Awwww...
I've watched the first season twice through, loving just about every minute of it (the Bill Burr episode was probably the weakest link, but still good enough). And every scene with Baby Yoda makes me laugh in delight... whether he's purring and squealing cutely, or using "the magic hand thing" (The Force, duh), he is undeniably cute.
But the cuteness factor of the Child (he is never actually called Baby Yoda; that name was coined by fans of the show) aside, the show is serious and violent. Not for little kids. Which is curious given the cute baby thing, which will definitely be a hit with young fans. But I don't know if youngsters would enjoy the sort of slow, quiet pacing of the show, and they might even be frightened by some of the fights and kills. The tone of The Mandalorian tells me the show is aimed at older kids and adults.
The Mandalorian, the character, is frequently referred to as Mando, for short. Though he is a bounty hunter, he belongs to a creed of armoured warriors who live by a strict code of honour. Our Mando of the show seems to have a very real human side that emerges when he first lays eyes on the Child. And he has so far demonstrated a belief in good, and that killing innocents isn't part of his way. I am not aware of everything in the extended Star Wars universe (the books and the many animated spin-off shows), so my knowledge of the Mandalorian people is limited to what I've seen in this new show. But I did get the jist of things here at starwars.fandom.com.
And isn't Mando the coolest Star Wars character we've seen in a long time? He truly rules every scene he is in, and even when he gets thrown around in combat, he remains composed and unleashes one of his many battle gadgets or responds with his superior hand-to-hand and non-firearm fighting skills. Besides his standard-issue blaster pistol at his side, Mando carries and wears some snazzy weaponry. That two-pronged zapper/disintegrator (like Boba Fett's) is a wonder to watch in action, and his armed gauntlets can raze opponents with a flamethrower or knock 'em flat with small guided missiles called "whistling birds". And when all else fails, Mando's got a fancy blade or two tucked away for close-quarters combat.
In addition, Mando wears a helmet/visor that is wired with tactical displays... we get to see through his eyes sometimes, and then we understand just how prepared this guy is for battle. And we can't forget the jetpack, which our man must earn toward the end of season one.
It is true that the Mandalorian outfit was based on ol' Boba Fett's gear... remember bounty hunter Boba from the original trilogy? Fett was perhaps the most popular character from the old movies, mainly because of his weapons, gadgets, jetpack, and ultra-cool helmet and armour. Mando borrows from that look, but of course, their is lore behind the reason for his appearance. Once the young Mando swore to the creed, he was required to never remove his helmet-visor and reveal his face before any human. And as we have seen in season one, he even gets a spiffy upgrade to his physical shielding. His imposing appearance commands respect from most onlookers.
I'd like to show more images from The Mandalorian, but since Disney is such a stickler for copyright, I don't want to take risks. So just do a Google image search if you want to look up anything I'm talking about here.
The show has already spawned some catch-phrases that'll be resounding around the world for a while. "This is the way" is the Mandalorian credo, stating their core believe. We hear this more than a few times in season one. The likable if gruff character Kuiil (pronounced Queel) has a habit of getting in the final word by saying "I have spoken". A bit pompous for such an otherwise humble guy. But it's endearing.
There are so many great characters in The Mandalorian, both villains and friends to our hero - or anti-hero. I won't get into all the actors' names here, so I'll stick with a handful of main characters, like Greef, the leader of the bounty hunter guild; the Client, with a contingent of stormtrooper guards, who hires Mando; Kuiil, the moisture farmer who befriends Mando; Cara Dune, an ex-Rebel trooper-turned-mercenary who signs on with Mando; and bounty-hunter droid IG-11, who joins the cause after some friendly reprogramming. And there's the big baddy Moff Guideon, ex-Imperial Secret Police, who makes life difficult for our protagonists.
I'm glad the show isn't drenched in cuteness, otherwise it would grow tiresome very quickly. Too much of anything is a turn-off, as we can attest with the Star Wars prequels. Use restraint and keep the cute bits to a minimum, and we can appreciate the world of The Mandalorian in its entirety. So far, so good. The spagettin-western gunslinger approach, blended with the Seven Samurai influence, makes for an intriguing character and story.
C'mon, Season Two!
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