Thanksgiving is here and it is a time where we give thanks for all we have. The Mandalorian has been a hit with Star Wars fans young and old and here are five things from the show that we are most thankful for.
Thanksgiving is here and it is a time where we don’t just stuff our faces with turkey, pie, mashed potatoes, buns, green bean casserole, and cranberries, but also give thanks for all that we have. For Star Wars fans there is plenty to be thankful for right now.
There are numerous comics and books and shows that are scratching the itch of fans everywhere. Star Wars Resistance is in its final season, and The Mandalorian has been a huge hit so far with Star Wars fandom.
Factor in that The Rise of Skywalker, the final film in the nine-part saga, is due to hit theaters in less than a month and it’s truly a great time to be a Star Wars fan.
Instead of making a huge wide encompassing list of what Star Wars fans are most thankful for, we’ll narrow it down to just one of these. The Mandalorian has been a hit with fans, and one that seems to have united a very divisive fan base. Here are five things from the show that Star Wars fans should be most thankful for.
The Callbacks
Sometimes towards the end of a Thanksgiving feast, one will force themselves to have one more slice of pie, or maybe even one more scoop of stuffing. One thing that hasn’t felt forced in The Mandalorian is all the callbacks we’ve seen through the first three episodes.
Every call back has felt right, and either sets the tone of a scene or helps move the story along. As fans, we are more than happy to get reacquainted with some of these that harken back to the original trilogy and the prequels.
In the first episode alone, we hear characters speaking Huttese, we saw Kowakian Monkey Lizards, one in a cage and the other being rotisseried. We have seen the little gatekeeper droid that was outside Jabba the Hutt’s palace, a super battle droid in a flashback, and in the second episode, we saw Jawas, just to name a few.
The Jawas were especially fun to see, as we got to see them at their bartering best.
After stripping down the Mando’s ship, they survive an attack on their Sandcrawler from him. They later negotiate with him to get them an egg, in exchange for his parts back.
It was a really great use of the Jawas and one where we got a real feeling for how they operate and do their shady business. With five episodes left, Star Wars fans can be thankful and excited to see even more callbacks from previous films in the saga.
A Look at Mandalorian Culture
The Mandalores were for a long time a bit of an unknown in Star Wars culture. Ever since fans heard that Boba Fett wore Mandalorian armor they wondered and dreamt what kind of warriors would wear such cool armor.
The Clone Wars TV series delved into it quite a bit and gave us an idea of how they function as a society. It ultimately focused on a traitorous group known as the Death Watch that joined forces with the Separatists and caused a bit of a civil war. Still, we were able to get a sense of how they function.
The Mandalorian has given us even a clearer picture. It’s unclear what planet the Mandalorian keeps returning to, but it clearly has a small group of Mandalorians living there.
These loyal warriors never take off their helmets and clearly live by a code of conduct that is adhered to by saying the line “This is the way”. Armor and weapons are part of their religion as the Mando clearly tells the Jawas when they want his disintegration rifle in exchange for parts.
They also appear to prefer armor to actual money, as the Beskar the Mandalorian earns from his bounties he has turned into armor. The show so far has depicted the Mandalorians as a war-centric people who value weapons and armor but also have a strong sense of honor.
Interesting Side Characters
During a Thanksgiving meal, it is always wise to stick with the tried and true side dishes. Stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes, and cranberries may not be the most exciting things but they are good and you know what you are getting.
Occasionally some relative will show up with a “new” side dish and this interesting concoction usually doesn’t pan out, and it is best to just stay away from it. Thankfully in The Mandalorian, the side dishes, or in this case side characters, have been not only interesting but engaging, and are even worth a second helping.
The first episode featured the Mandalorian going after his mystery quarry. When he got to the planet that his quarry was on, he is met by an Ugnaught name Kuiil. He is a no-nonsense kind of guy who is basically living out his retirement on a ranch in this wasteland of a planet.
He helps the Mandalorian get to where his quarry is being held and even teaches him how to ride a Blurrg. In the second episode, Kuiil helps Mando deal with the Jawas and get the parts of his ship back.
He always ends his sentences by saying “I have spoken.” It’s a great catchphrase and really when he says that the Mandalorian knows its time to shut up and accept what he said. Mando offers him a job but Kuiil turns him down, much to the chagrin of fans everywhere.
IG-11 was another interesting side character. He was also commissioned to go after the quarry in the first episode. Being a droid, he is pretty much business only, but Taika Waititi brought a bit of a comedic edge to him. Just when it looked like he was about to be the Mandalorian’s partner, he ended up meeting his fate instead, and frankly, it would’ve been fun to see him make it an episode or two longer.
Side characters in Star Wars have kind of been hit or miss over the 10 movies that have been made so far. The Mandalorian has been an exception through three episodes, and that we can all be thankful for.
An Idea of the State of the Galaxy
Any time a new Star Wars show has come out it has usually been set sometime before A New Hope. Plenty of stories have been told about the start of the Rebellion and the time after the fall of the Jedi and the rise of the Empire. It seemed like the time after Return of the Jedi was just like a turkey when it comes fresh out of the oven, hands-off.
Finally, The Mandalorian is able to explore the time frame after the destruction of the second Death Star and we can give thanks that we are able to see the state of the galaxy in the aftermath.
It is clearly a galaxy in flux. While the Empire is out of power factions of it still remain. We see members of the Empire are still hanging on and trying to scheme some sort of plan with the bounty of the child.
Stormtroopers are still around, though the shine and luster of their armor have been replaced with dirt and grime. Imperial credits are still used as currency but are not as valuable or widely accepted as they once were.
It isn’t a lawless galaxy by any means but one that is clearly in transition. The Guild is the most organized group we are introduced to and have their own set of rules that all bounty hunters who belong to it adhere to. There is a brief mention of the Republic, but it appears for the most part systems are governing themselves. Again, this is an area many fans have wanted to see explored outside of books, and finally, the veil has been lifted.
Baby Yoda
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If “Baby Yoda” were a Thanksgiving dish he’d be the turkey because he is easily everyone’s favorite. The little Yoda baby is easily the cutest thing to be put on screen in 20 years and Star Wars fans can’t be more thankful to have been introduced to him.
His inclusion in the series really caught fans off guard. When The Mandalorian was announced many figured it’d be a series about this bounty hunter collecting his quarries and the adventures that would go along with them.
Instead, we are getting the story of a hardened warrior who finds pity in a young alien who has been orphaned and basically been given a death sentence. This orphan also happens to be the same species as the fan-favorite Jedi Yoda, whose species has been shrouded in mystery from day one.
Not only is this baby the same species as Yoda but in Episode 2 of The Mandalorian, we see like Yoda, he is also very strong in the Force. He saves the Mandalorian from the Mudhorn by using the Force to raise the beast in the air. The Mandalorian is then able to stab it with his knife, killing it, and getting the egg needed to get the parts of his ship back from the Jawas.
So in a show that was supposed to be about bounty hunting, we suddenly get aspects of the Force and Jedi thrown in for good measure. That is a huge and unexpected treat and fans are clearly thankful for it and cannot wait to see where Baby Yoda and the Mandalorian go from here.