RJ Writing Ink

In the months since the season finale of The Mandalorian, Star Wars fans have been active online trying to speculate on what could happen in Season Two. Would a Jedi appear? Would we learn how Moff Gideon got the Darksaber? But most important, would we see the return of fan favorite characters such as Boba Fett and Ashoka Tano? While the jury’s out on Ashoka (despite what this post says,) the season premiere just confirmed the return of a certain legendary bounty hunter. The original Mandalorian himself, back from the dead.

I wanted to do this review spoiler-free, but after seeing the season premiere, I can’t do that. You have been warned!

Tatooine: It just can’t seem to stay out of the spotlight.

Tatooine, home to Jawas and Tusken Raiders; birthplace of the Skywalker family; and a planet that just can’t seem to avoid attracting attention! In his quest to return Baby Yoda to his people, Mando follows a lead about a Mandalorian back to Tatooine. There, deep in the deserts, is the old mining town of Mos Pelgo. He doesn’t find a Mandalorian, though. It’s just a resident of Tatooine, Cobb Vanth, wearing Mandalorian Armor. After the Second Death Star blew up, the town was taken over by bandits. Vanth managed to buy Mandalorian armor from a group of Jawas and uses it to protect the town.

It’s not just any armor that Vanth’s wearing, though: it’s the armor of the legendary bounty hunter, Boba Fett. The last time we saw him in the canon, he was eaten by the Sarlacc, but a character that badass would have their story end like that. Somehow, Jawas got their hands on his armor, and now the Mandalorian wants it. To him, a non-Mandalorian wearing it is an insult to his people.

I’ve never seen the actor playing Cobb Vanth before, but I’ve seen a lot of people singing his praises, and I can see why. He carries himself like a classic, old west sheriff; the John Wayne to the Mandalorian’s Clint Eastwood. And thankfully, these two fight over the armor, because there are bigger fish to fry.

Krayt Dragons Scare Me

If you don’t know what a Krayt Dragon is, I don’t blame you; you should be grateful you haven’t seen one. It’s like if you crossed the Sandworms from Dune with an acid-spitting T-Rex: terrifying! And to save Mos Pelgo from destruction, Vanth enlists Mando to help him kill it. But it’s so dangerous they have to enlist the townspeople; and the Tusken Raiders.

Yeah, given how vicious they’ve been to people in the franchise, it’s hard to see anyone allying with Tusken Raiders. However, when you think about it, they’re indigenous people trying to take back their home from the outsiders who are trespassing. Sound familiar? As a result of that mindset, the writers go out of their way to show that the Tuskens and Settlers can work together.

What follows is an epic battle that I refuse to spoil because it’s as good as anything the movies could ever give us. All you need to know is they win, and Mando gets the armor.

Boba Fett is Alive

In the final moments of the episode, as the Mandalorian rides into the sunset, we get a look at this guy.

If you guys don’t know who that is, I don’t blame you. But that’s the guy who played Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. Jango Fett was not only the template for the Clone Troopers, but the father of Boba Fett. Ergo, this guy is most likely Boba Fett himself! He’s alive!

How Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc is of little concern. He’s a badass, so it wouldn’t be that hard. What we should be asking is how did is armor get stolen? Was he too weak to stop that from happening? And why would he remain on Tatooine all this time when he could have left and continued his bounty hunting career? My only guess is that he was hunting for his armor, and now that the Mandalorian has it, he will want it back.

This brings us to an interesting idea: will Boba Fett be a recurring character this season? More importantly, will he be a friend or foe to Mando and Baby Yoda? I wouldn’t mind seeing the three working together, but I’m also curious to see what would happen if they fought. It would show us just how good the Mandalorian really is or isn’t. Regardless, Boba Fett has a role to play in this season, and I only hope that they do his character justice. Without Boba Fett, there would be no Mandalorian!

I also hope that we see more of Cobb Vanth. He and the Mandalorian have a good dynamic going, and I’d like to see them work together more the future. Vanth may not be a foundling or Mandalorian by birth, but he’s got the heart of one.

I Give “The Marshal” A 5/5. Best Episode Yet.

Stray Observations

• You guys noticed how Mando let those Pit Droids work on his ship? Maybe working with IG-11 made him soften his hatred for droids. That’s character development!

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Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Episode 7 Review

I would have gotten this out sooner, but I’ve busy preparing for the holidays and getting ready to see The Rise of Skywalker. The reviews may not be good right now, but I don’t care. Even if the movie stinks, we have the future of Star Wars like The Mandalorian. Speaking of which, their penultimate episode got the show back on track. In addition, the show writers demonstrated their mastery of the delicate art of the cliffhanger.

To End the Hunt

Having been hunted at every turn by bounty hunters, Mando’s surprised when Greef Karga reaches out to him. The Client’s Stormtrooper friends have overrun Nevarro and brought business to a standstill. So, Karga makes a deal with the Mandalorian: help get rid of the Imperials, and they’ll leave him alone.

Mando knows it’s likely a trap, though. Thus, he recruits some of the allies he’s made throughout the season.

I thought this was a nice way for the show to demonstrate the Mandalorian’s character development. When the show started, he was a lone wolf not trusting anyone. However, since Baby Yoda came into his life, he’s started to warm up to others, and gotten a few trustworthy allies. Now those allies come back into play with the return of Cara, Kuiil the Ugnaught, and surprisingly, IG-11.

I thought we saw the last of IG-11, but I should have known better. The IG droids are as tough as they come. Heck, in the Expanded Universe, one of them tried to start a Galaxy -wide droid revolution. In other words, Mando’s smart to be distrustful of it, even if Kuiil says he reprogrammed it to do work. That said, I think it’s possible for a droid designed to kill to change for the better.

Baby Yoda’s Powers

With his team of four (five counting Baby Yoda) joining him, Mando returns to Nevarro to meet with Greef Karga and settle things. No surprise to anyone anyone when it does turn out to be a trap. Karga planned to hand the baby over and kill Mando to get the Imps to leave. The plan changes, though, when the group gets attacked by Mynocks. Karga gets wounded and poisoned, but Baby Yoda saves him by using the Force to heal his wounds.

This power may seem to come out of left field, but its not a new thing. Several Star Wars games where you play as Force-sensitive characters use it as a game mechanic. The technique involves using the Force to accelerate the body’s healing process; at its most powerful, it can sustain damaged organs. However, to the best of my knowledge, it drains the user significantly.

This was the first time we saw Baby Yoda use the Force since the second episode, and I thought it was a good way of reminding us of how powerful that cute baby can be. Worse, since he’s a child, he’s young and impressionable; we saw him Force-choke Cara when he thought she was hurting Mando! This is why we need to bring the Jedi back, Disney.

Moff Gustavo

Bringing the Jedi back will have to wait some thirty years, though. As Qui-Gon Jinn would say, we should focus on the here and now. Right now, the audience learns that the Client’s working for a former Imperial Moff! Not much is known about this Gideon, played by Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad fame, but the fact that he’s a Moff means he’s dangerous.

In the old Expanded Universe, a lot of high-ranking Imperials became warlords after Sidious kicked the bucket. While Disney has yet to fully flesh out the post-Endor era, I see no reason why this won’t be the norm. Regardless, Gideon seems to have a large force serving him, and Mando’s group gets overwhelmed. Worse, they catch up to Kuiil, who went back to the ship with Baby Yoda, and gun him down. Thus, we end on our cliffhanger.

Great Cliffhanger

The episode seemed a little slow at times, I won’t lie. However, once we got into the third act, it starts to pick up, as we see who the Mandalorian made an enemy out of. An Imperial Moff’s not someone to be taken lightly, and given how this episode ends on a cliffhanger, we don’t know how Mando will get out of this situation. We don’t even know if Kuiil’s alive or why they want Baby Yoda so badly in the first place.

Knowing the Empire, though, I’m betting Gideon wants the kid for some grand, convoluted scheme to create an army of Force-clones to conquer the Galaxy. A lot of the Empire’s plans tend to be grandiose and a little crazy like that. However, we don’t know given how the episode ends on a giant cliffhanger. Which I think is brilliant.

The fact that I feel frustrated and eager to learn what happens next means that the writers knew what they were doing. Cliffhanger’s are designed to entice people to come back to find out what happens. That’s the feeling I got after watching this episode, and I can’t wait until next week to see how the season ends. It will be a great way to end 2019!

I Give “Chapter 7: The Reckoning” a 4.5/5. Second Best Episode of the Season

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Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilms, and with it, Star Wars, I’ve kept a skeptical eye on where the company takes the franchise. Then they axed the Expanded Universe and thirty plus years of extra content that they’ve yet to make up for. They may have given us Thrawn back, but I won’t be satisfied until I see the return of Revan! However, I think Disney’s starting to step up, and a big example would be the new show, The Mandalorian.

Taking place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian follows the titular character. Working as a bounty hunter in the Outer Rim, he accepts a job from an Imperial Remant. The mission: find a target of unknown appearance, and bring it to them. However, he soon realizes that there’s more to this job than he thought.

Space Western

The Mandalorian’s essentially Star Wars’ take on a space western, with the start of the first episode making that clear. Firstly, it takes place in the Outer Rim, a region in Star Wars known to varying degrees of law and order. Depending on where someone is, governments may not exist. In other words, its the perfect place for outlaws, criminals, and guns for hire, just like the Old West.

As for the the gunfights Westerns are famous for, The Mandalorian has them. The titular character lives up to his people’s reputation when he storms a bandit hideout in the first episode. He did have help from an IG Assassin Droid, but regardless, he’d have gotten in. He’s a Mandalorian, after all.

The Mandalorian Himself

If I could best describe the Mandalorian, he’s like a combination of Clint Eastwood and Samurai Jack. He’s quiet most of the time, never speaking more than necessary. He’s almost impossible to beat in a fight, and he’s great with a blaster.

Owing to the fact that we’ve yet to see him without his helmet, we don’t know what the Mandalorian looks like. In addition, it seems like his past will be revealed piece by piece. What’s known is that he wasn’t born a Mandalorian; he’s a foundling. Given the nature of that term, it’s implied that the Mandalorians found and raised him. Thus, he probably had a rough time growing up, turning him into the warrior he is today.

Despite being a deadly killer though, the Mandalorian’s not cold-blooded. His actions show that he does seem to care for other people. However, it’s locating his target that brings his concern for others to the forefront.

Baby Yoda

It’s impossible to discuss this show without talking about the target, the Baby Yoda. Aside from being super adorable, its inclusion is historic for Star Wars. Firstly, we know almost nothing about Yoda’s species; not even their name. Secondly, this is the first time I’m aware of that we’ve seen a baby Yoda.

Third, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the baby can use the Force! If that baby can use the Force, then it explains why the remnant’s of the Empire are after it. Who knows what they could with the Force at their disposal once more. One thing’s for sure, though: the Mandalorian’s getting involved in some deep poodoo.

Star Wars Done Right

For the first time since Disney took the reins of Star Wars, I feel confident in their ability to treat the franchise right. This new show looks and feels like a true part of Star Wars, and I love it. It also helps that it’s made by two men we can trust: Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.

Jon Favreau’s proven himself to Disney through his work in the MCU. However, what interests me more is Dave Filoni. The man behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Resistance, he’s as big a fan of the franchise as we are. More importantly, he learned under the wing of George Lucas himself; that makes him Lucas’ apprentice. In fact, I hope to see Dave Filoni take the reins of Star Wars in the future. If The Mandalorian continues to be a success, then that may happen.

Overall, I recommend checking out The Mandalorian if you have Disney+. It’s got a lot of potential, and Star Wars needs to start rebuilding its universe outside the films. So, starting this friday, I’ll be reviewing each episode of the show as it comes out. Hopefully, this will help lead into what I have planned for December regarding Star Wars. May the Force be with us.

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