove keeps the sand out of the hydraulics?
posted by suelac at 12:34 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Or Luke is just a bit older than the Mos Espa Mods, and thinks it's tacky? Or a glove keeps the sand out of the hydraulics?
posted by suelac at 12:34 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
He first puts on the glove after his artificial hand is damaged and the mechanisms are exposed. Then there's the climactic moment in RotJ when he looks at his hand as he's about to kill Vader and recognizes that he's on the same path his father took and is about to lose his humanity. As a kid I thought that somehow the glove and his hand had merged as a result of his anger and hatred at that moment, and that now it was permanent. Anyway, so if he is still wearing it I think there are 2 not mutually exclusive reasons that make sense: 1) the hand is still damaged and he doesn't want to show that, and/or 2) he wears it as a reminder of the dangers of the Dark Side and his own susceptibility.
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:59 PM on February 6, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:59 PM on February 6, 2022 [5 favorites]
Or alternately it's cheaper to just have the actor put a glove on than to replicate the prosthesis?
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:24 PM on February 6, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:24 PM on February 6, 2022 [4 favorites]
Just to dork out about the things I really liked here: WORKER ANT DROIDS.
I liked it too, but partly because using a dozen autonomous robots to build your dry-stone schoolhouse is such a perfect distillation of how weird tech is in Star Wars.
posted by BungaDunga at 5:24 PM on February 6, 2022 [7 favorites]
I liked it too, but partly because using a dozen autonomous robots to build your dry-stone schoolhouse is such a perfect distillation of how weird tech is in Star Wars.
posted by BungaDunga at 5:24 PM on February 6, 2022 [7 favorites]
I liked it too, but partly because using a dozen autonomous robots to build your dry-stone schoolhouse is such a perfect distillation of how weird tech is in Star Wars.
Especially given that Mr. Jedi Master could have just as easily levitated the stones into place and built his schoolhouse himself.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:05 PM on February 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Especially given that Mr. Jedi Master could have just as easily levitated the stones into place and built his schoolhouse himself.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:05 PM on February 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Sure but that would take away from valuable frog torturing and toddler traumatising time.
posted by coriolisdave at 11:25 PM on February 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by coriolisdave at 11:25 PM on February 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Holy crap I am mad at this show. I went from being kinda board (ep 1-4) to being confused and a little amused by the abrupt corner turn in ep 5, to being really damn pissed at this latest one. Do Filoni/Favreou realize they’re telling stories about cults but casting cults are the good guys? Luke forcing Grogu to choose between his family and the cult is literally in the Cult 101 Playbook. And The Armorer isn’t any better, excommunicating her guy completing the mission she sent him on. That's precisely the kind of arbitrary and capricious rule enforcement that cults leaders use to keep everyone scared. Somehow this has turned into Cults Are Good Actually: The TV Show? What the heck.
I'll probably watch #7 just to see if this is some sort of elaborate setup for everyone realizing that they're in a cult and getting out, but I'm not hopeful.
posted by dorothy hawk at 4:29 PM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'll probably watch #7 just to see if this is some sort of elaborate setup for everyone realizing that they're in a cult and getting out, but I'm not hopeful.
posted by dorothy hawk at 4:29 PM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'm fairly sure the showrunners don't think the Armorer was correct in excommunicating Djarin, but they kind of wrote themselves into a hole and for some reason they want him to go do this thing on Mandalore and this is how to get him there? I mean, they spent two seasons giving him a found family with Greef and wassername (Gina Carano's character) and Grogu: the covert's extreme isolationism is not meant to be healthy.
Similarly, the business with Luke and the choice is a hamhanded way to get him to the point he's at in TLJ, where he's all disillusioned and cranky about the Jedi.
But in both cases, it's plot driving characterization rather than the other way around. Luke is badly written, Ahsoka is badly written, and very little of the characterizations make any sense.
A point I heard on a podcast the other day: how is it that Din Djarin, a Mandalorian expat, knows so little about the history of his own people? How had he never heard of the Jedi, the legendary enemies of Mandalore? He was an adult when the Great Purge happened (because it had to have happened no earlier than 3 BBY), how was any of this news to him?
posted by suelac at 5:12 PM on February 7, 2022
Similarly, the business with Luke and the choice is a hamhanded way to get him to the point he's at in TLJ, where he's all disillusioned and cranky about the Jedi.
But in both cases, it's plot driving characterization rather than the other way around. Luke is badly written, Ahsoka is badly written, and very little of the characterizations make any sense.
A point I heard on a podcast the other day: how is it that Din Djarin, a Mandalorian expat, knows so little about the history of his own people? How had he never heard of the Jedi, the legendary enemies of Mandalore? He was an adult when the Great Purge happened (because it had to have happened no earlier than 3 BBY), how was any of this news to him?
posted by suelac at 5:12 PM on February 7, 2022
Even if they leave the Grogu/Luke business until the next full season of Mando, I just can't see how they tie up all the loose ends in the next episode.
- What are the Pykes up to, if it's more than just drug dealing?
- Is anyone behind the Pykes? If yes, who?
- Cad Bane/Fennec/Boba
- Who actually murdered the Tuskens?
That's just off the top of my head. Plus they have to leave time for several amazing action sequences (and they had better be amazing!).
posted by orrnyereg at 5:42 AM on February 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
- What are the Pykes up to, if it's more than just drug dealing?
- Is anyone behind the Pykes? If yes, who?
- Cad Bane/Fennec/Boba
- Who actually murdered the Tuskens?
That's just off the top of my head. Plus they have to leave time for several amazing action sequences (and they had better be amazing!).
posted by orrnyereg at 5:42 AM on February 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Somehow this has turned into Cults Are Good Actually: The TV Show?
Honestly, I think it's exactly the opposite. Both Din and Grogu are seeing that the cults they were raised in are empty and that family is more important than creed. In a different way, Boba Fett and Fennec are also learning this - serving someone else's aims is a waste of time. Luke will eventually learn this lesson as well, but only after a lifetime of fruitless pursuit and his own sacrifice to save Leia. We'll find out whether or not Ahsoka has; we haven't seen enough of her yet in the live action form.
posted by briank at 6:22 AM on February 8, 2022 [10 favorites]
Honestly, I think it's exactly the opposite. Both Din and Grogu are seeing that the cults they were raised in are empty and that family is more important than creed. In a different way, Boba Fett and Fennec are also learning this - serving someone else's aims is a waste of time. Luke will eventually learn this lesson as well, but only after a lifetime of fruitless pursuit and his own sacrifice to save Leia. We'll find out whether or not Ahsoka has; we haven't seen enough of her yet in the live action form.
posted by briank at 6:22 AM on February 8, 2022 [10 favorites]
- What are the Pykes up to, if it's more than just drug dealing?
It seems like they're up moving spice around and taking over planets and trade routes to make that as profitable as possible.
- Is anyone behind the Pykes? If yes, who?
The Pykes were the one behind the everything.
- Cad Bane/Fennec/Boba
There's not much to wrap up there. Boba wants a mafia like family and it looks like he's going to get it.
- Who actually murdered the Tuskens?
The biker gang did it, right?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:16 AM on February 8, 2022
It seems like they're up moving spice around and taking over planets and trade routes to make that as profitable as possible.
- Is anyone behind the Pykes? If yes, who?
The Pykes were the one behind the everything.
- Cad Bane/Fennec/Boba
There's not much to wrap up there. Boba wants a mafia like family and it looks like he's going to get it.
- Who actually murdered the Tuskens?
The biker gang did it, right?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:16 AM on February 8, 2022
Luke will eventually learn [cults are bad] as well, but only after a lifetime of fruitless pursuit and his own sacrifice to save Leia.
This is really the tragedy of Star Wars. The Jedi Order collapses after centuries of rot and complacency, then poor Luke comes along half a generation later to do his own little any% speedrun of the rise and fall of the Jedi Order all by himself. The wild thing is, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Qui-Gon, and shit, even Anakin are still around as ghosts. They could warn him! They could steer him toward a better future for the Jedi, a future where one kid's dark heart doesn't send it all tumbling down. Anakin could tell him about how being torn between his his love for Padme and his duty to the Jedi drove him to fear and anger. Obi-Wan could tell him about how his attachment to Anakin was one of the only things that kept him in the light. Qui-Gon could tell him that there were Jedi who believed the Jedi Code was flawed. Yoda could tell him there were other groups that found their own path in the Force.
For some reason, they didn't. They left Luke to stumble blindly into fueling the rise of the First Order. Why? I guess it's because Luke was a whiny little shit who was tired of listening to other people tell him what to do.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 1:01 PM on February 8, 2022 [9 favorites]
This is really the tragedy of Star Wars. The Jedi Order collapses after centuries of rot and complacency, then poor Luke comes along half a generation later to do his own little any% speedrun of the rise and fall of the Jedi Order all by himself. The wild thing is, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Qui-Gon, and shit, even Anakin are still around as ghosts. They could warn him! They could steer him toward a better future for the Jedi, a future where one kid's dark heart doesn't send it all tumbling down. Anakin could tell him about how being torn between his his love for Padme and his duty to the Jedi drove him to fear and anger. Obi-Wan could tell him about how his attachment to Anakin was one of the only things that kept him in the light. Qui-Gon could tell him that there were Jedi who believed the Jedi Code was flawed. Yoda could tell him there were other groups that found their own path in the Force.
For some reason, they didn't. They left Luke to stumble blindly into fueling the rise of the First Order. Why? I guess it's because Luke was a whiny little shit who was tired of listening to other people tell him what to do.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 1:01 PM on February 8, 2022 [9 favorites]
The wild thing is, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Qui-Gon, and shit, even Anakin are still around as ghosts.
My first thought is that no, this won't happen because these actors are all either deceased or too pricey and/or in-demand to appear as Force ghosts for a single scene.
My second thought is that hey, the iffy CGI/deepfake stuff we view dimly on thirtyish Luke would actually be less uncanny valley if it were on a translucent, shimmering figure.
Hmm.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:22 PM on February 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
My first thought is that no, this won't happen because these actors are all either deceased or too pricey and/or in-demand to appear as Force ghosts for a single scene.
My second thought is that hey, the iffy CGI/deepfake stuff we view dimly on thirtyish Luke would actually be less uncanny valley if it were on a translucent, shimmering figure.
Hmm.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:22 PM on February 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
- Who actually murdered the Tuskens?
The biker gang did it, right?
They did. Happened just after the reveal that they were.. charging insurance.. to the Pikes.
By implication, I suspect this means the Pikes instructed the bikers to wipe out the pesky Tuskens.
posted by coriolisdave at 1:41 PM on February 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
The biker gang did it, right?
They did. Happened just after the reveal that they were.. charging insurance.. to the Pikes.
By implication, I suspect this means the Pikes instructed the bikers to wipe out the pesky Tuskens.
posted by coriolisdave at 1:41 PM on February 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
I wonder... is the reason Jedi are taken from their families at a young age and raised to forego attachments the result of something specific and terrible in past Galactic history? Maybe the previous iteration of Jedi used their powers to control others and terrorize folk, and to save their order they overreacted a bit, and decided that was off limits forevermore, to try to remove that temptation? Perhaps this resulted in the Sith splitting off, who embraced all of that? Maybe that story is in all those books Rey has stashed away.
posted by JHarris at 11:22 PM on February 8, 2022
posted by JHarris at 11:22 PM on February 8, 2022
A point I heard on a podcast the other day: how is it that Din Djarin, a Mandalorian expat, knows so little about the history of his own people? How had he never heard of the Jedi, the legendary enemies of Mandalore? He was an adult when the Great Purge happened (because it had to have happened no earlier than 3 BBY), how was any of this news to him?
That's exactly what I said!
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:08 PM on February 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
That's exactly what I said!
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:08 PM on February 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
I am cranky about Ahsoka as well: she did not read like the Ahsoka Tano we last saw in Rebels. That Ahsoka went her own way, didn't agree with all that the Jedi did, and was very aware of how flawed Luke's father was. Telling him he was like his father shouldn't have necessarily been a compliment.
Quoted for emphasis because I found this brief appearance of Ahsoka SO confusing and at odds with my understanding of her character. At the same time, I liked the presentation of her as guide and advisor to both Mando and Luke.
Also, am I mistaken or is this the first time we see her interacting with Luke? They seemed to be quite casual with each other. I would imagine their meeting to be a much more emotional and impactful thing for both of them, despite the fact that Luke is all 'Emotions are for losers' now. I mean, she had such a strong connection with Anakin! They will probably flesh this out in the spin-off.
I did enjoy whatever sorcery they used to make young Luke, though. He was much more convincing.
posted by unicorn chaser at 5:06 AM on February 11, 2022
Quoted for emphasis because I found this brief appearance of Ahsoka SO confusing and at odds with my understanding of her character. At the same time, I liked the presentation of her as guide and advisor to both Mando and Luke.
Also, am I mistaken or is this the first time we see her interacting with Luke? They seemed to be quite casual with each other. I would imagine their meeting to be a much more emotional and impactful thing for both of them, despite the fact that Luke is all 'Emotions are for losers' now. I mean, she had such a strong connection with Anakin! They will probably flesh this out in the spin-off.
I did enjoy whatever sorcery they used to make young Luke, though. He was much more convincing.
posted by unicorn chaser at 5:06 AM on February 11, 2022
am I mistaken or is this the first time we see her interacting with Luke
You are not mistaken. Luke doesn't appear in any of the cartoon series (other than possibly a glimpse in the distance at the end of one Rebels episode), and he's only shown up in Mandalorian in these 2 episodes.
I really really would like to see Luke's first meeting with Ahsoka; by rights it should be before RotJ, unless she really did never come back to the Rebellion after Ezra pulled her forward in time. But I guess that's what fanfic is for...
posted by suelac at 8:03 AM on February 11, 2022
You are not mistaken. Luke doesn't appear in any of the cartoon series (other than possibly a glimpse in the distance at the end of one Rebels episode), and he's only shown up in Mandalorian in these 2 episodes.
I really really would like to see Luke's first meeting with Ahsoka; by rights it should be before RotJ, unless she really did never come back to the Rebellion after Ezra pulled her forward in time. But I guess that's what fanfic is for...
posted by suelac at 8:03 AM on February 11, 2022
I have many thoughts on this episode, but want I most want to say is:
Wow, Jedi suck.
posted by kyrademon at 7:16 AM on February 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Wow, Jedi suck.
posted by kyrademon at 7:16 AM on February 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Perhaps CG Luke will realize he's actually the asshole when 20 years from this episode Darth Emo goes nuts and murders all the Jedi trainees. Luke's going to feel really bad when little Grogu gets slaughtered because he doesn't have any Beskar chain armor to protect him.
posted by Nelson at 10:12 PM on February 22, 2022
posted by Nelson at 10:12 PM on February 22, 2022
I would love for all future Star Wars series to have a line about "stopping at Tattooine" and then everyone groans and makes yuck faces and decides on a different course.
On second thought, let’s not go to Tatooine. It is a silly place.
posted by Naberius at 7:56 PM on March 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
On second thought, let’s not go to Tatooine. It is a silly place.
posted by Naberius at 7:56 PM on March 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
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posted by Gary at 1:17 AM on February 2, 2022 [6 favorites]