The Star Wars Show You’re Looking For

By Tejas Raghuram

The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano and Carl Weathers, is the first live action Star Wars TV show, and is about a bounty hunter struggling to make a living in the chaos of the post-Empire world in between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. This review is based on the first 3-episode arc of the show, and only contains very mild spoilers at the end of the article. 

In a world where streaming services are a dime a dozen, it was no surprise when the king of the box office, Disney, announced that they were entering the streaming business with 

Disney +. And when it was announced that the flagship show of this new streaming service would be the first ever live action Star Wars show, I was understandably very excited. 

However at the same time I was incredibly nervous for this show, as my expectations were it were through the roof, both because this was a Star Wars show and also because the streaming show market is incredibly competitive right now. The Mandalorian is just one of the many shows vying for the spot Game of Thrones once held as the must watch show of its generation. HBO is currently airing the first seasons of two of their new flagship shows, Watchmen and His Dark Materials (both of which are excellent so far), Amazon is about to release heavyweights such as season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as well as season 4 of their new sci-fi acquisition, The Expanse (which is the best show on television right now), and next month Netflix releases their high budget fantasy show, video game adaptation The Witcher. 

Fortunately though, The Mandalorian is very good, and is more than able to hold its own against all of these other shows. The first thing that jumped out at me, even from the trailers, is the quality of the production design on this show. This show looks and feels like Star Wars, with original trilogy inspired sets, props, and locations. The music is not like other Star Wars score, opting to use acoustic guitars and flutes, evoking that classic Ennio Morricone western feel. The show also uses the gritty, colorless look of Rogue One to great effect, combining original trilogy inspired character designs with amazing VFX work from Industrial Light and Magic’s new TV wing to just make the show feel at home in the Star Wars universe. 

One thing I was looking forward to from this show are the action sequences, and while those featured in the first three episodes are not all that amazing, there are still some standout moments. My favorites include a raid on a compound by the Mandalorian and fellow bounty hunter droid IG-11 (voiced by Taika Waititi) at the end of the first episode, and a sequence at the end of the third episode where the Mandalorian has to fight his way back to his ship with precious cargo in tow. The latter was particularly impressive, as it showcased how effective of a fighter the Mandalorian is, while also making it clear that he is not invulnerable. Huge credits to Deborah Chow, who directed that episode, and is also the first woman to ever direct Star Wars. Episode 3 was by far the strongest of the three episodes, and has me very excited for next week’s episode, which will be directed by celebrity fly-by director Bryce Dallas Howard. 

The performances in this show are also great, with Pedro Pascal doing his best to make his character likable, despite the fact that he is always behind a mask. There is a moment within the third episode where The Mandalorian has to make a difficult choice, and Pascal is able to  sell that tension with just his physicality. The other cast members are good to, with Taika Waititi, Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog doing the best they in their very small roles. I especially like the interplay between The Mandalorian and Waititi’s character, IG-11, in the scenes they have together. Other cast members Gina Carano and Giancarlo Esposito have yet to make an appearance within the first three episodes. 

However where this show falters slightly is in its story. While the episodes are very fast paced, what this show seems to be going for is almost like a “slice of life” into the Star Wars universe, focusing on different aspects of the universe every episode. For example, episode 1 focuses on what bounty hunters’ lives are like. It’s almost like this show is a live action Saturday morning cartoon, and part of that is probably because of executive producer Dave Filoni. Filoni’s experience with Star Wars comes exclusively from his work on the animated Star Wars shows, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. While the aforementioned shows are solid shows in their own right, the type of storytelling used there is not the storytelling I want to see in appointment television like The Mandalorian. While the third episode does somewhat fix this problem by tightening the story and focusing its direction, I need to see the later episodes to determine whether or not it was just a fluke. 

Another thing that contributes to the show feeling like a Saturday morning cartoon is the length of the episodes. The episodes are all around 30 minutes long, which pales in comparison to shows like Game of Thrones, which had episodes that ran almost 90 minutes in the final season. The pilot episode is a little bit longer, at 35 minutes, but the second episode is only 29 minutes, which is unforgivable for a show that is supposed to be appointment television. While I don’t think this would be a problem if the show was released all at once, this show is released week to week, like Game of Thrones. The other factor that makes this a problem is the current lack of content on Disney +. Being the only brand name drama show on the service at launch, all eyes were on The Mandalorian to deliver thrills on par with seasons 4-6 of Game of Thrones from day one. As I’ve said before the show is very good, but it just isn’t at the level it needed to be. 

If you are not a Star Wars fan, there is no way I can recommend this show to you, as despite its original characters and setting, it still relies very heavily on nostalgia to hook its audience. If The Mandalorian is the only reason you are buying Disney +, maybe wait a couple of weeks until the full season is out, activate your free trial and watch all 8 episodes. But if you are a Star Wars fan, The Mandalorian is for you. The short episode length and Saturday morning cartoon feel combined with excellent production values, creative action sequences, compelling performances and a lot of nostalgic call backs make the show an excellent candidate for binge watching. 

Honestly, if you are looking for appointment television, this is not it, at least not yet. The Mandalorian does have incredible potential, as displayed by its amazing third episode. I am honestly really looking forward to where this show goes next, and I can only hope that it gets better over time. 

If you are looking for top tier science fiction, there are certainly better shows out there (i.e. Firefly, The Expanse, Battlestar Galactica). But if you are looking for a good Star Wars show and are going to buy Disney + anyways, definitely check The Mandalorian out. 

P.S. DO NOT READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON’T WANT ANY SPOILERS!

Despite all of what I said above, easily the greatest thing to come from The Mandalorian is Baby Yoda! He is literally the cutest thing in the entire universe, and the interplay between him and the Mandalorian is what makes the show for me.