While most people are tired of the onslaught of Marvel releases, you could almost say that Star Wars has fallen a bit behind since the end of the last trilogy of films. There doesn’t seem to be any plan to establish a cohesive cinematic universe any time soon, and that leads us to trust Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.
In fact, the two creators have carte blanche to play with their own microcosm, with The Mandalorian paving the way for the Ashoka Tano series and many other projects, if all goes well. It’s their secluded little stomping ground, where the two have used nostalgia with exciting new genre combinations and steady pacing to recreate some of the magic that seems to have been lost. We are now in the third season of The Mandalorian, which once again fleshes out its plot and settings.
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To begin with, we find that Order, or Din Djarin, is in trouble and must reconnect with his family on the planet Mandalore. It comes amidst a rift on the planet, as the rebel Bo-Katan also attempts to rally the remnants of Mandalore’s resistance, but who will lead them? There are plenty of intriguing questions, but the first episode remains incredibly limited in its desire to answer them. This has been one of the best skills in the series to date: knowing how to focus the expansion of its universe.
It seems, however, that the ways of Mandalore, their mutual need to stay true to their warrior ways, and the possibility of renewal become a central focus, and that seems smart, as the iconography, mysticism, and sufficient distance from myth more large seem to be present here.
It certainly helps that The Mandalorian is still a very good TV series, even if a sequence with a large monster at the start displays slightly questionable CGI effects. With lighting, music by Joseph Shirley and rock-solid set design, the streak finds the biggest aces up your sleeve. On the other hand, it must be said, once again, that Pedro Pascal continually shows that he has projection, seriousness and depth. Whether as Joel in The Last of Us or under the helmet here, he remains an excellent leader.
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He’s also joined, once again, by some great supporting characters, like the gunsmith played by Emily Swallow and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers). And then of course there is Grog. The first episode takes time, but it works, as the show has quite carefully built up the tension and expanded its universe significantly.