The Mandalorian

[James Stacey]

I'm sorry if I've missed something, but isn't [spoiler]Boba Fett dead[/spoiler]? 

[spoiler]Boba being alive[/spoiler] has been part of Star Wars lore for decades. If you don't see a body in Star Wars, death is never certain.

[spoiler]Going only by the evidence of what's presented in the OT, of all the characters to return Boba's is the most plausible: he wasn't struck a fatal blow; he has armour and a jet-pack, and Jabba's sail barge blew-up rather spectacularly over the mouth of the Sarlacc – all that fiery debris probably damaged it severely, or killed it.[/spoiler]

The sarlacc kills you by digesting you over 1000 years (which makes no sense as it'd have to keep you alive and feed you that long) so 4 years or so since jedi its probably only digested a part of bobas face, the beskar is probably reasonably sarlacc proof.
[spoiler]The other part is potentially answered earlier in the season. Going from memory but isn't it mentioned the Krait Dragon got his cave by eating a sarlacc from below? Now we don't know if it was 'the mighty sarlacc' but it probably stopped digesting boba when it started getting chewed on itself ? [/spoiler]

[Jim_Campbell]

I really enjoyed that episode but I have to ask, and I'm sorry if I've missed something, but isn't [spoiler]Boba Fett dead[/spoiler]?  Maybe there were [spoiler]Fire People with special nets down the Sarlaac.[/spoiler]

Back in 2016, writer Michael Moreci (writer of many things but notably, for this discussion, of IDW's Star Wars Adventures title) teamed up with a bunch of artists to put out a free collection of Star Wars comic fanfic. He posited a rather neat non-canonical explanation for the whole Boba Fett/Sarlacc thing, which you can read here.

[Barrington Boots]

As someone who hugely enjoyed the first series of Mando but hasn't seen any of the cartoons and is mildly put off by mention of more direct cross-referencing of stuff I have three questions if anyone could helpfully help me out:

1. Do I need to watch Clone Wars / Rebels to fully 'get' this series of The Mandalorian?
2. Should I watch Clone Wars / Rebels? (NB. My opinion of the prequel trilogy is very low, which is why I avoided Clone Wars in the first place)
3. Assuming (1) or (2) is a yes, which one is best?

One of the things I really liked about the first series was how self-contained it all was: there were little nods and easter eggs all over, but no direct crossover with the films so it was like a little sci-fi Western in the same universe. It sounds like it'd be useful to now know who all these guest-star characters are...

[Jim_Campbell]

1. Do I need to watch Clone Wars / Rebels to fully 'get' this series of The Mandalorian?

My wife was in the same room as me when I watched Clone Wars and Rebels, but it would be a stretch to say she 'watched' them — barring knowing who Ahsoka is, I'd say she gets literally none of the in-continuity references, and she likes it a lot.

If you're not intent on gnawing the Star Warsy bones and extracting every last morsel of canon marrow, I think you'd find the series perfectly entertaining in its own right. There are certainly bits that hint strongly at a wider universe and other stuff going on, but these are no more essential to enjoying the story in front of you than it was to know what the Clone Wars were when you watched A New Hope.

2. Should I watch Clone Wars / Rebels? (NB. My opinion of the prequel trilogy is very low, which is why I avoided Clone Wars in the first place)

As I said upthread, I enjoyed both Clone Wars and Rebels more than any of the prequels or sequels. Obi-Wan and Anakin both get more flesh on their character bones than in all the prequel movies put together.

3. Assuming (1) or (2) is a yes, which one is best?

Rebels is shorter, with few real clunkers in its run, but it picks up several dangling plot threads from Clone Wars that you probably do need to understand. Clone Wars had a longer run so there are more duff episodes in there, but there are very few (from memory) that didn't have something worthwhile going for them, and a lot of them are really good.

[Barrington Boots]

Much obliged Jim, thank you!

One of the things I really like about A New Hope, that I also found with The Mandalorian, was the feeling of dropping into a fully working universe where stuff isn't explained and so full of mystery. In my youth I eagerly devoured as much Star Wars comics and books as I could for a period, until I started to find that by giving every minor character in the films a backstory, often that tied into the main plot, that it started making the universe feel smaller and smaller with everything being interconnected so instead of a huge galaxy, everything basically orbited a few planets and events.

I found new Star Wars hit and very miss (enjoyed Rogue One, loved Mando, hated the rest of the Disney stuff) but it's been dawning on me that in Clone Wars and Rebels I may have missed some very cool stuff.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

...I enjoyed both Clone Wars and Rebels more than any of the prequels or sequels...

That's not a great endorsement. I've had slices of toast* I've enjoyed more than Revenge of the Sith. I watched the first two seasons of clone wars during their original run, even though I had seen the godawful movie/pilot. After that I just wasn't invested or interested enough to keep going. I couldn't really tell you much of what happened in any episode I watched. There was a Jar-jar episode I think? I didn't dislike it or anything, but much like the current Star Trek output, there are other shows I would rather spend my time with.

Like I've said before, the only background you need to know is "there was a big evil Galactic Empire which was defeated in a big Star War". Although in the last few episodes, some stuff might excite you more. Like the Jedi in the last episode who was the padawan in that Godawful Clone Wars movie/pilot. I didn't need to know her whole backstory, or even remember her name. Her appearance was more in service of the story than the fans. However her asking where Admiral Thrawn was wouldn't have the intended impact had you not read the books. If you weren't in the know she could well have been asking after Griggly Squibblewigs**.

Even when [spoiler]Boba Fett[/spoiler] shows up, you don't have to recognise the name or [spoiler]the armour[/spoiler], because he fucking shows you exactly who he is. [spoiler]I've never been a Boba Fett fan boy****,[/spoiler] but the way he milled through those stormtroopers was probably my favourite bit of Star Wars yet.

My main takeaway is the next time they remaster the movies, they should start with the line

A long time ago, in a teeny-weeny cluster of about a dozen star systems, far, far way...

*to be fair the toast was more of a vessel for delicious unhealthy butter
**I have no fear of Disney pinching this name without paying me***, it is much too sensible a name for Star Wars.
***Like they're currently doing with Alan Dean Foster.
****[spoiler]for a long time for me was just the really annoying boss from Dark Forces[/spoiler]

[Jim_Campbell]

That's not a great endorsement.

No, it's not. Let me be clearer: both Clone Wars and Rebels engaged and entertained me in all the ways Eps I-III and VII-IX didn't. I actively enjoyed them, rather than having to sift through the dross to identify bits I liked, which was pretty much my experience for all six of those movies (although, perhaps heretically, I like AotC best of the prequels* — I kind of glazed over for the Anakin/Padme stuff but most of the rest of it, IMO, is really not bad).

*I may be being unfair on TPM, which I've seen exactly once — in the cinema on its UK release. It was such a terrible disappointment that I've never watched it again.

[TordelBack]

Without sliding into my traditional posture of 'defensive', I don't think The Mandalorian suffers from 'tiny galaxy' syndrome quite as badly as the rest of the post-OT stuff, simply because much of its familiarity is baked into the concept: he's a Mandalorian clearly struggling with what that means, so connecting to other prominent Mandalorians (Boba, Bo-Katan) and the last remnants of the powers that have heavily invested themselves in Mandalorian affairs (the Jedi, the Empire, Ahsoka and from there to Thrawn (and Ezra)) was sort of there in the name.

Same-old-planet-wise, it's really only touched on Tatooine, but as we know the destiny of the galaxy swirls around those twin suns: changing the branding of the whole saga to Tatooine Adventures wouldn't be misrepresenting it much. Other than that we've had a nice run of new or rarely-used worlds, and a good mix of new and old alien species and monsters.

If it was a show called The Bounty Hunter, I'd probably resist the rolling out the usual suspects more.

[TordelBack]

1. Do I need to watch Clone Wars / Rebels to fully 'get' this series of The Mandalorian?

No. 

As I muttered upthread, Mando himself hasn't watched any of them, so beyond "the Empire is bad but was defeated and now there are its leftovers and a rather ineffectual New Republic" it's a safe bet anything important will have to be explained to him on-screen (e.g. the Force, the Jedi, other Mandalorians).

Also, not all this referenced stuff is even in those series (e.g. Tython,  Dark Troopers, Krayt Dragon, Cobb Vanth).

2. Should I watch Clone Wars / Rebels? (NB. My opinion of the prequel trilogy is very low, which is why I avoided Clone Wars in the first place)

It couldn't hurt. They both have their moments of greatness and dullness, but if Dee Bradley Baker's voice doesn't annoy you, you should be fine.

3. Assuming (1) or (2) is a yes, which one is best?

I personally prefer Clone Wars, but Rebels is probably the better of the two shows if you don't enjoy the Prequels. Although as I saw it put recently, Clone Wars is essentially a major patch for known issues in the Prequels that really should have been implemented prior to release.

What you definitely  should watch is the Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars series that came out after Attack of the Clones. Not canon anymore, but plenty of it doesn't contradict anything else and explains a fair deal that is otherwise unexplained (Anakin's knighting and scar,  the origin of Asaj Ventress etc), but up to Mandalorian probably the best Star Wars since the originals.

[JayzusB.Christ]

As someone who hugely enjoyed the first series of Mando but hasn't seen any of the cartoons and is mildly put off by mention of more direct cross-referencing of stuff I have three questions if anyone could helpfully help me out:

1. Do I need to watch Clone Wars / Rebels to fully 'get' this series of The Mandalorian?
...

As someone who hasn't seen the cartoons, I may not have fully got this series but I still absolutely loved it. That said, chatting to people here about some of the stuff I don't know has been very helpful and enjoyable but I'd say watch the series anyway (in fact I'm kind of glad I watched it before realising there were references I didn't get).

[shaolin_monkey]

EVERYONE will get the reference about the Kowakian Monkey Lizard, right? And that's what sold the show to me! 😄

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

What you definitely  should watch is the Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars series that came out after Attack of the Clones. Not canon anymore...

I did not know this. This is why I try not to invest in Star Wars Lore. The EU had to die, but when ye get bogged down in things like "Han shot first" and the fact that scenes like this never happened, it makes it hard to get invested in the lore. And Tartakovsky is hugely talented, what eejit at Disney burned that bridge?

[JOE SOAP]

And Tartakovsky is hugely talented, what eejit at Disney burned that bridge?

George Lucas

[sheridan]

Same-old-planet-wise, it's really only touched on Tatooine, but as we know the destiny of the galaxy swirls around those twin suns: changing the branding of the whole saga to Tatooine Adventures wouldn't be misrepresenting it much.

Perhaps it's time that Tatooine opened up a second cantina though - one drinking place on the entire planet!  No wonder Tosche Station gets used as a general meeting place (the Anchorhead Hunting Lodge doesn't count, as you have to be a hunter).

[James Stacey]

Same-old-planet-wise, it's really only touched on Tatooine, but as we know the destiny of the galaxy swirls around those twin suns: changing the branding of the whole saga to Tatooine Adventures wouldn't be misrepresenting it much.

Perhaps it's time that Tatooine opened up a second cantina though - one drinking place on the entire planet!  No wonder Tosche Station gets used as a general meeting place (the Anchorhead Hunting Lodge doesn't count, as you have to be a hunter).

We see a different bar in Mos Pelgo in chapter 9