Occasionally I'll cover non-anime related things on the site (see my copious comic art articles for example!) but The Mandalorian has become such a huge hit for Disney, that I couldn't help but fall into the rabbit hole last year. Today, Mando returns with the first episode of the new run, and it seems that Jon Favreau has his eyes set firmly on the expanded Star Wars universe.
Much has been made of Season 2's apparent mission to bring fan-favourite characters into the show, and we start with possibly the most iconic of them right here. Lured back to Tatooine by tales of a Mandalorian situated in a remote outpost, Mando arrives to confront a man wearing very familiar armour - that of Boba Fett, the galaxies most notorious (and presumed Sarlacc chow) bounty hunter.
Of course, the armour isn't being worn by Fett, but by a local man named Cobb Vanth who came by the armour on a Jawa sandcrawler. With his town in the grip of terror thanks to the power vacuum left by the Empire being filled by a violent mining guild, Cobb utilises the inherent terror the armour distils to vanquish the miners and become the town's new marshal. Noble intent, but Mando is incensed at the misuse of the armour and demands its return. It's great to see how the effects of Return of the Jedi impacted even remote outposts - I'd love to have seen the miner's power grab woven into the celebrations Lucas slapped on to the end of Jedi, it would have been darkly hilarious.
Thanks to the timely appearance of a sandworm (sorry, "Krayt Dragon") Cobb and Mando agree to work together to kill the beast and free the town of its presence. So basically Jaws then. Upon completion, Cobb will return the armour and Mando will be on his way.
One of the amazing things that Favreua brings the table is a palpable love of the Star Wars universe. His use of the Sand People in this episode not only subverts expectations (take note Ryan Johnson) but also expands on how the myriad races on Tatooine interact. It helps that this is his directing debut, where he can fully utilise his skills to bring the most out of the cast and their world, skilfully weaving classic story beats into a setting that's both familiar and ripe for expansion.
I'm not quite old enough to remember when Star Wars first took the world by storm, and I've never been the biggest fan (I own a mere two lightsabers and none of the original toys) but I always loved the heavily worn aesthetic and the lore of the original films. I enjoyed Rebels, and to that end I'm keen to see if Sabine Wren and Ahsoka Tano are going to appear later on, but only by looking up the references do I understand the delight hardcore fans might glean from seeing a Krayt Dragon Pearl, or a brief appearance by R5-D4 (the malfunctioning droid that Anakin's Uncle almost buys instead of R2-D2) but I absolutely get the chills that the closing shot of a very pissed-off looking bounty hunter will give to everyone watching. Looks like the Sarlacc went hungry after all.
In closing, it's clear that The Mandolorian has hit it's stride - it knows exactly how to please the audience, no matter their knowledge of Star Wars at large, and given the rather excellent effects, it seems that no expense was spared to achieve it.
It would appear that not only have fans taken note of The Mandalorian, but the Star Wars universe itself has too - and it's going to throw everything it has at him!
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