The Mandalorian discussion thread (5 Viewers)

[guidomerkinsrules]

After watching the finale, I wholeheartedly hope Jon Favreau takes over all of Star Wars. They did a phenomenal job with this smaller scale episodic series. The Scout Trooper scene just screamed that Favreau gets "it."

it's been reported that Favreau, Filoni and Michelle Rejwan will be the heads of Star Wars going forward (essentially they all replace Kathleen Kennedy)
more than likely they will over see tv series, animation and movies, respectively - but with a lot of interaction and interdependence

 

[SystemShock]

Entertaining, but it wasn't that good. Too many tired tropes, plot holes, inconsistencies.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Entertaining, but it wasn't that good. Too many tired tropes, plot holes, inconsistencies.

They were very purposefully emulating several Westerns (and Samurai) conventions- tropes go with the territory

Some inconsistencies might be just Mando having Jon Snow level of planning and foresight

What were some of your specific issues?

 

[Scorpius the Allfather]

They were very purposefully emulating several Westerns (and Samurai) conventions- tropes go with the territory

Some inconsistencies might be just Mando having Jon Snow level of planning and foresight

What were some of your specific issues?

How did Baby Yoda end up on that planet? Who was feeding him? Why were they taking care of a child?

 

[Torgo]

Entertaining, but it wasn't that good. Too many tired tropes, plot holes, inconsistencies.

Have you ever seen a Star War?

 

[SystemShock]

They were very purposefully emulating several Westerns (and Samurai) conventions- tropes go with the territory

... still doesn't make it for good story telling. And I get that every story has been told and every scene has been shot, but there needs to be some twist, some different presentation, to make it if not better, at least somewhat different.

What were some of your specific issues?

Just a few:

See more

The IG-11 role.
That whole montage about a robot relearning to walk and hold stuff.
It is reprogrammed to care for and protect the baby, but it slings the baby around its neck in a sack and charges into a town chuck full of troopers. And while in the second episode it charges into a compound full of mercenaries and then in the last it charges into a town full of troopers, in both occasions kills dozens, in the end it decides the best course of action is to blow itself up because they had 10 troopers ahead of them.

Moff Gideon
Your classic Bond villain, I guess. Has to explain how powerful is the big ol' cannon they are bringing out, and the havoc the previous model wreaked (yet when the Mandalorian fires the cannon, it doesn't look any more powerful than the gun Cara is firing).Has a standoff because... well, because they needed to fill time, I guess. It is never clear why the standoff.

The 2 scout troopers
Somehow they (and only they) can listen to the Mandalorian communications just at the right time, and are the only ones going in pursuit of the baby (of course, the whole set up for that chase was Kuiil insisting he had to bring his mount). Then they stop 2 miles away from the town to have a silly exchange (in which they are told all the horrible things Moff Gideon is doing, like killing baby seals and putting aluminum foil in the microwave) and wait to get permission to enter the town. Why do they need permission to enter the town? Oh, yeah, so the robot can jump them and take the baby.

The 2 Samurai
How many more times...? Anyway, one imperial walker can kill hundreds of trained soldiers, but can't destroy flimsy wooden barriers. At least the Ewoks used guerrilla warfare. The walker apparently was alive, not driven by anyone, because it looked down to see the pit a pilot would've seen feet away. And of course, stops short of the pit, then teases stepping into the pit, and eventually steps into the pit.

Not so Mandalorian
The part about protecting baby Yoda I get, but this Mandalorian is too trusting of people. How many more times does he have to get betrayed before he learns his lesson? He kills everything on sight, but for whatever reason the 3 people who try to kill him in the prison ship, he leaves alive. Why? Probably because they are going to need more betrayers the next season. Of course, no issue with killing all of the people at the station by leaving the tracking signal on whatshisname, who apparently didn't hear the beeping until it was too late. The Mandalorians are supposed to be fearless warriors and hunters, yet they are cooked up in the sewers of a desert planet, hiding.

I think that's enough.

 

[SystemShock]

Have you ever seen a Star War?

Yes, why?

 

[Torgo]

Yes, why?

Because it's always been full of tropes, plot holes and inconsistencies.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

SystemShock

... still doesn't make it for good story telling. And I get that every story has been told and every scene has been shot, but there needs to be some twist, some different presentation, to make it if not better, at least somewhat different.


Just a few:
The IG-11 role.
That whole montage about a robot relearning to walk and hold stuff.
It is reprogrammed to care for and protect the baby, but it slings the baby around its neck in a sack and charges into a town chuck full of troopers. And while in the second episode it charges into a compound full of mercenaries and then in the last it charges into a town full of troopers, in both occasions kills dozens, in the end it decides the best course of action is to blow itself up because they had 10 troopers ahead of them.
agreed that his sacrifice was a bit contrived (his dad is dead and i think that's part of it), but he was programmed as a nurse not specifically for the baby, and it's clear that he's learning - so adaptation is part of the game

Moff Gideon
Your classic Bond villain, I guess. Has to explain how powerful is the big ol' cannon they are bringing out, and the havoc the previous model wreaked (yet when the Mandalorian fires the cannon, it doesn't look any more powerful than the gun Cara is firing).Has a standoff because... well, because they needed to fill time, I guess. It is never clear why the standoff.
agreed but every action movie/show has this issue and many others - the one that i always bristle at is "we've only got 2 minutes to accomplish this life/death task but let's take 30 of those seconds to checkin on how we feel about each other atm"


The 2 scout troopers
Somehow they (and only they) can listen to the Mandalorian communications just at the right time, and are the only ones going in pursuit of the baby (of course, the whole set up for that chase was Kuiil insisting he had to bring his mount). Then they stop 2 miles away from the town to have a silly exchange (in which they are told all the horrible things Moff Gideon is doing, like killing baby seals and putting aluminum foil in the microwave) and wait to get permission to enter the town. Why do they need permission to enter the town? Oh, yeah, so the robot can jump them and take the baby.
specifically bc they're scout troopers - we saw them last episode guarding the town and having the interaction with mando
remember these are now goons for hire - the empire is transitioning to 1st Order at this point - they were there for the client and that dynamic is changing underfoot


The 2 Samurai
How many more times...? Anyway, one imperial walker can kill hundreds of trained soldiers, but can't destroy flimsy wooden barriers. At least the Ewoks used guerrilla warfare. The walker apparently was alive, not driven by anyone, because it looked down to see the pit a pilot would've seen feet away. And of course, stops short of the pit, then teases stepping into the pit, and eventually steps into the pit.
agreed - this was my least favorite episode and i had many issues with it as well

Not so Mandalorian
The part about protecting baby Yoda I get, but this Mandalorian is too trusting of people. How many more times does he have to get betrayed before he learns his lesson? He kills everything on sight, but for whatever reason the 3 people who try to kill him in the prison ship, he leaves alive. Why? Probably because they are going to need more betrayers the next season. Of course, no issue with killing all of the people at the station by leaving the tracking signal on whatshisname, who apparently didn't hear the beeping until it was too late. The Mandalorians are supposed to be fearless warriors and hunters, yet they are cooked up in the sewers of a desert planet, hiding.
he/they have a code - they talked about it a LOT
they were also Purged by the empire - these are remnants of remnants
and again, like i said, he is Jon Snow level intelligent - which is to say not very


I think that's enough.[/QUOTE]

 

[FL_Saint]

One of these days, someone is going to create a series or a movie or even a trilogy that is absolutely perfect in every way. Perfectly written, perfectly directed, perfect special effects, perfect music, perfect casting and perfect acting. This production will satisfy every persons individual tastes for their perceived story and expected outcome.

In the meantime, I tend to accept some shortcomings in any of the above areas and make my viewing decisions and/or conclusions based on only one criteria - was I entertained?

I think @Sun Wukong said this in the tRoS thread,

(paraphrasing) you can recognize that something has flaws, but still find value in it.

 

[Saint_Ward]

One of these days, someone is going to create a series or a movie or even a trilogy that is absolutely perfect in every way. Perfectly written, perfectly directed, perfect special effects, perfect music, perfect casting and perfect acting. This production will satisfy every persons individual tastes for their perceived story and expected outcome.

In the meantime, I tend to accept some shortcomings in any of the above areas and make my viewing decisions and/or conclusions based on only one criteria - was I entertained?

I think @Sun Wukong said this in the tRoS thread,

This makes me think of Conan O'Brien's bit, "In the year 2000..."

Ha.

 

[SystemShock]

Because it's always been full of tropes, plot holes and inconsistencies.

... which makes the other movies entertaining, but not that good. Except for A New Hope and Rogue One. A New Hope blew my mind when I first saw it back in 1977, and Rogue One gave me back some of that feeling, for whatever reason.

The thing about tropes, all movies have them, but like Stanley Kubrick say, you have to do them better. A New Hope surely was chuck full of tropes (good vs evil, saving the princess, the old master teaching the young student, etc) but the tropes were presented in a way in which they had not been presented before.

And I am not saying The Mandalorian was bad, but I expected better, considering the series was a big part of the launch of Disney+, and all of the resources that Disney threw at it.

 

[SaintsBrazil]

And I am not saying The Mandalorian was bad, but I expected better, considering the series was a big part of the launch of Disney+, and all of the resources that Disney threw at it.

I wasn't sure what to expect. A Star Wars TV show has to have a pacing and a storytelling that is different from a movie. Whereas the movies, lately, try too hard to be super-epic this was different. I could relax. This isn't "The universe depends upon our success" stakes. The stakes are survival and personal character. This is as good as it gets for broad-audience, adults and children television.

The stakes on a personal level are not as great either. I was not investing an evening and $40+ to go see it. I have been streaming it for some $7 a month which is roughly $2 an episode. I loved, more than anything, the feel of just being in the Star Wars universe.

Right now, I am feeling like I could enjoy this show for 10 years if it runs that long.

 

[mattgdg]

and the full extent of Mando’s developmental instruction is ... ‘here play with this knob from my stick shift ‘