Online Series: Star Wars: The Mandalorian

[quoipourquoi]

So many Easter Eggs in Episode 5

A Star Wars fan dream

One of the ones I don’t see anyone talking about is the opening space battle - which is straight from Shadows of the Empire. Same defensive tactic, same planet, and both led to plot lines about a busted-up ship.

 

[MadDevil]

I can understand feeling like this was a filler episode. Not much really happened plot wise other than the tease at the end of the episode. I still enjoyed the episode but it was probably the weakest of the show so far.

 

[firewagonHOCKEY]

Was the kid sitting in the same space with the same posture as Han Solo was in the bar at Mos Isley.. disrespectful!

 

[Caeldan]

That's a subjective opinion masquerading as objective fact. You and others may want a show with each episode being important to the overarching narrative but I object to that being a question of taste.

You're holding the first live action Star Wars show to the same narrative principles that should ordinarily govern a cinematic saga. But that's not always how serials work. Maybe, just maybe, this first season isn't meant to have some grand operatic plot to it. Having "the Child" be a part of this narrative and The Mando gunning his way out of the Guild is what grounds the plot in having some stakes, but seeing as this show happens in the 30 years between episode 6 and 7 there's plenty of time and room for "filler" adventures.

It comes down to unreasonable expectations that you seem to have placed on what this show was supposed to be. It seems you'd only (I can only assume) accept a "monster of the week" device in a Star Wars show if the first couple episodes hadn't laid a plot and narrative stakes, but that would be a terrible show. Maybe it's not the most compelling thing from a narrative perspective but maybe it's fine for an action/adventure show to have a limited scope.

If you don't like that, that's fine. Maybe the show isn't for you. For others, a brief live action adventure with a self contained story is satisfying television escapism. What isn't okay is you deciding what is an objective failure of narrative decision making on behalf of the entire audience.

Like I said, I and many others are more than content with the limited scope and self-contained story. What I'm not content with is being told that I am wrong in how I am being entertained.

I'm not saying you're wrong to be entertained.

Just that episode 5 was incredibly lazy writing compared to the episodes before it, and at this point feels like you could completely skip it and not miss a thing from the overall story presented. To this point, this is The Phantom Menace of the series.

Even as a standalone story it was the weakest of the bunch.
Mando has a bounty that he knows is being actively tracked. Lands in what has traditionally been a very active area for bounty hunters and the Hutt cartels... And leaves The Child alone on his ship?

Goes into a bounty hunter bar, expecting what exactly? Lucks out it no longer is guild operated. But wait, there's a rookie here that needs help going after an S-class mark! Of course I'll help you rookie. And the rookie smashes the tracking fob saying "it's up here", as if the mark is permanently stationary? And Mando constantly trusting the rookie, despite never being given a reason to?
Not to mention the shipyard lady turning instantly into a mom at the sight of The Child.

Just so many little plot points that make this story possible, but are the worst ideas ever for a seasoned bounty hunter to get involved with.

Also I feel like I would take less issue with this episode, if it was shown before episode 4 (because at least then we aren't aware of the tracking), or if episode 4 never existed (because then we wouldn't have a quarter of the season being about "nothing")... But 4 was the stronger of the two episodes and at least established a few other relevant pieces of character background.

 

[Chaels Arms]

Yeah Mando leaving the kid on the ship in Mos Eisley is pretty bad considering we just ended the last episode with a random bounty hunter on a backwater planet having a tracker.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

I don't have any issues with these episodes not "advancing the plot". As long as they get there and there are well-written pieces that are entertaining, I'm going to be okay with it.

But this episode gave me a feeling of repetitiveness, and I can't really put my finger on it other than the whole "Bounty hunters are a constant threat" theme that we have seen this season.

 

[HanSolo]

I'm not saying you're wrong to be entertained.

Just that episode 5 was incredibly lazy writing compared to the episodes before it, and at this point feels like you could completely skip it and not miss a thing from the overall story presented. To this point, this is The Phantom Menace of the series.

Even as a standalone story it was the weakest of the bunch.
Mando has a bounty that he knows is being actively tracked. Lands in what has traditionally been a very active area for bounty hunters and the Hutt cartels... And leaves The Child alone on his ship?

Goes into a bounty hunter bar, expecting what exactly? Lucks out it no longer is guild operated. But wait, there's a rookie here that needs help going after an S-class mark! Of course I'll help you rookie. And the rookie smashes the tracking fob saying "it's up here", as if the mark is permanently stationary? And Mando constantly trusting the rookie, despite never being given a reason to?
Not to mention the shipyard lady turning instantly into a mom at the sight of The Child.

Just so many little plot points that make this story possible, but are the worst ideas ever for a seasoned bounty hunter to get involved with.

Also I feel like I would take less issue with this episode, if it was shown before episode 4 (because at least then we aren't aware of the tracking), or if episode 4 never existed (because then we wouldn't have a quarter of the season being about "nothing")... But 4 was the stronger of the two episodes and at least established a few other relevant pieces of character background.

I mean I certainly prefer this argument to "it was filler and filler is unacceptable"

The entire premise of this argument concealed the fact that I had problems with this episode as well. Pretty much everything you listed here and I'd throw in that the newbie bounty hunter's actor was extraordinarily weak to the point of being annoying.

I just don't like the primary argument being that the episode was just filler. Thrones has shown (not in the latter seasons) that filler can be good if well made, and especially in a show like this that isn't trying to be a rich and well woven story we shouldn't rake it over the coals when the plot doesn't move or moves slowly.

 

[MadDevil]

The fact that the season is only 8 episodes and the episodes themselves are roughly 30 minutes makes a filler episode stick out more than it would in a normal series. If it wasn't on Tatooine and playing on nostalgia (which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing) I would have probably disliked the episode. Also, if the tease at the end is who a lot of people think it is, maybe this episode ends up looking less like filler. I know there were episodes of Rebels that felt like filler at first, but later in the season they would pay it off. Maybe that happens here.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

I didn't like Episode 5. For starters, it was too fan-servicey for me. For example:

Spoiler

He happened to have his ship crippled near Tatooine and landed in Mos Eisley.
He went into the same cantina as in A New Hope.
There was an R5-D4 droid from A New Hope and another droid from Return of the Jedi.
Toro was sitting exactly where Han sat when he shot Greedo and had his feet up on the table, like Han. He even owned a similar looking blaster.
They ride the model of speeder from Return of the Jedi.
They encounter Tuskan Raiders and their mounts.

I'm down with a little bit of fan service, but this was too much. It was like "how many familiar things can we cram in?" Besides that, I felt that Toro was a bit ridiculous and badly acted, the humor was a little forced and the speeder scenes looked quite fake. The episode did get a little better toward the end, but not enough to change my feelings about it as a whole.

So what you are saying is they need to ignore the world currently built and make new robots (cars), bars, indigenous populations, etc.?

The universe is what it is and changing it radically seems a bit drastic and fan-servy to me.

Do we need to add elephants in a Canadian hinterland video for viewer enjoyment?

 

[Rogue Leader]

Hey guys ... stopping by to ask if I should watch it. Personally for me everything after Disney bought Star Wars is utter ****. I can live with episode I, II and III. Is it worth catching? I don't want my image of Bobba Fett ruined. Thanks a lot and cheers!

 

[Ducks in a row]

Yeah Mando leaving the kid on the ship in Mos Eisley is pretty bad considering we just ended the last episode with a random bounty hunter on a backwater planet having a tracker.

It would be dangerous to take baby Yoda with him being out in the open in Mos Eisley and dangerous when he goes bounty hunting on the planet. He closed baby Yoda in a room on his ship expecting it to be safe in there but baby Yoda had somehow gotten out. No matter what was done baby Yoda would of been in danger.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

Well, if they hadn't had him stop being a bounty hunter in episode two and placed the focus on The Child... I'd agree with you.

But now the expectation is that this show somehow ties in with the Skywalker saga and they're taking their time getting there.

I guess you might have to watch season 2.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

From the NP.

The First Baby Yoda Plush Toy Is Now Available For Pre-Order Right Here

 

[The Shadow]

Hey guys ... stopping by to ask if I should watch it. Personally for me everything after Disney bought Star Wars is utter ****. I can live with episode I, II and III. Is it worth catching? I don't want my image of Bobba Fett ruined. Thanks a lot and cheers!

Yes it is. And there is a lot of great canon about Mandalorians from the cartoons that you’ve been missing out on.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Yes it is. And there is a lot of great canon about Mandalorians from the cartoons that you’ve been missing out on.

Thanks! Thanks to you I will be checking it out! Cheers!

 

[bleedblue1223]

I enjoyed episode 5 on its own, I still think the short length has character development because I really didn't feel anything for the other characters. I didn't care about knock-off Han, just got annoyed with at a certain point and glad he won't come back. Didn't really have an opinion of the assassin either. It was a worse version of episode 4. Seemed like the most important part of the episode was the cliffhanger, which hopefully leads into a mini 3 episode arc like the season started on.

For Filoni, I think this is an example of the difference between an long-season animated show and a shorter season live-action show. I'm sure we'll see him develop as the series goes on.

 

[Chimpradamus]

All in all, this series never would've left the drawing board if it didn't have the Star Wars trademark all over, to milk the fans. Now, considering the movies Disney have made, that basically all are dog poo (with some few exceptions, they were at least ok), I can understand the decision, because really, it isn't much worse. But if this was any other genre or any show without a trademark, it would've been shot down so hard, we never would've heard of it. Imagine a western TV-series with this manuscript? Never. Never ever, ever.

I get it, the music is on point, the camera shots are beautiful and so on. But, the manuscript is absolutely laughable. The story isn't even there. I ask myself, 5 episodes into an 8 episode season, is there even a point to all of this? Is there a story they want to tell, or do they want to sell baby-Yoda merchandise (no, they don't, those morons at Disney didn't even think about that, that's how much this series matters to them)?

Every second episode is basically a filler, in an 8 story season x 30 minutes. You could somewhat call them all fillers. It's unbelievable. ALL the immersion comes from Star Wars fans wanting to see the story of a Mandalorian bounty hunter. That's all, because this show is so, so weak it's not even funny. It's at the point of ridicule at this point.

It's not because you're talented you get a job in Hollywood today. It's because you know someone, is related to someone or polished someone's knob. All that drain of talent really, really shows these days. Hollywood or Disney, it doesn't matter, it's all the same. Woke remakes or weak original movies, with a clear agenda. Good luck with that.

This show is a B-series and that they spent more than $10m an episode to me says everything about their strategy. They throw money at it, because the talent isn't there. They could've done SO much more with SO much less money, to make a series about a Mandalorian bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe. Amateurs have shown 10 times as much with 100 times less resources, because they have an actual passion for a story. You know, the story that isn't there at all in this show.

I'll still watch it, but it's not exactly like I'm excited to wait for another episode. I'll watch it the same night, or two-three days after, it doesn't matter, because I'm not excited, but I have 30 minutes to spare and I'm bored.

For every episode, the more sure I am they - yet again - f***ed everything up, because they don't understand a problem isn't solved by throwing money at it. You can't make an episode better by rendering an AT-ST in there for 100% fan service, when the episode itself is garbage.

It's a very, very mediocre show. I will be surprised it'll even sniff a second season, because it's SO bad. Then again, this is why Disney bought the franchise. They can milk fans to their bones with mediocre garbage until they die. Of course we'll see another episode with more pointless, shallow episodes leading to nowhere.

Hey, next time you create a series, how about an actual story, with an arc, characters and so? Too much to ask? I thought so. It's extremely mediocre. It's still better than most Disney has produced about Star Wars. That says alot. I wouldn't exactly be sad it this was cancelled, because there's nothing to miss. Then again, I wouldn't exactly be sad if Disney went bankrupt either, because they don't care about making good movies and haven't done so for decades now.

 

[firewagonHOCKEY]

This was the worst episode by far. Can we stop going to random planets now for random things and just get back in to some sort of main story. Time to find out why the Empire wants baby Yoda and time to find some good guys and join up for some massive spaceship battles.

 

[Peasy]

All in all, this series never would've left the drawing board if it didn't have the Star Wars trademark all over, to milk the fans. Now, considering the movies Disney have made, that basically all are dog poo (with some few exceptions, they were at least ok), I can understand the decision, because really, it isn't much worse. But if this was any other genre or any show without a trademark, it would've been shot down so hard, we never would've heard of it. Imagine a western TV-series with this manuscript? Never. Never ever, ever.

I get it, the music is on point, the camera shots are beautiful and so on. But, the manuscript is absolutely laughable. The story isn't even there. I ask myself, 5 episodes into an 8 episode season, is there even a point to all of this? Is there a story they want to tell, or do they want to sell baby-Yoda merchandise (no, they don't, those morons at Disney didn't even think about that, that's how much this series matters to them)?

Every second episode is basically a filler, in an 8 story season x 30 minutes. You could somewhat call them all fillers. It's unbelievable. ALL the immersion comes from Star Wars fans wanting to see the story of a Mandalorian bounty hunter. That's all, because this show is so, so weak it's not even funny. It's at the point of ridicule at this point.

It's not because you're talented you get a job in Hollywood today. It's because you know someone, is related to someone or polished someone's knob. All that drain of talent really, really shows these days. Hollywood or Disney, it doesn't matter, it's all the same. Woke remakes or weak original movies, with a clear agenda. Good luck with that.

This show is a B-series and that they spent more than $10m an episode to me says everything about their strategy. They throw money at it, because the talent isn't there. They could've done SO much more with SO much less money, to make a series about a Mandalorian bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe. Amateurs have shown 10 times as much with 100 times less resources, because they have an actual passion for a story. You know, the story that isn't there at all in this show.

I'll still watch it, but it's not exactly like I'm excited to wait for another episode. I'll watch it the same night, or two-three days after, it doesn't matter, because I'm not excited, but I have 30 minutes to spare and I'm bored.

For every episode, the more sure I am they - yet again - ****ed everything up, because they don't understand a problem isn't solved by throwing money at it. You can't make an episode better by rendering an AT-ST in there for 100% fan service, when the episode itself is garbage.

It's a very, very mediocre show. I will be surprised it'll even sniff a second season, because it's SO bad. Then again, this is why Disney bought the franchise. They can milk fans to their bones with mediocre garbage until they die. Of course we'll see another episode with more pointless, shallow episodes leading to nowhere.

Hey, next time you create a series, how about an actual story, with an arc, characters and so? Too much to ask? I thought so. It's extremely mediocre. It's still better than most Disney has produced about Star Wars. That says alot. I wouldn't exactly be sad it this was cancelled, because there's nothing to miss. Then again, I wouldn't exactly be sad if Disney went bankrupt either, because they don't care about making good movies and haven't done so for decades now.

Disney sure does love milking everything bone dry. Gotta love how they're randomly incorporating Palpatine into the final movie. Gotta win back some of the fans after that disgraceful TLJ movie.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

All in all, this series never would've left the drawing board if it didn't have the Star Wars trademark all over, to milk the fans. Now, considering the movies Disney have made, that basically all are dog poo (with some few exceptions, they were at least ok), I can understand the decision, because really, it isn't much worse. But if this was any other genre or any show without a trademark, it would've been shot down so hard, we never would've heard of it. Imagine a western TV-series with this manuscript? Never. Never ever, ever.

I get it, the music is on point, the camera shots are beautiful and so on. But, the manuscript is absolutely laughable. The story isn't even there. I ask myself, 5 episodes into an 8 episode season, is there even a point to all of this? Is there a story they want to tell, or do they want to sell baby-Yoda merchandise (no, they don't, those morons at Disney didn't even think about that, that's how much this series matters to them)?

Every second episode is basically a filler, in an 8 story season x 30 minutes. You could somewhat call them all fillers. It's unbelievable. ALL the immersion comes from Star Wars fans wanting to see the story of a Mandalorian bounty hunter. That's all, because this show is so, so weak it's not even funny. It's at the point of ridicule at this point.

It's not because you're talented you get a job in Hollywood today. It's because you know someone, is related to someone or polished someone's knob. All that drain of talent really, really shows these days. Hollywood or Disney, it doesn't matter, it's all the same. Woke remakes or weak original movies, with a clear agenda. Good luck with that.

This show is a B-series and that they spent more than $10m an episode to me says everything about their strategy. They throw money at it, because the talent isn't there. They could've done SO much more with SO much less money, to make a series about a Mandalorian bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe. Amateurs have shown 10 times as much with 100 times less resources, because they have an actual passion for a story. You know, the story that isn't there at all in this show.

I'll still watch it, but it's not exactly like I'm excited to wait for another episode. I'll watch it the same night, or two-three days after, it doesn't matter, because I'm not excited, but I have 30 minutes to spare and I'm bored.

For every episode, the more sure I am they - yet again - ****ed everything up, because they don't understand a problem isn't solved by throwing money at it. You can't make an episode better by rendering an AT-ST in there for 100% fan service, when the episode itself is garbage.

It's a very, very mediocre show. I will be surprised it'll even sniff a second season, because it's SO bad. Then again, this is why Disney bought the franchise. They can milk fans to their bones with mediocre garbage until they die. Of course we'll see another episode with more pointless, shallow episodes leading to nowhere.

Hey, next time you create a series, how about an actual story, with an arc, characters and so? Too much to ask? I thought so. It's extremely mediocre. It's still better than most Disney has produced about Star Wars. That says alot. I wouldn't exactly be sad it this was cancelled, because there's nothing to miss. Then again, I wouldn't exactly be sad if Disney went bankrupt either, because they don't care about making good movies and haven't done so for decades now.

If only you were smarter than a chimp.

 

[Balls Mahoney]

I'm glad you guys are starting to see it. This is an unbelievably bad project. A f***ing space bounty hunter and a baby Yoda in weekly woke space adventures? That's pure shit that would have been satire a few years ago. But let's watch a pure evil corporation rip off westerns in the hackiest soulless way possible to sell Baby Yoda dolls.

The fight scenes are beyond tedious and all they have. You're going to have to sit through 10 minutes of pointless f***ing fights every episode that go nowhere because they have nothing else. You know no good guys are going to die because it's f***ing Disney and you know nothing interesting is going to happen because it's woke shit, so half of every episode is just a pointless circle jerk.

Why are things based in years in Nu-Star Wars? How presumptuous is it that the entire universe is still operating in earth years? Earth has never been referenced in Star Wars yet the entire galaxy still operates in it's notion of time? Ha, okay. Let me get my f***ing Mayan Calendar out so I can start trying to figure out the moon cycles of when Disney will bless us with their next offering.

Also, fat Pejorative Slured aliens pray to God like fat Pejorative Slured hipster humans? Ha, okay.

What does this shit have to even do with Star Wars other than an evil corporation trying to shove baby Yoda dolls down marks' throats before Christmas?

It's probably one of the most mindless things I've watched but it's interesting in that it shows so much of why things are the way they are in current year.

Your main character is wearing a f***ing mask through the entire show with a bunch of woo woo hocus pocus horseshit around that. And it's contrasted by him having absolutely no personality and a monotone voice which is like watching someone on a world record dose of morphine locked in a broken elevator for a hour every week. So in between boring tedious pointless fights your main character is as interesting as paint drying except paint drying has the ability to convey more range without the limitations imposed on the main character you're supposed to invest hours of your life into. Neon Green paint has more range and conveys more emotion than this main character.

This was literally the only Nu-Star Wars project I was interested in. How could you possibly f*** up something as cool as the underworld of Star Wars. But God bless 'em... Baby f***ing Yoda.

 

[Nizdizzle]

This was the worst episode by far. Can we stop going to random planets now for random things and just get back in to some sort of main story. Time to find out why the Empire wants baby Yoda and time to find some good guys and join up for some massive spaceship battles.

But I was told earlier in the thread that these random side quests WERE the main plot.

I don't want massive spaceship battles or good guys. The space western bounty hunter thing does enough on its own, IMO. However, when you only have 8 episodes, wasting 3 episodes and advancing the plot not at all is just bad pacing. Maybe I'm just too far removed from episodic TV shows, but this show has frustrated me. Also, more IG-88, please.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

A ****ing space bounty hunter and a baby Yoda in weekly woke space adventures?

What?

 

[Balls Mahoney]

What?

He's playing second base, bruh.

 

[firewagonHOCKEY]

It's Star Wars, of course you need some massive epic space battles.
I agree that IG-88 was awesome and now I want Dash Rendar to appear as well.