“A brand new and exciting Star Wars television show,” most people call it, but to the steadfast Star Wars fan, this was something extraordinarily special. 

The Mandalorian. 

An idea created by George Lucas, the original owner of Star Wars, that was first conceptualized for The Empire Strikes Back, hits the Star Wars fandom with a wave of new and refreshing content. The year prior to Disney releasing their new streaming service, Disney Plus, they announced to entertainment media that with their launch would come also with the entire first season of the Mandalorian. This news that the Mandalorian would be Disney’s release title for their new streaming service that is projected to be a dominant force in the streaming service ring, only fueled fans with more excitement for this new Star Wars installment.

Mandalorians.

A commonly recognized name for the fictional people associated with the planet Mandalore. This race of armoured “supercommandos,” was developed into a well known single bounty hunter character known as Boba Fett in the original series. In this new Disney series, viewers are taken on a side by side journey with a Mandalorian who is experiencing moral conflict with the decisions he makes as a bounty hunter. Because of these uncertainties, he goes against his gild’s code by taking one of his targets, that many of you have probably heard of, Baby Yoda and protecting him from harm. For a character who is used to killing people, it’s unusual to see a compassionate side, but the first season does a fantastic job at showing how human these people really are. As the Mandalorian and his new side-kick Baby Yoda flee from the fallen imperial leader that placed a bounty on Baby Yoda’s head, they begin to grow a close bond. The directors of the show do an amazing job at gluing the audience to this relationship by using both Baby Yoda’s vulnerability as a child and the Mandalorians concealed identity. Neither of them owes each other anything, yet when the Mandalorian chose to save him, it truly humanized him. These “out of the ordinary” decisions dictated by morals, in a universe filled with chaos and fear, truly gripped the audience, and for some resulted in a complete binge-watch of the series. As a diehard Star Wars fan myself, it was very easy to enjoy something new and refreshing that stepped away from where Disney had taken the series after George Lucas sold off Disney, and for that, I give the Story/plot of the first season a 9/10 stars. 

Now how did the rest of the Star Wars react to this new series? Well it’s not hard to tell considering the amount of mass positive media attention it received. The Mandalorian was 93.5 times more in-demand than the average U.S. title after it was released on November 12, 2019. Episode three ”The Sin,” released on Friday, Nov. 22 currently holds a series-high 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is an incredibly high and rare review to see. Also, the internet pronounced on the new fame of Baby Yoda, and tore it up with memes and media excitement. This could be seen through a marketing lens because the cute, little Baby Yoda appeals to now Star Wars fans, and gives them an excuse to make a fortune off merchandise, but they still made it fit in the series very well, and overall had a positive impact on the Star Wars fandom. 

As for how this story stood next to the other three trilogies, it presented quite a different experience for viewers, because Star Wars fans had not been given a live-action television series before. I think I can speak for many fans and say that one of the most appealing things in this series is that it steps away from the typical “Good vs Evil”, or “Light and Dark Side of the Force.” The fate of the universe is never at risk through this first season which is new for anything Star Wars Related. This is what really gave it a refreshing feel for fans because it was a new way in experiencing the Star Wars universe.  As we all know, TV shows have much different pacing and style than movies do, but the directors do a good job at making the viewers feel as if they are still in the Star Wars universe whether or not they’ve been a fan since the 70’s or just got into Star Wars. This is a very difficult task for many production crews who try to create a TV show off of a movie because it’s usually too far different from the feel of the movie that attracted the fans in the first place. But Disney’s ability to mold both the movie series and the TV series together leads me to give the show a 10/10 stars on production.  

The cast they chose, and the script they would form to fit along with the characters, was vital for the new TV series’s authenticity. To nail the perfect role of the main character, the Mandalorian, Disney had to create a mystical persona. Because the Mandalorian never takes off his helmet to conceal his identity, and locals around the universe shutter at the sight of him, it was very important for Disney to keep the characters’ actions in line with the role he has to fit. In other words, because this new TV series is supposed to highlight the Star Wars universe on a “smaller scale”, they need to depict the characters in a way that gives them a very personal feel. Because the story isn’t just about good vs evil, and save the universe, the audience becomes more compelled to the individual characters themselves and how their stories are told. One of the methods in doing this was steering away from the use of the force, and having no Jedis in the first season at all. This gives fans a new look at the Star Wars universe and gives them something much more compelling to engage in after watching 3 different trilogies over the past 50 years. Disney’s ability to bring the audience a personal connection to the story, and leave people in awe after the short ended first season, I would give the acting/and style in which they scripted the characters a 9/10 stars.