The Mandalorian and A Rekindled Flame For Star Wars.

I was probably 8 years old the first time I watched Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. 10 or 11 the first time I experienced the trilogy as a whole. This was when I was truly hooked, enthralled. The wild array of alien races in the Mos Eisley Cantina, droids, the mystery of the Jedi and their force powers, Han and Chewy. It goes on and on. The number of times I viewed these films in my youth is undoubtedly in the triple digits.

As time went on and my love for the Star Wars universe grew I found that I was far more drawn toward the characters that were not Jedi. Though I loved Luke Skywalker and his quest to defeat Darth Vader and the Emperor, characters like Han Solo, Boba Fett and even Bossk had me itching to know more of their stories and dangerous adventures in the outer rim. This led me to such book series as The Bounty Hunter Wars and The Han Solo Trilogy. These books, among many others, fulfilled my craving to know more about the outlaw lives of smugglers, spice traders and bounty hunters.

Upon the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in May of 1999 I was in my sophomore year of high school. To say I wasn't excited for the prequel stories of one of my favorite trilogies of all time would be lie. But by this time in my life I was an angsty, punk and metal music listening teenager. My interests in the universe had shifted for the most part to the gritty wild west type stories and away from the light versus dark, Jedi versus Sith saga. Not too mention like most I was fairly underwhelmed by the quality and direction the prequel trilogy had taken the lore. The personal disappointment caused by the prequel trilogy (Particularly Episode I & II) ultimately led to my complete disinterest in the franchise entirely.

Fast forward to December, 2020. At this point in my life I had been disinterested in anything Star Wars for the past 15 years. I had moved on to other ventures and though I knew that Rogue One and episodes VII, VIII and IX all existed I hadn't gone further than reviews and cliff notes. While sitting on my couch bored out of my gourd one afternoon I found myself scrolling through all of my various streaming apps looking for a show or movie to pass the time and well, forget about the year 2020. This is when I went into Disney+. Now up to this point my children were the only ones that ever streamed with Disney+. But I was particularly desperate on this day and decided why not.. Not knowing that in just a few minutes my world would be changed and I would be returned to the days of my youth, ecstatic about Star Wars.

I loaded the app and the first thumbnail I noticed was Din Djarin, a.k.a. Mando on a speeder bike racing across what I could only guess was the dune sea of Tatooine. I stared at the thumbnail for some time, remembering all of the praise I had heard from friends and critics alike. Finally I started the first episode. Several hours later, and completely caught up I sat mesmerized and craving the release of the final episode of season 2. My mind was blown. I truly felt that I would never feel that way about a Star Wars story again. The dark gritty feel, the cinematography, the main theme and score throughout the series instantly drew me back into this universe I didn't realize I missed so much. The use of practical effects, the plethora of cameos, along with a fresh and compelling story I would go as far to say that The Mandalorian is quite possibly the greatest product created within the Star Wars universe. The quality, attention to detail and respect for George Lucas's creation is apparent. It is clearly created by fans for fans with a deep love for the story they were writing. Creator Jon Favreau (and team) have managed to rekindle the fire I once held for this series and bring forth that youthful excitement from deep inside once more. In quite possibly the most strange and hard year for myself and so many others it was a welcome and wonderful surprise to be returned to that feeling again. Thank you!