The Mandalorian: Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore
March 8, 2023 1:17 AM - Season 3, Episode 2 - Subscribe
The Mandalorian and Grogu explore the ruins of a destroyed planet.
Much better episode. I like that this show tends to be on the lighter side—or maybe I'm just saying that because I finished Clone Wars again last night, and followed it up with the latest Batch as a chaser <:(
Predictions:
1- Bo+Din
2- The season is about how they unite the Mandalorians after some Imperial-Remnanty-types show up to take Grogu or like sample the mythosaur's genetic material or something. The Mandos then kick some serious Imperial ass. It's too perfect symbolically: by its actions, the Empire awoke the mythosaur, which is the Mandalorian spirit.
There just doesn't feel like there's any urgency, or any external threat, as there was in S1 and S2.
I guess they thought the pirates might be that? But yes, right now there's only an implication that Imperial-Remnant-types are still after them.
I mean, one thing I've always appreciated about this show (and BoBF for that matter) is the leisurely pacing—it's reminiscent of ANH, and of Westerns. But after this one, a bigger bad needs to come in, or it maybe becomes too much of a "hang-out show."
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:00 AM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
Predictions:
1- Bo+Din
2- The season is about how they unite the Mandalorians after some Imperial-Remnanty-types show up to take Grogu or like sample the mythosaur's genetic material or something. The Mandos then kick some serious Imperial ass. It's too perfect symbolically: by its actions, the Empire awoke the mythosaur, which is the Mandalorian spirit.
There just doesn't feel like there's any urgency, or any external threat, as there was in S1 and S2.
I guess they thought the pirates might be that? But yes, right now there's only an implication that Imperial-Remnant-types are still after them.
I mean, one thing I've always appreciated about this show (and BoBF for that matter) is the leisurely pacing—it's reminiscent of ANH, and of Westerns. But after this one, a bigger bad needs to come in, or it maybe becomes too much of a "hang-out show."
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:00 AM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
This episode had a lot more meat to it than last week. This is really the first episode of the new season.
I think the supposition that Imperial remnants will return is likely correct. After Mando got rid of Moff Gideon and messed up those plans, they might come looking for him.
The space pirates will probably come around again too.
There's lots of Mandalore stuff for SW geeks to geek about this week.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:29 AM on March 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
I think the supposition that Imperial remnants will return is likely correct. After Mando got rid of Moff Gideon and messed up those plans, they might come looking for him.
The space pirates will probably come around again too.
There's lots of Mandalore stuff for SW geeks to geek about this week.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:29 AM on March 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
Baby Yoda somersaults himself into the air and can pilot the ship himself?! Dang, baby. Now we just need to wait for him to say some intelligible words!
Glad Din gave up on the IG quest, because Scared Astro Mech Droid was comedy gold. "I thought you said it was built for adventure!"
Anyway, the baby was charming and superpowered, and I did enjoy Bo-Katan's return to the home planet. I guess everyone's cleansed now?
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:54 AM on March 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
Glad Din gave up on the IG quest, because Scared Astro Mech Droid was comedy gold. "I thought you said it was built for adventure!"
Anyway, the baby was charming and superpowered, and I did enjoy Bo-Katan's return to the home planet. I guess everyone's cleansed now?
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:54 AM on March 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
Baby Yoda can only fly through the air, we had R4 for the piloting! Don't discount that sweet cowardly barely functioning astromech!
If one thing is clear, they should have paired this episode with the first one as the premiere of Season 3. I think there would have been fewer complaints about the lack of substance in that initial episode.
As I began watching today's episode, it struck me that the first episode really was one more call to adventure for Din. Touching again on the armored knight element of the Mandalorians, the story of Din is really that of a knight-errant. Each season has been built around him being given a quest while fighting off the baddies. Not to mention, Lone Wolf and Cub, a traveling warrior with his son, also fighting/involved in small acts while fighting a bigger bad. So the setup for last week was in line with this, and the quest really wasn't about finding a memory stick for ol' IG-11, but it's about Mandalore. In agreement with Cheese, this season is definitely going to focus on who the Mandalore are, and who will they be going into the future. It's about uniting the factions under one banner, presumably, to re-establish the people and I'm guessing, fight the Empire to achieve the victory long sought by the people.
Baptism was a major element of this episode, not just Din's, but Bo-Katan's re-baptism. This episode really was more about reigniting that spark in Bo-Katan than Din getting his bath to appease the Armorer. I will be EXTREMELY pissed if after seeing the Mythosaur, she suddenly starts refusing to take her helmet off. But, yes, the fact that the Mythosaur is real, survives, is representative, I think, that Mandalore does survive and can be rebuilt/restored. I could be wrong, but I don't think we'll see it again.
We also have the very strong contrast of the two wielders of the Darksaber, alluding to its own Excalibur'ish qualities like a certain lightsaber. Din continued to struggle to lift it, while Bo-Katan, it's previous owner, provided a master class in its usage against the robot. I also loved the Jedi-like use of her grappling hook to bring it to her hands. The Darksaber is telling us that Bo-Katan is the rightful heir to Mandalore, as much as Excalibur being pulled from a stone told the same for Arthur. The real question will be how does the Dark Saber return to Bo-Katan outside of a confrontation with Din?
I did not expect Morlocks in my Star Wars.
I think some of Bo-Katan's knowledge drops were really for those fans who have not watched the Clone Wars. I was half expecting to hear the name Satine at some point. Her comment to Grogu about Din not being the only Mandalorian was odd, since Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians straight up rescued him last season. I don't really get the point of that line.
I definitely enjoyed this episode and it was fascinating to see Grogu's advancement under Luke's tutelage.
posted by Atreides at 8:26 AM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
If one thing is clear, they should have paired this episode with the first one as the premiere of Season 3. I think there would have been fewer complaints about the lack of substance in that initial episode.
As I began watching today's episode, it struck me that the first episode really was one more call to adventure for Din. Touching again on the armored knight element of the Mandalorians, the story of Din is really that of a knight-errant. Each season has been built around him being given a quest while fighting off the baddies. Not to mention, Lone Wolf and Cub, a traveling warrior with his son, also fighting/involved in small acts while fighting a bigger bad. So the setup for last week was in line with this, and the quest really wasn't about finding a memory stick for ol' IG-11, but it's about Mandalore. In agreement with Cheese, this season is definitely going to focus on who the Mandalore are, and who will they be going into the future. It's about uniting the factions under one banner, presumably, to re-establish the people and I'm guessing, fight the Empire to achieve the victory long sought by the people.
Baptism was a major element of this episode, not just Din's, but Bo-Katan's re-baptism. This episode really was more about reigniting that spark in Bo-Katan than Din getting his bath to appease the Armorer. I will be EXTREMELY pissed if after seeing the Mythosaur, she suddenly starts refusing to take her helmet off. But, yes, the fact that the Mythosaur is real, survives, is representative, I think, that Mandalore does survive and can be rebuilt/restored. I could be wrong, but I don't think we'll see it again.
We also have the very strong contrast of the two wielders of the Darksaber, alluding to its own Excalibur'ish qualities like a certain lightsaber. Din continued to struggle to lift it, while Bo-Katan, it's previous owner, provided a master class in its usage against the robot. I also loved the Jedi-like use of her grappling hook to bring it to her hands. The Darksaber is telling us that Bo-Katan is the rightful heir to Mandalore, as much as Excalibur being pulled from a stone told the same for Arthur. The real question will be how does the Dark Saber return to Bo-Katan outside of a confrontation with Din?
I did not expect Morlocks in my Star Wars.
I think some of Bo-Katan's knowledge drops were really for those fans who have not watched the Clone Wars. I was half expecting to hear the name Satine at some point. Her comment to Grogu about Din not being the only Mandalorian was odd, since Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians straight up rescued him last season. I don't really get the point of that line.
I definitely enjoyed this episode and it was fascinating to see Grogu's advancement under Luke's tutelage.
posted by Atreides at 8:26 AM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
we had R4 for the piloting! Don't discount that sweet cowardly barely functioning astromech
You beat me to it. For Baby Yoda, it seemed about as complicated as piloting an elevator. It’s the same way R2D2 calculates a trajectory to blow up the Death Star and Luke closes his eyes and says he’s a space wizard.
posted by Gary at 8:38 AM on March 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
You beat me to it. For Baby Yoda, it seemed about as complicated as piloting an elevator. It’s the same way R2D2 calculates a trajectory to blow up the Death Star and Luke closes his eyes and says he’s a space wizard.
posted by Gary at 8:38 AM on March 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm confused on SW piloting. So the droid was doing all the work at it? Did Baby Yoda have to do anything besides hop in? Does Mando do anything when he's behind the wheel either?
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:53 AM on March 8, 2023
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:53 AM on March 8, 2023
"The real question will be how does the Dark Saber return to Bo-Katan outside of a confrontation with Din?"
The answer to that is in Star Wars Rebels, which was very enjoyable and worth watching if you haven't yet.
posted by idb at 9:18 AM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
The answer to that is in Star Wars Rebels, which was very enjoyable and worth watching if you haven't yet.
posted by idb at 9:18 AM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
You have to purify yourself in the waters of lake mine-tonka.
posted by snofoam at 9:25 AM on March 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 9:25 AM on March 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
Does Mando do anything when he's behind the wheel either?
He distrusts droids but it's not clear how much is handled by the ship's computer. I think it's fair to say Star Wars piloting is mostly determined by what would look cool.
posted by Gary at 9:59 AM on March 8, 2023 [7 favorites]
He distrusts droids but it's not clear how much is handled by the ship's computer. I think it's fair to say Star Wars piloting is mostly determined by what would look cool.
posted by Gary at 9:59 AM on March 8, 2023 [7 favorites]
I'm confused on SW piloting. So the droid was doing all the work at it? Did Baby Yoda have to do anything besides hop in? Does Mando do anything when he's behind the wheel either?
Presumably, the N-1 has a built in navigation computer for the hyperspace jumps (just like an A-Wing) calculating the jump, handling the ship while in hyperspace, but Din does the flying for everything else. I'm guessing the writers probably approached the inclusion of R4 when thinking about "Grogu needs to go get Bo-Katan! But he can't fly!"
Thus, we get the seen with Peli Motto pushing R4 and saying how he can fly the N-1 (in addition to his other wonderful attributes). We also get the scene with Mando explaining the map so Grogu can point to the right moon for R4 to navigate to.
I'm guessing when Mando is behind the wheel, he still does all the flying.
The answer to that is in Star Wars Rebels, which was very enjoyable and worth watching if you haven't yet.
But it isn't, that's the problem. Wasn't Bo-Katan's whole issue with the Darksaber last season something along the lines that since she did not win it in combat from Sabine Wren, then her possession of the sword was invalid? She has to come of it through combat to be its legitimate owner.
As a trivia point aside, since they don't post episode guides very often these days, Peli references Boonta Eve. The pod race that Anakin Skywalker wins in The Phantom Menace is the Boonta Eve Classic. There may have been a nod this with the two speeders racing each other on the approach to Mos Eisley.
And also, THERE WAS A HISTORY MARKER AT THE LIVING WATERS. It's like going to Bethlehem and reading off a "this place is important" marker regarding the birth of Jesus. Heh. And of course, then diving into a cavernous lake and discovering a giant sleeping baby Jesus.
posted by Atreides at 10:38 AM on March 8, 2023 [10 favorites]
Presumably, the N-1 has a built in navigation computer for the hyperspace jumps (just like an A-Wing) calculating the jump, handling the ship while in hyperspace, but Din does the flying for everything else. I'm guessing the writers probably approached the inclusion of R4 when thinking about "Grogu needs to go get Bo-Katan! But he can't fly!"
Thus, we get the seen with Peli Motto pushing R4 and saying how he can fly the N-1 (in addition to his other wonderful attributes). We also get the scene with Mando explaining the map so Grogu can point to the right moon for R4 to navigate to.
I'm guessing when Mando is behind the wheel, he still does all the flying.
The answer to that is in Star Wars Rebels, which was very enjoyable and worth watching if you haven't yet.
But it isn't, that's the problem. Wasn't Bo-Katan's whole issue with the Darksaber last season something along the lines that since she did not win it in combat from Sabine Wren, then her possession of the sword was invalid? She has to come of it through combat to be its legitimate owner.
As a trivia point aside, since they don't post episode guides very often these days, Peli references Boonta Eve. The pod race that Anakin Skywalker wins in The Phantom Menace is the Boonta Eve Classic. There may have been a nod this with the two speeders racing each other on the approach to Mos Eisley.
And also, THERE WAS A HISTORY MARKER AT THE LIVING WATERS. It's like going to Bethlehem and reading off a "this place is important" marker regarding the birth of Jesus. Heh. And of course, then diving into a cavernous lake and discovering a giant sleeping baby Jesus.
posted by Atreides at 10:38 AM on March 8, 2023 [10 favorites]
Re: darksaber: in a way Mando had already lost it to the tiny guy in the multiple robot bodies, and she beat that guy in combat. But then Mando took it back.
posted by snofoam at 4:16 PM on March 8, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 4:16 PM on March 8, 2023 [9 favorites]
BK seems to think Din is a bit of a dimwit who has to be supervised to keep from hurting himself. Based on his performance this episode I can’t disagree. How did he end up at the bottom of that pool? He should have just lost his footing and got a bunch of water up his nose. The mythosaur looks like it’s already sick of everyone’s nonsense and it is now my favorite character.
posted by orrnyereg at 4:26 PM on March 8, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by orrnyereg at 4:26 PM on March 8, 2023 [10 favorites]
Baby Yoda somersaults himself into the air and can pilot the ship himself?!
Yeah, R5-D4 is really overlooked in this view. I guess I didn’t expect Fanfare to be so anti-droidist.
So as everyone reading this far probably knows, R5-D4 (“Yeah, we’ll take that red one,”) was the first choice for Uncle Owen and his ninety seconds or so of screen time launched an arc that means he is still a secondary character in the franchise nearly half a century on.
I wonder if in 1977 a sixteen-year-old Amy Sedaris saw Star Wars with no clue she’d someday share a bunch of scenes in a future Star War with that red one.
And snofoam beat me to it: Bo Katan definitely defeated the previous holder in combat (even if that holder acquired it by ambush and treachery).
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:00 PM on March 8, 2023 [9 favorites]
Yeah, R5-D4 is really overlooked in this view. I guess I didn’t expect Fanfare to be so anti-droidist.
So as everyone reading this far probably knows, R5-D4 (“Yeah, we’ll take that red one,”) was the first choice for Uncle Owen and his ninety seconds or so of screen time launched an arc that means he is still a secondary character in the franchise nearly half a century on.
I wonder if in 1977 a sixteen-year-old Amy Sedaris saw Star Wars with no clue she’d someday share a bunch of scenes in a future Star War with that red one.
And snofoam beat me to it: Bo Katan definitely defeated the previous holder in combat (even if that holder acquired it by ambush and treachery).
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:00 PM on March 8, 2023 [9 favorites]
I enjoyed the play with scale* and verticality. I really dug that for a deep mining culture, of course their public buildings would be underground. Why not use all that space.
The surface of Mandalore was certainly underwhelming given the hype, but Bo Katan already told us.
Oh shoot, the ravaging of Mandalore was within Bo Katan's personal memory as a young princess? Damn, I'd be sulky too.
*As soon as it was revealed that the giant bug was biomechanical, I called that there'd be an ultimate tiny little pilot. Exosuits all the way down.
posted by porpoise at 6:12 PM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
The surface of Mandalore was certainly underwhelming given the hype, but Bo Katan already told us.
Oh shoot, the ravaging of Mandalore was within Bo Katan's personal memory as a young princess? Damn, I'd be sulky too.
*As soon as it was revealed that the giant bug was biomechanical, I called that there'd be an ultimate tiny little pilot. Exosuits all the way down.
posted by porpoise at 6:12 PM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
This episode was more like it! I enjoyed the Shelob-bot piloted by droid Gollum.
posted by rodlymight at 6:51 PM on March 8, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by rodlymight at 6:51 PM on March 8, 2023 [5 favorites]
Oh shoot, the ravaging of Mandalore was within Bo Katan's personal memory as a young princess? Damn, I'd be sulky too.
As she said, it wasn’t even that long ago. Mandalore was glassed sometime during the period covered by the original trilogy so it’s only been about 10-12 years. And Bo’Katan is a lot older than she looks — she’s the same age as Anakin Skywalker give or take.
FWIW anyone wanting more Mandalore, uh, lore might want to watch the Mandalore episodes from the Clone Wars and Rebels. (I’d watch all of Rebels as the story will carryover into Ahsoka, plus you don’t want to miss any dialog from the filthy-mouthed murder-droid.)
posted by nathan_teske at 7:18 PM on March 8, 2023 [5 favorites]
As she said, it wasn’t even that long ago. Mandalore was glassed sometime during the period covered by the original trilogy so it’s only been about 10-12 years. And Bo’Katan is a lot older than she looks — she’s the same age as Anakin Skywalker give or take.
FWIW anyone wanting more Mandalore, uh, lore might want to watch the Mandalore episodes from the Clone Wars and Rebels. (I’d watch all of Rebels as the story will carryover into Ahsoka, plus you don’t want to miss any dialog from the filthy-mouthed murder-droid.)
posted by nathan_teske at 7:18 PM on March 8, 2023 [5 favorites]
Metafilter: Star Wars piloting is mostly determined by what would look cool.
posted by sammyo at 8:18 PM on March 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by sammyo at 8:18 PM on March 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
This is really the first episode of the new season.
AKA the fifth episode if you count the crossover episodes 5-7 of Boba Fett, which I only belatedly realized were essentially season 2.5 of The Mandalorian.
posted by fairmettle at 8:30 PM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
AKA the fifth episode if you count the crossover episodes 5-7 of Boba Fett, which I only belatedly realized were essentially season 2.5 of The Mandalorian.
posted by fairmettle at 8:30 PM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
And Bo’Katan is a lot older than she looks — she’s the same age as Anakin Skywalker give or take.
For what it’s worth — and I am not geeky enough to know all this, so a few minutes on Wookieepedia brings us this — we are in about 9 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin) in the show right now. The Purge of Mandalore was in 2 BBY, and Anakin went into the armour in 19 BBY. He was canonically born in 41 BBY, so offscreen somewhere he is about fifty.
In real world terms, Hayden Christensen would have been about 20 when he filmed Return of the Sith, when Anakin was about 22. If Bo-Katan is meant to be the same age — ~50 — as Anakin, it is basically plausible (Katee Sackhoff will turn 43 in a couple of weeks).
And although it doesn’t tell us much with various things shot at different times and at different points in the chronology, Sackhoff is pretty close to the same age as Christensen: almost exactly a year his senior.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:44 PM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
For what it’s worth — and I am not geeky enough to know all this, so a few minutes on Wookieepedia brings us this — we are in about 9 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin) in the show right now. The Purge of Mandalore was in 2 BBY, and Anakin went into the armour in 19 BBY. He was canonically born in 41 BBY, so offscreen somewhere he is about fifty.
In real world terms, Hayden Christensen would have been about 20 when he filmed Return of the Sith, when Anakin was about 22. If Bo-Katan is meant to be the same age — ~50 — as Anakin, it is basically plausible (Katee Sackhoff will turn 43 in a couple of weeks).
And although it doesn’t tell us much with various things shot at different times and at different points in the chronology, Sackhoff is pretty close to the same age as Christensen: almost exactly a year his senior.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:44 PM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
Based on what we saw in The Clone Wars, I would put Bo-Katan as being a bit older than Anakin, assuming that Satine (her sister) is about Obi-Wan's age. But yeah, she's probably in her early 50s at this point.
I thought the writing was clunky but I liked the implication that Bo-Katan is just bored. She doesn't much like Din, because she thinks he's kind of a brainwashed simpleton; on the other hand, she didn't pause for a minute when she realized he needed help.
Bo-Katan needs a fucking job. And the Mythosaur just gave her one, I suspect.
posted by suelac at 8:58 PM on March 8, 2023 [10 favorites]
I thought the writing was clunky but I liked the implication that Bo-Katan is just bored. She doesn't much like Din, because she thinks he's kind of a brainwashed simpleton; on the other hand, she didn't pause for a minute when she realized he needed help.
Bo-Katan needs a fucking job. And the Mythosaur just gave her one, I suspect.
posted by suelac at 8:58 PM on March 8, 2023 [10 favorites]
Every darn time something cool happens and it's like "well you have to watch Clone Wars" but I've tried so many times and I hate hate HATE the stilted animation and can't stand it
... Maybe Disney will do a live action version soon.
posted by The otter lady at 10:19 PM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
... Maybe Disney will do a live action version soon.
posted by The otter lady at 10:19 PM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Nothing that happens is actually bad, but it just seems to be missing tension. There's no big baddie, no moral dilemma like whether Din Djarin needs to surrender Grogu.
The overarching plot so far is about Din getting back into his cult, but he's never really seemed happy there, and he has several alternatives like becoming Marshal or joining Bo Katan.
If there'd been some kind of emotional scene with the Children of the Watch that gave me more of reason to be there, it might be more effective. Maybe a cute kid who misses him: "Are you back now, Uncle Din?" But it's hard to really root for Din Djarin when all he's trying to do is get back to a dysfunctional community where he seems to be pretty miserable.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:01 AM on March 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
The overarching plot so far is about Din getting back into his cult, but he's never really seemed happy there, and he has several alternatives like becoming Marshal or joining Bo Katan.
If there'd been some kind of emotional scene with the Children of the Watch that gave me more of reason to be there, it might be more effective. Maybe a cute kid who misses him: "Are you back now, Uncle Din?" But it's hard to really root for Din Djarin when all he's trying to do is get back to a dysfunctional community where he seems to be pretty miserable.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:01 AM on March 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
I've generally been quite down on the whole Mandalorian politics/history angle of this show, I find it plodding and depressing, but for the first time I saw glimmers of hope. Yes, the story was like watching someone play Metroid, as The Verge put it, but it was cool to see the ruined world and I was touched by the dynamic of the naive Din thawing Bo Katan's understandably-bitter heart.
posted by adrianhon at 1:08 AM on March 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by adrianhon at 1:08 AM on March 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm confused on SW piloting. So the droid was doing all the work at it? Did Baby Yoda have to do anything besides hop in? Does Mando do anything when he's behind the wheel either?
Din does all the driving at sublight speeds. The droid can pilot the ship if needed, because it's plugged into the ship's systems. Astromech droids can make calculations, fly the ship, make repairs, they're sort of a Swiss Army knife.
The droid also makes calculations for hyperspace travel, which doesn't require constant input. It's more of a point-to-point thing. The idea was, as Han Solo put it "Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?" The calculations are to make sure the route doesn't collide with anything big, because there's no changing the route while in hyperspace. (all of this ignores the godawful last sequel movie and its "hyperspace skipping" crap that JJ Abrams did because he thought it was cool)
However, all of the above pretty much does what the plot needs. Don't expect future consistency.
To answer your first question: No, Baby Yoda just pointed at the screen. When they were landing, Din pointed out which planet Bo Katan was on, and BY just pointed at the same planet. R5 did the rest.
Every darn time something cool happens and it's like "well you have to watch Clone Wars" but I've tried so many times and I hate hate HATE the stilted animation and can't stand it
I know what you mean. The character design is weird and angular, too. I gave it the ol' college try and I just can't with Clone Wars.
I did really enjoy Rebels. It's like a love letter to all of the original Ralph McQuarrie concept art, and that pushes my buttons.
posted by Fleebnork at 4:58 AM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Din does all the driving at sublight speeds. The droid can pilot the ship if needed, because it's plugged into the ship's systems. Astromech droids can make calculations, fly the ship, make repairs, they're sort of a Swiss Army knife.
The droid also makes calculations for hyperspace travel, which doesn't require constant input. It's more of a point-to-point thing. The idea was, as Han Solo put it "Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?" The calculations are to make sure the route doesn't collide with anything big, because there's no changing the route while in hyperspace. (all of this ignores the godawful last sequel movie and its "hyperspace skipping" crap that JJ Abrams did because he thought it was cool)
However, all of the above pretty much does what the plot needs. Don't expect future consistency.
To answer your first question: No, Baby Yoda just pointed at the screen. When they were landing, Din pointed out which planet Bo Katan was on, and BY just pointed at the same planet. R5 did the rest.
Every darn time something cool happens and it's like "well you have to watch Clone Wars" but I've tried so many times and I hate hate HATE the stilted animation and can't stand it
I know what you mean. The character design is weird and angular, too. I gave it the ol' college try and I just can't with Clone Wars.
I did really enjoy Rebels. It's like a love letter to all of the original Ralph McQuarrie concept art, and that pushes my buttons.
posted by Fleebnork at 4:58 AM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Re: SW piloting, remember that Obi-Wan said "Flying is for droids" in the prequels. COMBAT flying is another matter, which to me implied here that Grogu was taking a big risk and he knew it: R5 can get him from point A to B if everything goes smoothly, but any kind of issue arises and you'll miss having a living pilot.
Every darn time something cool happens and it's like "well you have to watch Clone Wars" but I've tried so many times and I hate hate HATE the stilted animation and can't stand it
I did too, but I got about 70% over it once I learned (from Wookieepedia) that it was a deliberate choice intended to emulate "1960s-era puppets-in-space serials such as Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds." It's a…strange choice, but a charmingly strange one, IMO.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 6:00 AM on March 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Every darn time something cool happens and it's like "well you have to watch Clone Wars" but I've tried so many times and I hate hate HATE the stilted animation and can't stand it
I did too, but I got about 70% over it once I learned (from Wookieepedia) that it was a deliberate choice intended to emulate "1960s-era puppets-in-space serials such as Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds." It's a…strange choice, but a charmingly strange one, IMO.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 6:00 AM on March 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
The Clone Wars animation definitely gets better as the show goes on, for what it's worth. Maybe try watching the final season which has some great episodes, especially the last one. And the animation in The Bad Batch (Clone Wars spin-off) is honestly amazing.
I was touched by the dynamic of the naive Din thawing Bo Katan's understandably-bitter heart.
I'm hoping the character-development will go both ways - Din will reinspire Bo-Katan to persist with her plan to unite the Mandalorians/reclaim Mandalore, and Bo-Katan will show Din that there's more to being a Mandalorian than following an obscure cult and keeping your helmet on all the time.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:34 AM on March 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
I was touched by the dynamic of the naive Din thawing Bo Katan's understandably-bitter heart.
I'm hoping the character-development will go both ways - Din will reinspire Bo-Katan to persist with her plan to unite the Mandalorians/reclaim Mandalore, and Bo-Katan will show Din that there's more to being a Mandalorian than following an obscure cult and keeping your helmet on all the time.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:34 AM on March 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
Also I need to rewatch to check, but was the cyborg guy's mech suit a repurposed Separatist Crab Droid? Either way he was one of the best incidental enemies they've had - unique, creepy, and no unnecessary Easter Eggs (unless next episode they find out it was General Greivous's brother).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:43 AM on March 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:43 AM on March 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
This felt like a better episode so I hope things continue on that trajectory. I tend to give a show like this a lot of leeway when it comes to logistics and I'll allow a lot of handwaving. Even so, this season keeps making me question things and take me out of the flow.
As noted above, he makes a big deal about having a droid for atmospheric readings, but that takes about two seconds and he could have done it with a sensor with his helmet pressurized. He takes no further readings once inside the caves. He really wants IG-11 back, which does make sense, because IG-11 is also a good fighter and general purpose droid (and his friend/a droid he trusts). He finds out he can't get IG-11 back specifically, so settles for a droid clearly not "built for adventure." At that point couldn't he have gone to Droid Depot and picked up a droid somewhat closer to IG-11? Then we see we needed that droid to set up the other plot elements, so fine.
Once on Mandalore, he has a lot more trouble fighting off a bunch of cave people than he should. Once he gets down into the cave, the episode felt a lot better to me! The cyborg bug was unique, terrifying and clearly had a system.
posted by mikepop at 6:54 AM on March 9, 2023
As noted above, he makes a big deal about having a droid for atmospheric readings, but that takes about two seconds and he could have done it with a sensor with his helmet pressurized. He takes no further readings once inside the caves. He really wants IG-11 back, which does make sense, because IG-11 is also a good fighter and general purpose droid (and his friend/a droid he trusts). He finds out he can't get IG-11 back specifically, so settles for a droid clearly not "built for adventure." At that point couldn't he have gone to Droid Depot and picked up a droid somewhat closer to IG-11? Then we see we needed that droid to set up the other plot elements, so fine.
Once on Mandalore, he has a lot more trouble fighting off a bunch of cave people than he should. Once he gets down into the cave, the episode felt a lot better to me! The cyborg bug was unique, terrifying and clearly had a system.
posted by mikepop at 6:54 AM on March 9, 2023
The animation in Clone Wars scales up pretty quickly, granted, I generally liked it from the beginning. Amusingly, it's really just walking where sometimes it feels off. You'll see some amazing lightsaber duel acrobatics and go, "Wow!" and then someone walks away, and you're like, "Okay." Here is a good list of the episodes to watch if you just want to learn more about Mandalore's history.
This link has recommended episodes of Rebels for both the Ahsoka show and for the Mandalorian content for this show.
That said, none of this should be required viewing for people to sit down and enjoy this show. If it feels that way, the show is failing in that regard. I see it as a reason we do get these exposition dumps like Bo-Katan explaining her past. One note, the capital city of Mandalore was not a city built underground, it was actually a surface city covered by a giant dome (because the Mandalorians had already jacked up their planet with constant warfare so it was basically a wasteland outside). The state of the city now is indicative of how hard the Empire came down on the planet and the people.
Okay, y'all got me on the Bo-Katan actually won the Darksaber back in that fight with the biodroidthingy bandwagon. I'm running with that position going forward.
Also I need to rewatch to check, but was the cyborg guy's mech suit a repurposed Separatist Crab Droid? Either way he was one of the best incidental enemies they've had - unique, creepy, and no unnecessary Easter Eggs (unless next episode they find out it was General Greivous's brother).
I think that's a really good guess. Great eye! There was some Grievous level wheezing for some of that fight, but since Grievous was a little more ... mass? ..than that guy, I'll go with his neighbor, not a brother resurrected to join his cyborg family member in a mission of revenge on Mandalore...oops. Heh.
If there'd been some kind of emotional scene with the Children of the Watch that gave me more of reason to be there, it might be more effective. Maybe a cute kid who misses him: "Are you back now, Uncle Din?" But it's hard to really root for Din Djarin when all he's trying to do is get back to a dysfunctional community where he seems to be pretty miserable.
I think this is going to be a focal point for later in the season. There's going to be a conflict where Din will have to choose between Grogu and the Children, and well, we know how that'll go.
I forgot, someone earlier had mentioned the pirates and wondered if they'd be back. In one of the teasers, you do see Mandalorians fighting the pirates in the streets of Navarro...so that's a yep!
posted by Atreides at 6:55 AM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
This link has recommended episodes of Rebels for both the Ahsoka show and for the Mandalorian content for this show.
That said, none of this should be required viewing for people to sit down and enjoy this show. If it feels that way, the show is failing in that regard. I see it as a reason we do get these exposition dumps like Bo-Katan explaining her past. One note, the capital city of Mandalore was not a city built underground, it was actually a surface city covered by a giant dome (because the Mandalorians had already jacked up their planet with constant warfare so it was basically a wasteland outside). The state of the city now is indicative of how hard the Empire came down on the planet and the people.
Okay, y'all got me on the Bo-Katan actually won the Darksaber back in that fight with the biodroidthingy bandwagon. I'm running with that position going forward.
Also I need to rewatch to check, but was the cyborg guy's mech suit a repurposed Separatist Crab Droid? Either way he was one of the best incidental enemies they've had - unique, creepy, and no unnecessary Easter Eggs (unless next episode they find out it was General Greivous's brother).
I think that's a really good guess. Great eye! There was some Grievous level wheezing for some of that fight, but since Grievous was a little more ... mass? ..than that guy, I'll go with his neighbor, not a brother resurrected to join his cyborg family member in a mission of revenge on Mandalore...oops. Heh.
If there'd been some kind of emotional scene with the Children of the Watch that gave me more of reason to be there, it might be more effective. Maybe a cute kid who misses him: "Are you back now, Uncle Din?" But it's hard to really root for Din Djarin when all he's trying to do is get back to a dysfunctional community where he seems to be pretty miserable.
I think this is going to be a focal point for later in the season. There's going to be a conflict where Din will have to choose between Grogu and the Children, and well, we know how that'll go.
I forgot, someone earlier had mentioned the pirates and wondered if they'd be back. In one of the teasers, you do see Mandalorians fighting the pirates in the streets of Navarro...so that's a yep!
posted by Atreides at 6:55 AM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think this is going to be a focal point for later in the season. There's going to be a conflict where Din will have to choose between Grogu and the Children, and well, we know how that'll go.
Yeah, this is where we're going. Grogu had to choose between the Jedi and Din, and now Din will have to choose between the Children and Grogu.
posted by briank at 8:01 AM on March 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
Yeah, this is where we're going. Grogu had to choose between the Jedi and Din, and now Din will have to choose between the Children and Grogu.
posted by briank at 8:01 AM on March 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
Also I need to rewatch to check, but was the cyborg guy's mech suit a repurposed Separatist Crab Droid?
It doesn't really look like that, aside from being generally crab-shaped.
posted by Fleebnork at 8:30 AM on March 9, 2023
It doesn't really look like that, aside from being generally crab-shaped.
posted by Fleebnork at 8:30 AM on March 9, 2023
I'm not steeped in this part of Star Wars lore like most of y'all are. To me this episode just seemed profoundly silly, like self-parody silly. Still entertaining but hoo-boy not wort thinking carefully about. From the basic inconsistencies like "why did he need IG-11 again?" to the large structure of "set up epic symbolic quest. then achieve it in most direct way possible".. it's all just a foil for the light entertainment. Like the production design on the scavenger crab thing. That was great.
How did he end up at the bottom of that pool?
Going swimming while wearing a full suit of metal armor turns out to be a bad idea. What I didn't understand is why he didn't turn on his magic underwater fire rocket like Boca Tan did.
Also: what is it with Mandalorians and sacred waters that have giant sea monsters inside them? Not once but twice this season? Seems awkward.
posted by Nelson at 8:42 AM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
How did he end up at the bottom of that pool?
Going swimming while wearing a full suit of metal armor turns out to be a bad idea. What I didn't understand is why he didn't turn on his magic underwater fire rocket like Boca Tan did.
Also: what is it with Mandalorians and sacred waters that have giant sea monsters inside them? Not once but twice this season? Seems awkward.
posted by Nelson at 8:42 AM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
The one kind of mildly annoying problem with watching all the various SW shows is keeping track of which ones take place when - Clone Wars (22-19 BBY), The Bad Batch (~19 BBY), Kenobi (9 BBY), Andor (5 BBY), Rebels (also 5 BBY) and BoBF/Mando (9 ABY). "So, wait, is this an Trade Federation / Galactic Republic story, a Rebel Alliance / Empire story, or a New Republic / post-Empire story? Which Famous Characters should I expect a guest appearance from? What parts of the storyline have been established already and which ones are we establishing right now on screen?!??!"
You get used to it eventually, but there is a bit of timeframe whiplash even in the currently airing shows.
posted by Kyol at 8:45 AM on March 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
You get used to it eventually, but there is a bit of timeframe whiplash even in the currently airing shows.
posted by Kyol at 8:45 AM on March 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
I really wish that after Andor (and Jedi: Survivor) that they concentrate on just New Republic and High Republic material for a while.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:17 AM on March 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:17 AM on March 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Also: what is it with Mandalorians and sacred waters that have giant sea monsters inside them? Not once but twice this season? Seems awkward.
Every large body of water in Star Wars has megafauna:
Death Star trash compactor
Dagobah swamp
Naboo ocean (multiple)
Ice planet at the start of Mandalorian S01E01
Mandalore cave lakes
Ocean on the moon of Trask (Mandalorian S02E03) in the fishing trawler's tank
Giant tortoise-crocodile in Mandalorian S03E01
I don't remember anything on Kamino but maybe there was something in Clone Wars
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:20 AM on March 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Every large body of water in Star Wars has megafauna:
Death Star trash compactor
Dagobah swamp
Naboo ocean (multiple)
Ice planet at the start of Mandalorian S01E01
Mandalore cave lakes
Ocean on the moon of Trask (Mandalorian S02E03) in the fishing trawler's tank
Giant tortoise-crocodile in Mandalorian S03E01
I don't remember anything on Kamino but maybe there was something in Clone Wars
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:20 AM on March 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
There's also some monster in the water on Dathomir in the Asajj Ventress/Quinlan Vos book Dark Disciple. Jaws must have made a big impression on George Lucas or somebody.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:27 AM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:27 AM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I almost couldn’t believe he fell just because he stepped off a ledge in the water. Extremely foolish! I suppose I can give it a pass because he was so tired and emotional at the time.
I cannot give the IG-11 nonsense a pass, however. I’m hoping there was some production snafu that led them to that path but that makes little sense in such a digital production.
posted by adrianhon at 11:05 AM on March 9, 2023
I cannot give the IG-11 nonsense a pass, however. I’m hoping there was some production snafu that led them to that path but that makes little sense in such a digital production.
posted by adrianhon at 11:05 AM on March 9, 2023
Going swimming while wearing a full suit of metal armor turns out to be a bad idea. What I didn't understand is why he didn't turn on his magic underwater fire rocket like Boca Tan did.
He removed his rocket before entering the waters. I do agree you’ll sink pretty fast if you go swimming in a suit of armor but it looked like he was grabbed, not like he slipped.
Yeah, this show is on a wrong path, it’s trying to expand its scope but the stories have the same structure where 2-3 characters make everything happen and it feels wrong. Worked better when it was just Din doing some bounties.
I still show up for baby yoda though.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 11:43 AM on March 9, 2023
He removed his rocket before entering the waters. I do agree you’ll sink pretty fast if you go swimming in a suit of armor but it looked like he was grabbed, not like he slipped.
Yeah, this show is on a wrong path, it’s trying to expand its scope but the stories have the same structure where 2-3 characters make everything happen and it feels wrong. Worked better when it was just Din doing some bounties.
I still show up for baby yoda though.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 11:43 AM on March 9, 2023
Well ... I guess this was better than episode one, mostly because of the lack of space pirates unironically saying "avast!"
It still sounded like all the dialogue was badly translated from the original Mandalorian.
posted by kyrademon at 2:02 PM on March 9, 2023
It still sounded like all the dialogue was badly translated from the original Mandalorian.
posted by kyrademon at 2:02 PM on March 9, 2023
I'm not steeped in this part of Star Wars lore like most of y'all are. To me this episode just seemed profoundly silly, like self-parody silly. Still entertaining but hoo-boy not wort thinking carefully about. From the basic inconsistencies like "why did he need IG-11 again?" to the large structure of "set up epic symbolic quest. then achieve it in most direct way possible".. it's all just a foil for the light entertainment. Like the production design on the scavenger crab thing. That was great.
That’s kind of the whole show, though. Remember how IG11 died? Blew himself up because there were 6 guys, after they just killed like 100 guys? Remember how Din had to take off his helmet to use a computer? What did it scan him for? Just confirming that he actually had a face?
posted by rodlymight at 2:37 PM on March 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
That’s kind of the whole show, though. Remember how IG11 died? Blew himself up because there were 6 guys, after they just killed like 100 guys? Remember how Din had to take off his helmet to use a computer? What did it scan him for? Just confirming that he actually had a face?
posted by rodlymight at 2:37 PM on March 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
I don't want to have to watch Clone Wars or Rebels to understand or appreciate this show.
Both of these episodes were exposition heavy, which is the problem with a show where there's a guy in a helmet and a kid who can't talk. Even with Bo there, there was a lot of talk of the history of Mandalore, just to catch us up - it wasn't done very elegantly.
I enjoyed the first two seasons because there was a clear arc, each episode was relatively low stakes/straightforward but had forward momentum. I'm still not sure what we're supposed to care about this season. Din wanted to swim in the waters of the mines and now there's a beast there. Okay, very Star Wars but so what?
posted by crossoverman at 3:37 PM on March 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Both of these episodes were exposition heavy, which is the problem with a show where there's a guy in a helmet and a kid who can't talk. Even with Bo there, there was a lot of talk of the history of Mandalore, just to catch us up - it wasn't done very elegantly.
I enjoyed the first two seasons because there was a clear arc, each episode was relatively low stakes/straightforward but had forward momentum. I'm still not sure what we're supposed to care about this season. Din wanted to swim in the waters of the mines and now there's a beast there. Okay, very Star Wars but so what?
posted by crossoverman at 3:37 PM on March 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Nothing that happens is actually bad, but it just seems to be missing tension. There's no big baddie, no moral dilemma like whether Din Djarin needs to surrender Grogu.
Yeah, I found a phrase from an earlier fanfare ("And now it's just Jon Favreau playing with his action figures again") camped out in my head for a lot of this episode.
Even at this level there are worse way to spend a short hour, but it's way below it's potential right now.
posted by mark k at 4:02 PM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I found a phrase from an earlier fanfare ("And now it's just Jon Favreau playing with his action figures again") camped out in my head for a lot of this episode.
Even at this level there are worse way to spend a short hour, but it's way below it's potential right now.
posted by mark k at 4:02 PM on March 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Once on Mandalore, he has a lot more trouble fighting off a bunch of cave people than he should.
We’ve previously established (in this show as well as some animated thing somewhere) that the Darksaber is light or heavy depending on how well one is attuned to it. Watch Din barely able to hoist the thing from scraping along the floor and watch Bo Katan basically fencing with it later.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:33 PM on March 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
We’ve previously established (in this show as well as some animated thing somewhere) that the Darksaber is light or heavy depending on how well one is attuned to it. Watch Din barely able to hoist the thing from scraping along the floor and watch Bo Katan basically fencing with it later.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:33 PM on March 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Once on Mandalore, he has a lot more trouble fighting off a bunch of cave people than he should.
I meeeeeean, kinda? My impression of mando at this point is that he's pretty good with a blaster in his hand, but hand-to-hand he's.... not great.
Not BAD, but definitely not Bo Katan levels of Actual Mandalorian.
Bo's a fucking badass.
posted by coriolisdave at 6:43 PM on March 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
I meeeeeean, kinda? My impression of mando at this point is that he's pretty good with a blaster in his hand, but hand-to-hand he's.... not great.
Not BAD, but definitely not Bo Katan levels of Actual Mandalorian.
Bo's a fucking badass.
posted by coriolisdave at 6:43 PM on March 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
At that point couldn't he have gone to Droid Depot and picked up a droid somewhat closer to IG-11?
Droid Depot: Vota mo gootu droida che do moolee-rah! (key)
posted by JHarris at 12:01 AM on March 10, 2023
Droid Depot: Vota mo gootu droida che do moolee-rah! (key)
posted by JHarris at 12:01 AM on March 10, 2023
Shelob-bot
Mecha-Shelob! Mecha-Shelob!
posted by The Tensor at 12:04 AM on March 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Mecha-Shelob! Mecha-Shelob!
posted by The Tensor at 12:04 AM on March 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I liked the variable geometry spider-crab cyborg, not entirely symmetrical, built of rusty scrap iron*, and seemingly conceived by 12 Monkeys-era Terry Gilliam during a troubled night after eating too much cheese after dinner.
We need a name to refer to it, though, and Mecha-Shelob is not quite it. Ungoliantagonist, maybe?
*”That weird little one-eyed muppet thing was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:55 AM on March 10, 2023 [9 favorites]
We need a name to refer to it, though, and Mecha-Shelob is not quite it. Ungoliantagonist, maybe?
*”That weird little one-eyed muppet thing was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:55 AM on March 10, 2023 [9 favorites]
I don't know if the previous seasons really had that tight narrative across the seasons versus the standalones. We are only in episode two after all, but from my perspective, Mandalore and the Mandalorians are the season focus. This season will be about two things:
1) Bringing the Mandalorians back together and returning to Mandalore to reestablish a post-Empire community on the planet;
and
2) Din really being forced to choose between being the father he wants to be for Grogu versus who the Children of the Watch will insist he become.
Between those two things we will have continuing follow ups on the cloning aspect of Season 1 and somehow, really falling under number one, the resolution of Navarro and the pirates. The cloning/Empire thing is the only thing that hasn't come up yet, so I'm expecting that probably next week we'll get something here or there that touches upon it. It may also focus more on post-Mythosaur Bo-Katan and the Mandalorians, too.
One is important to the show because, well, it's been extremely important to both the guys behind the show. Filoni dedicated a decent chunk of Rebels back half to Mandalore and the idea of bringing the houses and clans back together. This was a continuation of the story that Lucas began with him in Clone Wars. It's not without saying that the final episode of Clone Wars involved Mandalore. Now he wants to tell the story of what happened after that. During that story in Rebels , he brought in Favreau who voiced one of the, well, bad Mandalorians. So they became (or already were?) something that Favreau was a fan of. Arguably, this has always been part of the end game when they started thinking about the Mandalorian show.
This in mind, I think we know where the show is going, what the overall arching storyline is, and everything else is going to service it in one way or another. Because the vehicle of Mandalore storytelling has always focused on personal character decisions, i.e., moving past trauma, accepting one's duty, and so on, we're going to see that attached to Din and Grogu.
posted by Atreides at 11:05 AM on March 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
1) Bringing the Mandalorians back together and returning to Mandalore to reestablish a post-Empire community on the planet;
and
2) Din really being forced to choose between being the father he wants to be for Grogu versus who the Children of the Watch will insist he become.
Between those two things we will have continuing follow ups on the cloning aspect of Season 1 and somehow, really falling under number one, the resolution of Navarro and the pirates. The cloning/Empire thing is the only thing that hasn't come up yet, so I'm expecting that probably next week we'll get something here or there that touches upon it. It may also focus more on post-Mythosaur Bo-Katan and the Mandalorians, too.
One is important to the show because, well, it's been extremely important to both the guys behind the show. Filoni dedicated a decent chunk of Rebels back half to Mandalore and the idea of bringing the houses and clans back together. This was a continuation of the story that Lucas began with him in Clone Wars. It's not without saying that the final episode of Clone Wars involved Mandalore. Now he wants to tell the story of what happened after that. During that story in Rebels , he brought in Favreau who voiced one of the, well, bad Mandalorians. So they became (or already were?) something that Favreau was a fan of. Arguably, this has always been part of the end game when they started thinking about the Mandalorian show.
This in mind, I think we know where the show is going, what the overall arching storyline is, and everything else is going to service it in one way or another. Because the vehicle of Mandalore storytelling has always focused on personal character decisions, i.e., moving past trauma, accepting one's duty, and so on, we're going to see that attached to Din and Grogu.
posted by Atreides at 11:05 AM on March 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
I'm pretty much entirely uninterested in yet another look at what's going on with Mandalore and the Mandalorian factions. It was fine in that cartoon, but let's not fool ourselves that it was any better than cartoon-level writing. They had a perfect opportunity to make a new post-RotJ Mandoshow unburdened by the already-too-many iterations of "lore" [puke] that spread from The Clone Wars to Rebels. Just say that the scattered remnants of the Mandalorians have gone underground and wear their helmets all the time as an expression of national trauma and mourning. There, done, you get to use the iconic helmet without the baggage; now tell new stories about the New Republic.
I also hate the idea that the Mandalorians have a special symbol, you guys, a symbol that symbolizes the special warrior nature, and it's...a lightsaber. No, wait, that would be too obvious—it's a darksaber. That's like the exact opposite of a lightsaber! #nailedit
Din really being forced to choose between being the father he wants to be for Grogu versus who the Children of the Watch will insist he become.
Now this I can get behind. Din shows up after his Special Bath—along with a selfie, I guess, to prove he's not just making it up?—and declares he's a member in good standing of Heaven's Gate again, and the Armorer says:
THE ARMORER: This is the Way. And you know what's also the Way? This...
[she pulls out a tiny, Grogu-sized helmet]
DIM DJARIN: Uh, wait, what?
THE ARMORER: This is the Way. You know, the Way? You adopted him, like we adopted you. Also, it's come to our attention that he's probably older than you are. It's well past time for him to join us in smelly metal solitude. What's confusing?
DIM: Well, I just figured...what about the action figures?
[THE ARMORER shrugs]
...and then hopefully Our Hero will do the right thing, although I'm honestly not optimistic that a Star Wars show will even know what that is—the whole franchise has a huge blind spot about child soldiers and how awesome and fun it is to be one. Plus if Mando deprograms himself and stops wearing the helmet all the time, Pedro Pascal will actually have to start showing up in person to shoot his scenes, and I gather he's pretty comfortable with his mostly-remote work schedule.
posted by The Tensor at 12:54 PM on March 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
I also hate the idea that the Mandalorians have a special symbol, you guys, a symbol that symbolizes the special warrior nature, and it's...a lightsaber. No, wait, that would be too obvious—it's a darksaber. That's like the exact opposite of a lightsaber! #nailedit
Din really being forced to choose between being the father he wants to be for Grogu versus who the Children of the Watch will insist he become.
Now this I can get behind. Din shows up after his Special Bath—along with a selfie, I guess, to prove he's not just making it up?—and declares he's a member in good standing of Heaven's Gate again, and the Armorer says:
THE ARMORER: This is the Way. And you know what's also the Way? This...
[she pulls out a tiny, Grogu-sized helmet]
DIM DJARIN: Uh, wait, what?
THE ARMORER: This is the Way. You know, the Way? You adopted him, like we adopted you. Also, it's come to our attention that he's probably older than you are. It's well past time for him to join us in smelly metal solitude. What's confusing?
DIM: Well, I just figured...what about the action figures?
[THE ARMORER shrugs]
...and then hopefully Our Hero will do the right thing, although I'm honestly not optimistic that a Star Wars show will even know what that is—the whole franchise has a huge blind spot about child soldiers and how awesome and fun it is to be one. Plus if Mando deprograms himself and stops wearing the helmet all the time, Pedro Pascal will actually have to start showing up in person to shoot his scenes, and I gather he's pretty comfortable with his mostly-remote work schedule.
posted by The Tensor at 12:54 PM on March 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
Bringing the Mandalorians back together and returning to Mandalore to reestablish a post-Empire community on the planet
Yeah, but this show, The Mandalorian, hasn't done anything much at all to make me care about that. Yeah, this is obviously the focus of the season, but I don't know the backstory beyond some exposition dumps that just give me details, not an emotion. Even Din wanting to rebaptise himself in the waters of Mandalore is only barely scraping through because that push and pull between his way of being a Mandalorian is different from Bo Katan and his dedication to the rituals of his people (ie. keeping the helmet on), has been pretty sacred since season one.
But the dark saber and Bo Katan and Asohka are all bits of another show I've hardly seen any of. Yeah, I'm sure Filoni wants to keep playing with his own toys, but it feels dramatically inert in this show. I'm attached to Din and Grogu. Tell me more of that story. Use Mandalore as a backdrop, if you must, but don't expect me to just go with it.
posted by crossoverman at 12:12 AM on March 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
Yeah, but this show, The Mandalorian, hasn't done anything much at all to make me care about that. Yeah, this is obviously the focus of the season, but I don't know the backstory beyond some exposition dumps that just give me details, not an emotion. Even Din wanting to rebaptise himself in the waters of Mandalore is only barely scraping through because that push and pull between his way of being a Mandalorian is different from Bo Katan and his dedication to the rituals of his people (ie. keeping the helmet on), has been pretty sacred since season one.
But the dark saber and Bo Katan and Asohka are all bits of another show I've hardly seen any of. Yeah, I'm sure Filoni wants to keep playing with his own toys, but it feels dramatically inert in this show. I'm attached to Din and Grogu. Tell me more of that story. Use Mandalore as a backdrop, if you must, but don't expect me to just go with it.
posted by crossoverman at 12:12 AM on March 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
If baby Yoda puts on the helmet, he will essentially be crab guy.
posted by joeyh at 6:17 PM on March 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by joeyh at 6:17 PM on March 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
He's gonna look so silly in that helmet with the ears peeking out.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:16 PM on March 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:16 PM on March 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
I enjoy every moment with Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris).
posted by SPrintF at 12:40 PM on March 12, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 12:40 PM on March 12, 2023 [6 favorites]
I’m only just getting around to this season now, for some reason, and I haven’t watched Clone Wars or Rebels or whatever,
and maybe someone has mentioned this elsewhere already, but is the darksaber heavy simply because it’s not a lightsaber?
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:20 AM on May 12, 2023
and maybe someone has mentioned this elsewhere already, but is the darksaber heavy simply because it’s not a lightsaber?
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:20 AM on May 12, 2023
It is a lightsaber, but it's a fairly unique one:
The Darksaber had a crystal which served as a conduit for Force energy. The wielder's thoughts and actions guided the blade's current of power, with the blade often producing an electrical effect in response to a heightened emotional state. The Darksaber would attempt to connect with its wielder on a subconscious level, with the blade feeling proportionately heavier or lighter depending on the wielder resisting or embracing the connection.posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:21 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
I just realized how fitting that Robocrab was encountered in the wreckage of Mandalore, because it was essentially two steps beyond the stereotypcial Mandalorian: covered in metal to the point of being made out of it, and super reliant on tools.
I wonder if Robocrab was a one-off or part of a whole cyborg species? It was easily the most alien creature we've seen in the Star Wars galaxy. Wouldn't it be fun if, like how the dock workers in another episode are basically little Cthulhus, that robotic monstrosity eventually got a desk job working in the archives of New Mandalore.
posted by JHarris at 4:25 PM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wonder if Robocrab was a one-off or part of a whole cyborg species? It was easily the most alien creature we've seen in the Star Wars galaxy. Wouldn't it be fun if, like how the dock workers in another episode are basically little Cthulhus, that robotic monstrosity eventually got a desk job working in the archives of New Mandalore.
posted by JHarris at 4:25 PM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
EndsofInvention, I was just going for the joke. It’s heavy because it’s not a “light”saber.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 6:58 AM on May 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Mister Moofoo at 6:58 AM on May 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
🤦
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:37 PM on May 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:37 PM on May 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's okay EndsOfInvention, I not only missed the joke but was like, "Oh, I didn't know that about the Darksaber, how interesting!"
posted by Atreides at 7:36 AM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 7:36 AM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
A whole episode about trying to resurrect IG-11, when all Din actually needed was someone to check the atmosphere. Are there no handheld atmospheric testing devices?
Bo Katan seemed so disinterested in helping Din... and then went straight to help him.
There's some interesting material around Din as a Child of the Watch vs Bo who thinks they were extremists, the history of Mandalore, Bo's history with the Jedi and the Republic, the purge... but the exposition just feels really clunky and it's not explored in any depth.
We've now achieved what Din set out to do and there's no clear next move. There just doesn't feel like there's any urgency, or any external threat, as there was in S1 and S2.
That aside, it's nice to visit Crystal Planet for a change instead of Ice Planet or Desert Planet. The alien-cyborg-mech thing was cool and creepy. Bo grapple-hooking the Darksaber was a nice Jedi-esque move.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:56 AM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]