TV Series Review – The Mandalorian
After Disney bought Lucasfilm, their first job was to declare much of the accompanying comic books and fanart as non-canon. Which means, that they are not part of the main series of events that is the basis of the Episodes. This angered a lot of fans, but on the other hand it cleared up the story a bit, which had reached levels of absurdity. However, recent Star Wars projects have been a huge failure. Episode VIII enraged fans and even Mark Hamill, with its chaotic story, excess blotting, and total disregard for the Jedi teachings. And the subsequent story of Han Solo buried the series even more. This movie was the most unsuccessful in the franchise’s history. And so, with the announcement of its online platform, Disney said that it will include series from the Marvel Universe (MCU) and the Star Wars universe. The first of these is “The Mandalorian”, which tells the story of a bounty hunter sent on a secret mission. But will this series, managed to calm the fans, I will review in the next paragraphs.
Initially, the series begin as a space western, and it seems that it will remain so until the end. The main character is a Mandalorian whose name we do not know. What we know about their race is that the Empire almost destroyed them, forcing them to hide in the shadows. They are primarily a belligerent race whose religion is based on battles and wars. They most often become bounty hunters as their combat, tracking and analysis skills are unmatched. Their reputation is that of the best trained, and highly paid galaxy hunters. One of the most famous members of this race is the fan favorite, Boba Fett. The mercenary who captured Han Solo and imprisoned him in carbonite. After his loss on Tatooine, by Luke and company, he almost died. However, the Mandalorian whose story we follow here is a completely different person.
At the moment, there are three episodes out, which give us a clear idea of where the events will unfold. The story begins at some time after the fall of the Empire. The new Republic has begun to form, but in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, lawlessness reigns. There are several things that are known about the Mandalorians:
1. They always wear a full body armor, with a cape.
2. They never take off their helmets.
3. They are driven by their honor.
4. Their arsenal is endless.
Their armor can be made of any alloy, but originally it was made of a special metal (bescar), which is almost impenetrable. Even lightsabers can’t cut it. As far as combat shows, ordinary blasters cannot break through it. While the Empire’s stormtroopers fall like flies, the Mandalorians look invincible.
The main character, played by Pedro Pascal, proves shortly that he is extremely good at his job. From the outset, he has a helmet made of bescar. By the end of the current, third episode, he already has complete armor made of this special metal. Taking on different tasks, he gains the respect of the other bounty hunters and builds a reputation as a formidable foe. However, it can be seen that he is still running away from his demons and the only way to dispel is to chase fugitives. But since at that time, the reward for capturing most was too low, he decided to accept a secret mission to locate and capture a 50-year-old man.
Upon arrival, at the “client’s” hideout, who turns out to be a former officer of the Empire, he receives only a tracking device with which he must locate the fugitive. Also, paying for the task comes in the form of so much respect for his race, bescar. Deciding to bring this precious metal back into the ranks of the Mandalorians, and going through several adventures, including a side-by-side battle with a droid, he manages to find the 50-year-old individual sought by the Imperial troops. What he finds, however, is at odds with his understanding. Despite the many memes on the internet, I will not reveal more of the story. The only thing I will say is that at the end of the third episode, the Mandalorian goes face to face with the choice to either saving an innocent life or ignore everything and continue his current life.
It seems that we are about to meet the biggest opponents of Pedro Pascal’s character, but I can safely say that my expectations are high. Every moment of the series so far, is brilliant. Yes, many of the clichés are there, and the storm troopers are as bad shooters as ever. However, the series starts off extremely dynamically, serving us a great dose of action at the outset. The main character’s motivation is understandable too. Since Boba Fett, fans have wanted to know more about this race. Unfortunately, his presence in the original trilogy was short and mostly in the form of a villain. On the contrary, his compatriot here is more like an anti-hero. A role that is loved by absolutely everyone. The hero (in the sense of the eternal positive protagonist) is boring, because his morality always rests on virtues, the villain is interesting, but the clichés do not allow him to build originality for this role. The antihero, however, may well maintain virtues, but may not hesitate to drop a bullet at the poor soul who has stepped on his path. The story of a character that doesn’t seem to care at all, but ultimately turns out to be the one who cares most, makes the viewers always shout for him.
In conclusion, I expect a lot from this series. It is a beam of light in the tunnel, and apparently Disney has decided to be serious about it, as the second season has already been announced. Each subsequent episode reveals a little more about the morals and virtues of the representatives of this race. If you haven’t heard, lightsabers are out of fashion. The Mandalorians strike with their jetpacks, snipers and endless arsenal of auxiliary weapons. There just seems to be no situation that can surprise them.
