The Mandalorian

[TordelBack]

Agreed, it's a fun show that anyone who has seen the original three movies at some point would have no problem getting 95% of the value from. So far,  anyway.

[Rately]

Okay, not a massive fan of the Star Wars movies, with the recent additions not doing much for me in any way, shape or form, but... the trailers look excellent, the casting choices - Werner Herzog! - are pretty great, so i'm wondering can i dive into series 1 or do i need to re-watch the movies so i don't miss anything!

Probably helps if you know what a Mandalorian is, but I think you could probably dive in without knowing anything at all about Star Wars.  I think the easter eggs are just that - little extras for those in the know but unobtrusive to everybody else.

Cheers!

Ignore my stupidity, but i can tell that Boba and Jango Fett wore similar armour, and that Mandalorians were a warrior race?

[Rately]

Agreed, it's a fun show that anyone who has seen the original three movies at some point would have no problem getting 95% of the value from. So far,  anyway.

Cheers!

[sheridan]

Cheers!

Ignore my stupidity, but i can tell that Boba and Jango Fett wore similar armour, and that Mandalorians were a warrior race?

Most people who have watched all of the films (but not the TV series) wouldn't know what Mandalorians are, so don't worry about it.  Mandalorians are basically a warrior race, Boba and Jango Fett - we don't know exactly what their relation is, but they did wear Mando armour.  That's about all we really know.

[wedgeski]

Cheers!

Ignore my stupidity, but i can tell that Boba and Jango Fett wore similar armour, and that Mandalorians were a warrior race?

Most people who have watched all of the films (but not the TV series) wouldn't know what Mandalorians are, so don't worry about it.  Mandalorians are basically a warrior race, Boba and Jango Fett - we don't know exactly what their relation is, but they did wear Mando armour.  That's about all we really know.

Plus it's all presented very neatly in the opening episode(s).

[TordelBack]

It's also a very different view of Mandalorians to that presented in the animated shows (their main "canon" outings), so being aware of those wouldn't be much additional good. In short, if you know that the evil Empire was eventually defeated by the Rebels, and Yoda could move stuff with his mind but the Jedi are all but extinct now, you're good to go.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I have to admit I came to the series not knowing what a Mandalorian was, or at least had long forgotten.  I was very happy, though, to see that the main character was a Boba Fett, because Boba Fetts are awesome.  Of course I'd known in advance there'd be a Yoda too. 

[Rately]

So, two episodes in and really, really enjoying it. The effects, bit jerky in places which almost adds a bit of charm, are good, acting and design and scenery is lovely, and it is a bloody Western. The Robot Bounty Hunter in first episode was a lovely touch, and the fact it has a lovely streak of humour through it all really helps.

The baby Yoda is brilliant, and i'm looking forward to getting the rest watched.

[TordelBack]

NO SPOILERS: S02E03/Chapter 11 is quite simply ridiculously good on every possible level. Effects,  design, action, awesomely awesome guest stars, wider continuity (I know, I know, I said I didn't care for this, but this is the good kind), costumes, tantalising dangly bits, more Firefly homages... Never did I think would see anything like this in live action telly. Off for an instant rewatch.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

...tantalising dangly bits...

Is there any other kind?

[JayzusB.Christ]

NO SPOILERS: S02E03/Chapter 11 is quite simply ridiculously good on every possible level. Effects,  design, action, awesomely awesome guest stars, wider continuity (I know, I know, I said I didn't care for this, but this is the good kind), costumes, tantalising dangly bits, more Firefly homages... Never did I think would see anything like this in live action telly. Off for an instant rewatch.

Seconded.  Amazing stuff.  This just gets better and better.   Design-wise, it's Pirates of the Caribbean - face-tentacles and all - only more atmospheric.   

[sheridan]

NO SPOILERS: S02E03/Chapter 11 is quite simply ridiculously good on every possible level. Effects,  design, action, awesomely awesome guest stars, wider continuity (I know, I know, I said I didn't care for this, but this is the good kind), costumes, tantalising dangly bits, more Firefly homages... Never did I think would see anything like this in live action telly. Off for an instant rewatch.

Seconded.  Amazing stuff.  This just gets better and better.   Design-wise, it's Pirates of the Caribbean - face-tentacles and all - only more atmospheric.   

Glad I wasn't the only one thinking of Bill Nighy's character - I wouldn't be surprised if the same animation studio / software / models were involved.

[Mardroid]

I've enjoyed this series a lot so far. Apparently that egg eating gag in previous episode rather upset a lot of people. I don't mea, but apparently on twitter there's been a bit of an uproar. I had a lady have a bit of a go at me too when I defended it somewhat*, but I just backed away from that one.

Yes, loved recent episode. Just brilliant.

Also glad that they explained [spoiler]inconsistencies in way mandalorians are portrayed in this show and the clone wars/Rebels shows in a way that makes sense. Namely the removing/not removing helmet thing and why our Mandalorian and his closer kin know so little about the Jedi when the mandalorians actively fought with/against Jedi in the cartoons.[/spoiler]

* I wasn't trying to say the child was right eating the eggs, just that it was more comparable to my enjoying chicken eggs for breakfast than abortion (like folk on that thread were suggesting) since the eggs were unfertilised, aside from the fact chickens are not sentient. (Granted eating eggs of a sentient intelligent species is a biggee, but I was also thinking of the innocence of the child, just thinking "Food! Yum!")

Queue her response: "So you're as creepy as baby Yoda are you? Oh, and by the way chickens are sentient...". Think maybe I aggravated a vegan there.** She might be right about the sentient thing, maybe I used the wrong word. I did consider trolling her with a Gollum expression: "Yesss we sneakses around the farmyard hen bousessss and plucks the eggses from the hens bottomsss. We lovess eggsesss! GOLLUM! GOLLUM!" Like, you say creepy, you got creepy baby. I decided best not to respond at all though.

That altercation (if you can call it that since I didn't even reply to her) was pretty tame compared to people on twitter yelling "BABY YODA  COMMITED GENOCIDE!" It's an off-colour joke. Some people take things way too seriously.

** Not dissing on vegans there. I don't think I could be one, but I respect their decision and it probably does help the environment. Just figure her response suggests she is one.

[TordelBack]

I'd go a bit further. Not only are the eggs unfertilised, but they're the eggs of what I assume are amphibians - no amphibian 'expects' all of several dozen eggs to mature, it's a high-volume high-loss strategy, so anthropomorphising them as "babies" is doubly crazy. 

I fully understand the sensitivities involved in human fertility issues, I've been up close and personal on that one, but this is part of a franchise where the main character butchers not one but two groups of children, before having a loving deathbed reconciliation with the son he mutilated and ascending to eternal life. It also repeatedly makes gags out of individuals being killed in various gruesome ways. I don't think we should be taking these space-wizard stories too much to heart.

My own view is that people have created their own picture of the Child as a sweet and cuddly soft toy to be snuggled, which has nothing to do with how he has been portrayed thus far, which is appropriately amoral, and this is why this looks like a heel turn to them.

This is the same issue that arose with adult Yoda in Phantom Menace where many folk were annoyed that he came across as nasty, judgemental and just plain wrong, and not a loving sage of peace and light that they believed him to be.  I can only conclude that these people saw a different version of TESB than I did, 'cos in my copy a maniacal swamp goblin bullied, lied, belittled and manipulated a young man in order to use him in a vicarious act of vengeance. And was proven wrong about basically everything.

[shaolin_monkey]

Yeah, this came up in a Star Wars FB group enjoyed the world over, but with a heavy US presence. It all got a bit hysterical!

I've been thinking about this a lot. First of all, I want to acknowledge that it must be awful for people with fertility problems who find this a source of upset and trauma in their lives. I get it - my partner and I are going through the adoption process right now for the exact same reason.

The thing is, there's lots to get upset about in this show - robots killing families, robots crushing soldiers against metal vehicles, small people being humorously vaporised, etc etc etc. 

There's no way to please everyone, or to stop everyone getting offended or upset about something.

This is one such occasion where a bit of fun that would amuse the vast majority has upset a minority.

Now if, for example, the show abused black people and/or was overtly racist in an an episode, I'd have a problem with the show, as that affects a large swathe of humanity, and we all know the destructive effects of racism on peoples lives on a daily, continuous basis.

But frogspawn being eaten? That doesn't immediately leap out as something that would instantly cause offence, know what I mean?

And it's weird that frog lady is getting a lot of attention, but what about spider lady and her babies? We actually saw the Child eat a baby spider! Actual live young! And those spiders were clearly sentient.

So why outrage at one and not the other? It doesn't make sense.

Regarding being offended, so what do you intend to do about it? You could just switch your telly off, and avoid the show going forward, as it's clearly likely to cause upset in the future.

Or what else do you want done? For Disney/Lucasfilm to do something? What is your objective in pushing your offence here? Getting the episode banned?

TL;DR - the show did something you didn't like, that the majority were fine with. Going forward, don't watch the show.