Futurism logo

The Mandalorian Is The Best Thing To Come From Star Wars Since The Original Trilogy

Agreed!

By Culture SlatePublished 3 years ago 3 min read
Like

Pop culture today covers many thousands of different franchises, in movies, TV shows, books, comics and video games. The biggest franchise is that of Star Wars, heralded by the classic original movies from 1977 – 1983. Since then numerous Star Wars properties have been released, including more movies, TV shows and video games, creating such a massive franchise that even people not familiar with the Star Wars brand recognise the name “Star Wars.” But naturally, with the biggest franchise comes the biggest fanbase, and that unfortunately comes with a certain level of toxicity and expectation.

Ever since the universally despised Prequels were done, fans' hawk-like gaze has been constantly on the Star Wars franchise, ever ready to criticise anything that comes after it's creator George Lucas, had taken a backseat. Now while many believe that Disney's takeover of the franchise wasn't the best decision, there are also many that believe that it has turned the otherwise tired franchise to new direction. Perhaps the greatest thing in live action Star Wars since the original trilogy is The Mandalorian.

Often television shows have greater scope and depth than movies. This is because with a movie, you're restricted to a couple of hours of content with which to entertain the audience. Once it's over, a character's story is finished, unless of course the character continues in other movies, TV shows, games etc. A character on a TV show has the potential for far more character development than on a movie, because ultimately, a whole season of episodes amounts to greater and potentially far superior content than a movie. There is also the potential for greater storytelling: on a movie you have limited storytelling capability.

On a TV show, there are a lot more possibilities, and the potential to have a lot more recurring characters, each of which can have their own backstories, agendas, and conflicts. There are many fans that enjoy the Star Wars TV shows The Clone Wars and Rebels far more than the movies. This is primarily due to the characters and the stories. The shows are often dismissed by many adults because they are animated, and erroneously assumed to be “for kids.” The reality is that the characters and stories within these shows far surpass the ones in the movies because the scope and depth is stretched across many, many hundreds of hours of content. With great writing comes great characters, and these shows reflect this in their content. And so it has come to be with The Mandalorian.

Movies usually have bigger budgets, but with The Mandalorian, we have a high quality TV show that echoes the production value of the movies, but on a TV medium. The Mandalorian is not some cliché wizard knight chosen one, destined to save the galaxy or other such nonsense. Instead, we have a far more realistic and relatable character, one that must earn a living with employment. As a bounty hunter, The Mandalorian requires money, work, and fuel for his spaceship. And he doesn't have any “magical force powers” to defend himself.

This is a story about a new, Clint Eastwood style character in a space western style story – its not about Anakin, or Obi Wan, or any of the other characters from the existing fiction, that automatically come with huge fan expectations and baggage attached to them. By creating a new character, we are shown a cool new badass to invest in, but also an indepth look at the lore that exists in the Star Wars universe that is merely hinted at in the movies. In The Mandalorian, much like Rebels, we're shown the gritty, down-to-earth and often dust and grime-covered existance of ordinary, relatable folk.

So is The Mandalorian the best thing to come from Star Wars since the original trilogy? That is up to individual viewers, but there is no doubt that The Mandalorian, with its great characters, exciting, visual action, powerful, emotional storytelling and surprising touchstones is a definite candidate. Season 3 has already been greenlit, and with sixteen episodes of high quality television under its belt, The Mandalorian is ready to rock the Star Wars universe.

The Mandalorian season 2 launches exclusively on Disney+ on October 30th.

Written By Andy Bain

star wars
Like

About the Creator

Culture Slate

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.