The year 2019 has been a busy one for the legendary Star Wars franchise in every way. One of the biggest of these is that on November 12th, the eagerly anticipated streaming service from the media giant Disney launched in the form of Disney+, offering a whole new method of viewing Star Wars titles of every kind.
Additionally though, in order for Disney+ to launch as a hit, it needed a hit flagship and mostly original series. And Disney decided on using its first live-action Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian, to be exactly this, hoping it would bring life to the platform and franchise. Here are 10 reasons why The Mandalorian is the perfect Star Wars show for fans old and new.
Only Surface-Level Knowledge Is Needed
As expected with a greatly venerated and beloved franchise such as Star Wars, the universe it encapsulates is massive, containing infinite storytelling possibilities. The Star Wars universe is so big, in fact, that Disney had it trimmed down and separated a large chunk of content from it as "non-canon," labeling these stories as a separate "legends" world.
With this in mind, it is helpful that The Mandalorian only requires a very basic understanding of Star Wars, leaving it to be a fun adventure for those with a lot of background knowledge and an intriguing entry for those who don't.
New Actors, New Talent
Since this particular franchise is so well-known and well-loved, it is unsurprising that it attracts a high level of talent. The Mandalorian is an original Star Wars story separate from the Skywalker saga, and so needed a full cast that could establish the show's tone and presence.
Thankfully, The Mandalorian accomplished this easily. While confined behind a helmet for lore reasons, Pedro Pascal definitely shines as the impartial, calm, deadly, man-of-few-words character of the Mandalorian himself. Other notable actors who bring their A-game to this series are Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog, among many others. It is no surprise then that these actors lure in new viewers while pleasing old.
Many Original Characters
This facet ties into the previous entry discussing how new cast bring life to the series. Given an original Star Wars story, which largely doesn't depend on the stories or characters in the Skywalker saga, an original collection of characters was needed.
This particular franchise's story has a mostly episodic story structure, in that many episodes are individual adventures that are, at best, indirectly tied to the main plot. Episodic stories tend to have a constantly changing set of characters, allowing the audience to learn about many different worlds, perspectives, and stories as they meet them. This is a new take on an old-world, and it's an excellent addition to the franchise that also compels new viewers with a generous amount of new and exciting characters.
Deepens Canon Star Wars Lore
One of the most--if not, the most--important aspects of any piece of Star Wars media, whether it is dependent on the Skywalker saga or largely separate, is how well and how much new nuggets of lore, focusing naturally on the decimated race of warrior people from Mandalore.
In of live-action content, the Mandalorians have not had much of their history revealed to fans. Learning about the purging of this people during the Empire era, of great interest for old-timers.
Fills In The Gaps
Since this is not a main Skywalker saga entry, The Mandalorian serves as a piece of media meant to fill in the gaps and color in what happened exactly transpired between the main saga films. In this case, the series is meant to tell tales that have happened in between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. This series shows what it was like to live in different parts of the galaxy in a freshly post-Empire universe.
There has been a lot of media that filled in the gaps between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, but now it is time to see even more of life after Episode VI and before VII.
Mixes Sci-Fi And Western Themes
Mixing themes in a universe like the one that Star Wars has established is one of the most tantalizing aspects of creating new media for the franchise. Since this is largely not dependent on the Skywalker saga, and it's a TV series being streamed on Disney's Disney+ platform, it has more creative liberty in taking inspiration thematically. The Mandalorian thus mixes science fiction and space with western themes and genres.
Any fans, old or new, that enjoy these genres will feel at home here, bringing something innovative to some and something refreshing to others. This series almost feels as if a Clint Eastwood western was made into a Star Wars movie, and it's incredible to see.
An Interesting Protagonist
Any piece of media, whether it is fiction or not, needs an interesting main protagonist to help pilot and/or drive the narrative forward wherever it might go. Thankfully, Star Wars' and Disney+'s The Mandalorian has this amply covered. The Mandalorian is not just any plucky, overly positive protagonist or simply a man on a mission for good. Instead, what makes the Mandalorian so interesting as a character is his mystery and aloofness to the ongoings in the galaxy around him. As an anti-hero, he neither fits the role of the hero nor villain, and that is what makes him so compelling.
Unique, Episodic Adventures
This particular aspect of the series will largely depend on preference on how a narrative is told over the course of a season or series overall. The Mandalorian is an eight episode-long season, with more on the way, that likes to shift between two narrative styles or structures. Some of the episodes' plot points are centered and geared toward the main story of the season, while other episodes are unique adventures that feel more like anime series such as Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo.
This could appeal to a wide spectrum of fans, as it provides both plot-driven and self-encapsulated content.
A Star Wars "Gateway Drug"
For newer fans of the overall Star Wars franchise, The Mandalorian is a good way to get properly hooked on the universe established by this mega-hit franchise. This ties into the earlier point that not a lot of prior knowledge in this particular franchise is needed to be able to enjoy and follow the series' plot points.
Because of the degree of independence that this series has, it can easily allow newer fans to further fall in love with the worlds in the franchise and go on to explore other pieces of Star Wars media. Handily, Disney+ keeps everything in one place. The Mandalorian's release on the streaming channel sets up viewers perfectly to further explore the universe.
Change Of Pace
Star Wars is mostly centered around the tales of the Jedi and the Sith; two warring factions of force s. This is, overall, the main appeal of the franchise, but this series goes in a different direction. The concept of the Force is fascinating, though it's good to see the other side of the narrative, shedding more light on what it is like to live in this world, with massive powers and great wars, and be a main character in a supernatural world without supernatural abilities. This take humanizes the franchise and appeals to all the viewers, who, of course, also do not have these kinds of abilities.