Show Review: The Mandalorian

When is a western not a western?

Five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, a bounty hunter survives in a galaxy transitioning from a fallen empire to a peaceful republic. He has no name but goes by the title given to each member of his tribe—Mandalorian. (Hence the title of the show.)

At the start of The Mandalorian, the setting lets you know you’re in that familiar galaxy far, far away. And yet there’s something about the show that makes it different from the movies.

For one, the movies have an epic scope while The Mandalorian is much simpler. No planet-destroying weapons. No clash of armies or space fleets. No rise and fall of interplanetary governments. Just a bounty hunter trying to make a buck and stay alive.

He goes from town to town, using his gunslinging to solve conflicts and collect bounties.

“I can bring you in warm… Or I can bring you in cold.”

Which brings up another difference between the show and the movies. The show isn’t so much a space opera as it is a western. The first episode opens with a gun fight in a bar. From there, the Mandalorian rides beasts across dusty plains, saves farmers from bands of outlaws, and engages in more gun fights. Even his pistol looks like the one used by Clint Eastwood.

Although The Mandalorian is set in the Star Wars universe, it falls more akin to Firefly than it does Attack of the Clones. But given the popularity of The Mandalorian, it looks like our helmeted bounty hunter will go on to a second season—unlike the ill-fated crew of the beloved spaceship Serenity.

In my opinion, the show deserves the success. I’m hooked. Even my wife, who feels rather meh about Star Wars, is hooked. And I believe it’s the show’s divergence from the franchise that makes it so strong. Going simple instead of epic allows The Mandalorian to focus on what matters most in a story: character.

“When one chooses to walk the way of the Mandalore, you are both hunter and prey.”

–The Armorer

I like world building just as much as any sci-fi and fantasy nerd. Heck! I teach a course on it. But sometimes sci-fi and fantasy storytellers fall into the trap of emphasizing their worlds and under-developing their characters.

Show creator John Favreau hasn’t fallen into that trap. He makes his additions to the Star Wars universe while staying true to the general look and feel of what Lucas created. But the world building and universe exploration are kept in the background where they belong. The focus is on the main character.

We first get to know the Mandalorian by the tools of his trade. Like Batman’s utility belt and Spiderman’s web shooters, gadgets can make up the image of the hero. The Mandalorian has his flame thrower, grappling hook, and the terrifying disintegration rifle. And his armor. You can’t forget the armor.

“I’m a Mandalorian. Weapons are a part of my religion.”

But there’s more to the man behind the metal and faceless exterior.

Since each episode shares a single task or mission the Mandalorian must complete (i.e. recovering the stolen parts to his ship), the revealing of his character comes bit by bit. Also, he’s a man of few words, and the show isn’t afraid of keeping the dialogue to a minimum. So we mostly get to see who he is by his actions and the choices he makes. (Who would’ve thought a pause at a tampered lever could be so meaningful?)

It’s a slow build of character, but it works well. I feel I know enough of him for me to be invested, and yet he’s mysterious enough to remain intriguing.

Even though he’s a man who will kill dispassionately in order to earn money, I know he’ll make the right choice when a certain job pricks his conscience.

I’m rooting for the Mandalorian, and I’m looking forward to where he’ll go next in this galaxy far, far away.

 

Have you seen The Mandalorian? What are your thoughts?

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