Spoiler The Mandalorian Season 2

[Valiens Nantaris]

My only complaint is that by having Luke come in is that we didn't see the group as a whole fighting the Dark Troopers and struggling against them. Then the Jedi could come in and help them when all seemed lost. As it was apart from the Mando no one seemed in great peril at all really.

Still, was nice to see. I do admit as I worked out who the Jedi was I did get a little choked up. So good to see Mark Hamill back in the role as the 'proper' Luke Skywalker....

 

[Captain Larraq]

At first I thought it was Ahsoka, then I thought it could have been Starkiller. And then the lightsaber color really dawned on me. I thought "It couldn't be. What timeline is this set in? Wouldn't he be too old? Maybe it's set just a few years before the sequel trilogy, maybe they un-aged him just a little bit. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

And then they hit us with Original Trilogy Luke.
THE. Luke, fucking, Skywalker.
CGI as hell?
Sure.
But that's motherfucking Luke Skywalker.

Dad Bod Boba Fett was a joy.
But this was pure nostalgia and heartstrings.
Boba Fett was like having your brother show up to save you in a fight.
But this was like looking up in your time of need and seeing your childhood hero walking in with a sword in one hand.
And R2D2. The unspoken connection between Grogo and R2D2.
The subtle implication that R2D2 was the one that rescued Grogo.

Fantastic.
Absolutely fantastic.
An amazing end to a journey that none of us thought we'd get to experience again.
Top tier storytelling from a director that is also a fan at heart.

God I hope the rest of Hollywood is paying attention.

 

[Jsc]

Just finished it. And... wow. Did not see that coming.

OG Luke. Crazy. Still hasn't sunk in yet what this could mean going forward. Grogu, Luke's Apprentice. That's nuts.

Darktroopers. Very well done. Tense when fighting Mando, still tense when there is 20 of em'. I'm honestly glad Luke smoked em' as, I didn't see a way the gang could take all of them. Maybe if Moff Gideon had a killswitch or something but, nah.

Bo and the Darksaber was, clever. But I didn't believe the melodrama about succession. Mando would just throw the fight anyway. Sword's Bo's. I'm over it.

The Mando vs Gideon fight was bae. Spear vs sword. Hot sparks and melted durasteel. So bae. So yum.

I'm slightly disappointed at the Cruiser's layout/set design though. That hanger was meh and the hallways where double meh. If they hadn't added a cargo bay area I would have been downright eye-rolling the budget concerns here. It just didn't have that 'wow' scale of the Star Destroyer sets from the movies. But I'm nitpicking now.

Also, Fett bar fight was 10's. Loved Bo's line, "Don't you mean your donor." Haha.

10/10. Crazy stuff.

 

[Gren Blidh]

I haven't actually seen a single episode of the Mandalorian, but I'm going to comment on it anyway because try and stop me, that's why.

Having already been spoiled on the ending of Season 2, I think I'm approaching this weird point where I'm against all new Star Wars content in principle, even if it's good. I know that's a super curmudgeonly statement to make which will receive virtually no support in a forum like this, but hear me out. What troubles me is that Star Wars has essentially become a simulacrum. It requires constant self-referencing and reinforcement of icons to keep itself afloat. It seems that no matter how much we try to escape the gravitational pull of movie nostalgia, the "Skywalker Dynasty" will somehow return to rear its ugly head. This show seemed like it promised something fresh in a universe already full of circular references and repeated tropes, but it looks like even The Mandalorian has fallen into this same trap. Once again, the universe shrinks, and we're given a copy of a copy of a copy and I'm supposed to feel like it's the real McCoy.

It's obviously about money, lack of creativity among the authors, maybe even Star Wars' inherent weakness when it comes to worldbuilding. But all these accusations are simply begging the question. These stories, do they need to be told? I guess I'm just a bitter bastard because I liked the "Star Wars Universe" (TM) more when it existed purely in my imagination rather than as a tangible product on screen. I think I'm further being propelled in this direction because given the recent announcements by Disney, there is literally. No. End. In. Sight.

 

[Jsc]

Gren Blidh - I have to disagree with you in the strongest possible terms. Strongly, strongly, strongly, disagree. Strongly. Strongly. But... And I do but...

You haven't seen a single episode of the Mandalorian.

Literally. Killing me here smalls.

Because... And I do because... Every time. Every single episode of Mandalorian is the ray of hope and sunshine you are looking for. Every counter point to your arguement, every nit, every pick, every single thing I want to say to say to you in reply. ...Would just be me. Pointing. Strongly. Strongly strongly strongly. At every single episode of the Mandalorian thus far and going, "Look Gren! Look! There is hope! Jon Favreau gets it! This guy gets it! This is good Star Wars."

So. And alas.

I won't even attempt to change your mind. We're both old bitter bastards. Me and you. We've both got our laundry lists of sins against Disney. We both know what happens when a corporation balances their budget on "money first, love of the game later." I won't lie to both of us and say, "It gets better from here."

Instead. I'll simply point back at Season 1 and Season 2 and say, "Hey you old dog. Go watch this and you'll remember why you fell in love with this universe in the first place."

Signed,

Rian Johnson's greatest hater. Me.

 

[Aloy Vizsla]

T H E - B O O K - O F - B O B A - F E T T




Squeels

 

[A'Runda]

I know I'm a little late to saying this but...

Boba Fett wielding a gaffi stick is all I ever needed without ever realizing it...

 

[Gren Blidh]

Jsc You're right, I haven't seen a single episode. And I fully acknowledge that you may be right about everything you said. The Mandalorian may have great acting, great writing, it may show great reverence for the original trilogy. I'm sure at least some of that is probably true, so I won't call you wrong. However, my issue with the direction of nu-Star Wars is more of a philosophical one.

As we all know, Star Wars originally drew upon deep mythological influences. It was essentially a reimagining of ancient themes, which is what made it so interesting beyond merely the laser fights and the "lightsaber go brr". There is a time and place for all of that, but what made Star Wars so fundamentally compelling was its ability to tap into this ancient subconscious. The Star Wars of today is so far removed from these concepts as to be divorced from them entirely. It needs to continuously convince you that it's real through reinforcement of nostalgic iconography in order for you to accept it. Star Wars is now a copy of a copy. It's a perfect example of Baudrillard's concept of hyperreality when applied to pop culture. The images and icons have become so watered down from their original intent and purpose that the icons are now the purpose in and of themselves. Luke Skywalker isn't the Hero of a Thousand Faces anymore, he's a consumer product. You're supposed to get excited just at the sight of him appearing in something. Furthermore, the bar of fan acceptance has been so lowered that anything that isn't blatantly disrespectful to the original canon is automatically considered good, which I think is innately telling in itself.

Thus I return to my original curmudgeonly statement. I'm against all new Star Wars content, even if it's good. By "good" of course I mean "well-executed". The Marvel movies are well-executed too, but I'm not interested in them either, for similar reasons. Our consumer-driven society of spectacle is only capable of producing hyperreality that destroys authentic art and emotion wherever it goes. Star Wars is just a high-profile victim of this process. And so it will continue, and I will remain... uninterested.