"Star Wars: The Mandalorian" is a television series created by Jon Favreau and produced by Lucasfilm, previewed on November 12, 2019 on the streaming platform Disney +. After following each episode, accompanied by a special guide, the time has come for us Seekers to pull the strings on this first season. Despite incredible peaks and heart-pounding moments, "The Mandalorian" has proven to be a series with a lot of potential but little bite.
Plot [Beware of possible Spoilers]
Set five years after the explosion of the second Death Star and the defeat of the Empire, the series follows the adventures of the Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin. Hidden by his helmet, which should allow everyone to recognize him for his culture and not for his face, the bounty hunter has distinguished himself from the other members of the guild. A contact of his decides to entrust him with a big and important job, paid handsomely, and Mando (the way Din Djarin is known in the environment) accepts.
Unfortunately, the beginning of the story also contains ninety percent of the plot of the season.
Although the series could unfold in many ways, the script is linear and does not contain any particular surprises or information. Many expected to receive responses or to discover new parts of the history of Star Wars but, unfortunately for all, these expectations were not met. It almost seems that Favreau wanted to communicate an idea and an atmosphere, rather than telling a story.
Characters [Beware of Spoilers]
The Mandalorian
The protagonist of the series is one of the characters that we learn to know less, with a few drops of his life and his thoughts for each episode. He is a man who faithfully adheres to the Mandalorian code, also called "the way of Mandalore", and who leaves very little room for personal desires. He does not allow himself to be seen without a helmet by any living being, because a Mandalorian belongs to a culture and not to a race, and is very loyal to his people. Humble and correct towards others, Din Djarin will begin to change after meeting Baby Yoda, the famous contract that will cast doubt on everything he believes in.
Baby Yoda
When the world laid its eyes on the little green creature, it sensed a tremor in the Force. How can we blame all those curious who could finally see the third specimen of the Yoda breed? A rare and mysterious species to count, to date, only two canonical characters. The common desire to discover if nothing else the name of the species has been denied but, in return, we have achieved a lot. Baby Yoda is one of the oldest characters who appear in the series, taking his 50 years well, and the only one to use the Force. Some think it is simply a clone of the Jedi master, others think that the high number of midichlorian is part of the characteristics of the species. Whatever the answer, the child shows that he can use the basic powers and, having learned nothing, there is no difference for him between a mountain and a box.
Cara Dune
While not one of the main characters, Cara Dune quickly carved out a place in the imagination of fans of the series. Rarely has a character like her been seen in the Star Wars universe, especially female. Usually the women presented, although very strong, are known for cunning and agility, never for brute force. Cara unhinges this belief with its mere presence. She is a skilled and lethal fighter, capable of beating her opponents. This is not a mere paid warrior, although she does not see it that way. He belonged to the Rebel army but, after the end of the war with the Empire, he decided to withdraw to not become what he had sworn to fight.
A western in the distant, distant galaxy ...
The Star Wars universe, born as a simple fantasy story, has hosted over the years several stories with different narrative cuts. We know very well that Rogue One is a war movie and that the prequel trilogy abandons the fairytale tones of the original one. So why not move to the western genre? If instead of the excellent music of Ludwig Göransson had we put Sergio Leone's creations, probably some moments in the series would not have been affected in the least. The aesthetics and construction of some scenes strongly recall the western genre and its small clichés.
The role of the Unreal Engine
The Unreal Engine 4 graphics engine was used to create digital backgrounds. Developed by Epic Games, makes rendering visual effects faster than would normally be possible for a live-action series, and Favreau said the technology can be applied to a variety of challenges. In this way it was possible to combine photography and technological means to bring the places to the actors and not vice versa.
“The Mandalorian” proves interesting but cautious
Despite the immense potential of the “The Mandalorian” series and a very large time frame, the series remains cautious. Nothing relevant is revealed except towards the ending. We can only hope that in the next season, which should arrive at the end of 2020, we will enter the heart of history.
