Put Hera Syndulla in The Mandalorian: An open letter to Jon Favreau
With the D23 release of the official trailer for the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, the show takes shape as a gritty adventure set in the aftermath of the Original Trilogy. The effects look great, the new characters compelling; perhaps though there is a good opportunity here to expand on an established character we know should be around in that time period: Hera Syndulla.
Hello Mr. Favreau!
Dan here, just checking in. Realizing you’re probably not necessarily fishing for compliments from a 46-year-old lifelong Star Wars nerd, I have to say the new trailer for The Mandalorian revealed at D23 looks absolutely stunning.
High adventure, a gritty look at the rough edges of a galaxy trying to recover from a Civil War. This show looks like it isn’t going to pull any punches with what the protagonist or the people around him are going to do to survive.
The buzz around the show is certainly positive and enthusiastic. There’s a great cinematic feel to it all, and a cast that five years ago one could have only dreamt might be attached to a Star Wars project. Pascal? Carano? Weathers? Werner Herzog?
Seriously, how did you pull that one off? Natalia Tena of Harry Potter and Game of Thrones fame even shows up as a Twi’lek if you watch closely enough. And indeed, thanks to your Instagram, Mr. Favreau, let’s take a look:
Looks pretty great! And since you’re already working on season two, let’s talk a little more about Twi’leks, shall we? The costume looks great on Natalia Tena for that little tease we get, and since we are set after Return of the Jedi, it seems to me there’s a certain General that would be perfect to try to exert some of the New Republic’s authority over the bounty hunters and rogues of the Outer Rim:
Hera Syndulla of Star Wars: Rebels comes out of the end of that series with a coda that clearly puts her in the time period of your show. The recent novel Alphabet Squadron features the Rebels’ Space Mom as the leader of a flotilla (though mysteriously does not mention her son Jacen) cleaning up Imperial remnant. So we know she’s there.
Depending on what happens to Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in season one, pitting him against a Republic General while The Mandalorian and his merry band pull off crime and bounty hunting in their wake seems like a great setting.
And since I have your attention (for which I am certainly grateful, Mr. Favreau; and by the way, I loved Cowboys and Aliens; underrated classic), I have a simple suggestion for casting. Just put those wonderful lekku costume skills to work on the cartoon voice of Hera, Ms. Vanessa Marshall. She would be absolutely perfect in the role she was so instrumental in creating in the first place.
Allowing Hera Syndulla into The Mandalorian helps bind the Star Wars universe together, with visual ties not only to the fantastic Rebels animated series, but also to General Syndulla’s name drop in Rogue One, and her ship The Ghost’s appearance in the Battle of Scarif. Indeed, perhaps it sets the stage for other Rebels characters and situations: Sabine? Ezra? Thrawn? It makes my Hera-Stanning heart flutter to think of the possibilities.
So thanks for your time Mr. Favreau, and whatever we get, I am sure it will be amazing, but if you are looking around for ideas…think Hera.
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