Star Wars Discussion Thread v. Rise of Skywalker / Mandalorian (merged)

[ariich]

NO SQUEEZIE

[lordxizor]

I still think Boba Fett should have Mandalorian season 3, have some of Mando's story in each episode and have Boba's story a B storyline. They are too intertwined to be considered two different shows.

Decent first episode. Nothing earth shattering and it was a little short. I didn't inherently have a problem with the length. I'd rather they not fill it with fluff just to pump up the length.

[Podaar]

NO SQUEEZIE

BAD BABY!

This episode was odd. A little like "A day in the life of Din with cute Grogu sounds." It could pay off in further episodes, but it doesn't really need to.

[ariich]

I still think Boba Fett should have Mandalorian season 3, have some of Mando's story in each episode and have Boba's story a B storyline. They are too intertwined to be considered two different shows.

Agreed. But fundamentally I just didn't think there was enough content in Boba's story to warrant being a separate show, and so it always felt like it was dragging. The Mandalorian is a slow-paced show, but what's going on is always more compelling and it works wonderfully (for me, I get some people prefer a quicker pace in general). And then to also include essential parts of Din's and Grogu's story was pretty odd, and then to not (as far as I remember) even include those in the "previously" section at the start of the episode was really weird.

Still, I liked the episode a lot, and it did a great job of setting up where the characters are now and the (initial) direction of their upcoming story arc.

[Orbert]

So the last we saw of The Armorer and Paz Vizsla, they were the only two left of the old group.  This episode started with them and a number of others, initiating someone into The Way.  We thought maybe it was a flashback to when Din Djarin was first initiated, but they he came zooming in in his spiffy new ship.  So who were all those others?  Mandolorians from different groups, I guess, since they had different colors on the armor?

[gmillerdrake]

Serviceable enough season opener I suppose. It definitely set things in motion as far as laying some foundation but all in all it was relatively 'boring'  IMO. I love the show, and think that may have been one of the more 'duds' of the series honestly.

The dog fight in space was cool. Showed off some of Mando's skill as a pilot so I dug that. I thought the beast battle at the beginning was lame though. The moment all those Mandalorians shot their little grapple hook lines into that massive beast was just     For supposedly being these hardened and crafty warriors that was a tactic that never had a chance and demonstrated that those that tried it were idiots. In fact, staying on the beach line and fighting that thing was just dumb. Hide the kids and take shelter....take to the sky and let the thing saunter back off into the lake. Anyway.....

I'm still a huge fan of the show....have high hopes for it especially considering Favreau's comments that this show and Ahsoka are essentially going to be building and leading into each other.....so, I'm looking forward to this season but was a bit underwhelmed by Ep. 1

[jingle.boy]

Agreed... their strategies and tactics against that 'gator were dubious at best.  Toss the fucking grenades down it's throat, ffs.  Nah - let's put them on its armored shell!

[lonestar]

So the last we saw of The Armorer and Paz Vizsla, they were the only two left of the old group.  This episode started with them and a number of others, initiating someone into The Way.  We thought maybe it was a flashback to when Din Djarin was first initiated, but they he came zooming in in his spiffy new ship.  So who were all those others?  Mandolorians from different groups, I guess, since they had different colors on the armor?

I was 100% positive it was a flashback. I was kind of let down when he came in to save the day.

[jingle.boy]

So the last we saw of The Armorer and Paz Vizsla, they were the only two left of the old group.  This episode started with them and a number of others, initiating someone into The Way.  We thought maybe it was a flashback to when Din Djarin was first initiated, but they he came zooming in in his spiffy new ship.  So who were all those others?  Mandolorians from different groups, I guess, since they had different colors on the armor?

I was 100% positive it was a flashback. I was kind of let down when he came in to save the day.

It had all the feelz of a flashback... and then in swoops the Naboo fighter.  Oh well

[Samsara]

The episode had a long build. Probably for good reason. The set-up was necessary. I will say this. Mando needs another ship. Sleeping in that thing is not the way.

[gmillerdrake]

The episode had a long build. Probably for good reason. The set-up was necessary.

For sure, there was some clear foundational work going on there that will certainly be paid off. I guess I just 'expect' more from a season premiere episode that's all.

Mando needs another ship. Sleeping in that thing is not the way.

Yeah....that thing may 'look' cool but it doesn't seem practical for a guy in his line of work and existence.

[lordxizor]

The new ship is not practical as a home, which the Razor Crest was.

[Orbert]

Wow, the folks on Reddit are ripping this episode apart.  I thought it was on the weak side, but not a total shitshow IMO.

Yeah, they should've somehow explained how Grogu and Din are back together, or at least include the pertinent scenes from The Book of Boba Fett in the "Previously on...".  But realistically, you shouldn't have to watch 2-3 episodes of a different show to know what's going on in this one.  Tying them together like that might've seemed like a good idea to some, but it was actually kinda dumb.  There are a lot of people who watch The Mandalorian who didn't watch Boba Fett.  Hey, not everyone has time to watch every single thing out there.  But up until this point, I've marveled at how well The Mandalorian has incorporated people and things from other Star Wars properties and not required that you watched them.  I didn't know who Bo-Katan was, but they gave me enough background in this show for it to work.  Even if we somehow didn't know who Luke Skywalker is, all we needed to know was that he's obviously a badass Jedi and he's the one who answered Grogu's call.  Stuff like that.  But at the end of Season 2, this unnamed Jedi took Grogu off to train him, and now he's back, and all we get is a quick line to Greef Karga about how it didn't work out.

That giant crocodile thing was ridiculous.  But no problem, you have a couple dozen of the most fearsome warriors in the galaxy who... whoops, he just ate one.  Ooh, there goes another.  Maybe having this ceremony in the water wasn't such a great idea.  I know... we have jet packs.  Let's put some charges on its back.  You know, the natural plating that's like a foot thick.  Okay, that didn't work...

Also, since it wasn't a flashback, who were all those other Mandalorians?  Other sects, right?  Their armor was different colors and stuff.  So does The Armorer give them shit about taking off their helmets, too?  Din Djarin just saved their asses, and she's still all bent about him taking his helmet off?

Space pirates who for some reason look like Pirates of the Caribbean?  Because that's what all pirates look like, right?

Okay fine, I'll stop.  I guess I hadn't realized how many things there were to criticize until people started listing them all.  Most of them I noticed at the time but let them go because hey, it's Star Wars not Shakespeare and it's just silly fun.  Don't get me wrong; people complaining about this episode do have some legitimate points.  But I still thought it was fun and I'm still in.

[The Realm]

Wow, the folks on Reddit are ripping this episode apart.  I thought it was on the weak side, but not a total shitshow IMO.

Yeah, they should've somehow explained how Grogu and Din are back together, or at least include the pertinent scenes from The Book of Boba Fett in the "Previously on...".  But realistically, you shouldn't have to watch 2-3 episodes of a different show to know what's going on in this one.  Tying them together like that might've seemed like a good idea to some, but it was actually kinda dumb.  There are a lot of people who watch The Mandalorian who didn't watch Boba Fett.  Hey, not everyone has time to watch every single thing out there.  But up until this point, I've marveled at how well The Mandalorian has incorporated people and things from other Star Wars properties and not required that you watched them.  I didn't know who Bo-Katan was, but they gave me enough background in this show for it to work.  Even if we somehow didn't know who Luke Skywalker is, all we needed to know was that he's obviously a badass Jedi and he's the one who answered Grogu's call.  Stuff like that.  But at the end of Season 2, this unnamed Jedi took Grogu off to train him, and now he's back, and all we get is a quick line to Greef Karga about how it didn't work out.

That giant crocodile thing was ridiculous.  But no problem, you have a couple dozen of the most fearsome warriors in the galaxy who... whoops, he just ate one.  Ooh, there goes another.  Maybe having this ceremony in the water wasn't such a great idea.  I know... we have jet packs.  Let's put some charges on its back.  You know, the natural plating that's like a foot thick.  Okay, that didn't work...

Also, since it wasn't a flashback, who were all those other Mandalorians?  Other sects, right?  Their armor was different colors and stuff.  So does The Armorer give them shit about taking off their helmets, too?  Din Djarin just saved their asses, and she's still all bent about him taking his helmet off?

Space pirates who for some reason look like Pirates of the Caribbean?  Because that's what all pirates look like, right?

Okay fine, I'll stop.  I guess I hadn't realized how many things there were to criticize until people started listing them all.  Most of them I noticed at the time but let them go because hey, it's Star Wars not Shakespeare and it's just silly fun.  Don't get me wrong; people complaining about this episode do have some legitimate points.  But I still thought it was fun and I'm still in.

All very valid points!

Including a huge part of Mando's story in the Book of Boba Fett has to be one of the strangest decisions in the history of television. That was/is so bizarre! One second the show is about Boba Fett, the next it is Mando season 3? And then the real Mando season 3 just continues on from that story...

The show is obviously catering to a younger audience. If I was 13 I would have loved the opening battle with the giant crocodile and not at all thought about the flaws.

Also, you left out the tiny mechanic creatures fixing the droid that only existed for light comic relief and the 'cuteness' factor for the younger audience.

[Zook]

Good thing Mando showed up and killed it before it could transform.



Yeah, I got "younger audience" vibes from this episode, but it still has the more adult themes going on. Not bad.

[lordxizor]

Yeah, if you want to nitpick those were all issues. None of them really bothered me all that much. I agree with the issue of Book of Boba Fett containing some pretty major stuff for The Mandalorian. It was widely considered to be The Mandalorian season 2.5, but for those casual Star Wars fans who don't feel the need to watch everything, I can understand how that was confusing. As I stated earlier, they should have just made it season 3 instead of making it it's own show.

[gmillerdrake]

I don't mind that they shoe horned some of Mando's story into TBOBF. It essentially 'saves' them from 'wasting' two or three episodes of S3 doing what they did in that show. Favreau has already said TBOBF helped him 'reset' the Mandalorian and get moving straight away on a fresh new storyline. I do think it should have been covered in the montage at the beginning of the episode though. While I too would assume that near everyone watching The Mandalorian would have watched TBOBF.....I guess that's too large of an assumption.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Wow, the folks on Reddit are ripping this episode apart.  I thought it was on the weak side, but not a total shitshow IMO.

Yeah, they should've somehow explained how Grogu and Din are back together, or at least include the pertinent scenes from The Book of Boba Fett in the "Previously on...".  But realistically, you shouldn't have to watch 2-3 episodes of a different show to know what's going on in this one.  Tying them together like that might've seemed like a good idea to some, but it was actually kinda dumb.  There are a lot of people who watch The Mandalorian who didn't watch Boba Fett.  Hey, not everyone has time to watch every single thing out there.  But up until this point, I've marveled at how well The Mandalorian has incorporated people and things from other Star Wars properties and not required that you watched them.  I didn't know who Bo-Katan was, but they gave me enough background in this show for it to work.  Even if we somehow didn't know who Luke Skywalker is, all we needed to know was that he's obviously a badass Jedi and he's the one who answered Grogu's call.  Stuff like that.  But at the end of Season 2, this unnamed Jedi took Grogu off to train him, and now he's back, and all we get is a quick line to Greef Karga about how it didn't work out.

That giant crocodile thing was ridiculous.  But no problem, you have a couple dozen of the most fearsome warriors in the galaxy who... whoops, he just ate one.  Ooh, there goes another.  Maybe having this ceremony in the water wasn't such a great idea.  I know... we have jet packs.  Let's put some charges on its back.  You know, the natural plating that's like a foot thick.  Okay, that didn't work...

Also, since it wasn't a flashback, who were all those other Mandalorians?  Other sects, right?  Their armor was different colors and stuff.  So does The Armorer give them shit about taking off their helmets, too?  Din Djarin just saved their asses, and she's still all bent about him taking his helmet off?

Space pirates who for some reason look like Pirates of the Caribbean?  Because that's what all pirates look like, right?

Okay fine, I'll stop.  I guess I hadn't realized how many things there were to criticize until people started listing them all.  Most of them I noticed at the time but let them go because hey, it's Star Wars not Shakespeare and it's just silly fun.  Don't get me wrong; people complaining about this episode do have some legitimate points.  But I still thought it was fun and I'm still in.

Dang. I haven't seen the episode yet but that's interesting.

I think I mentioned this a few months back, but I do think that Star Wars has a problem right now where people are still treating it like Shakespeare even though it really shouldn't be taken that seriously anymore. The franchise has been a bit of a mess for 20 years now, so if you take it too seriously, you'll be disappointed all the time.

[hefdaddy42]

Yeah, they should've somehow explained how Grogu and Din are back together, or at least include the pertinent scenes from The Book of Boba Fett in the "Previously on...".  But realistically, you shouldn't have to watch 2-3 episodes of a different show to know what's going on in this one.  Tying them together like that might've seemed like a good idea to some, but it was actually kinda dumb.  There are a lot of people who watch The Mandalorian who didn't watch Boba Fett.  Hey, not everyone has time to watch every single thing out there.  But up until this point, I've marveled at how well The Mandalorian has incorporated people and things from other Star Wars properties and not required that you watched them.  I didn't know who Bo-Katan was, but they gave me enough background in this show for it to work.  Even if we somehow didn't know who Luke Skywalker is, all we needed to know was that he's obviously a badass Jedi and he's the one who answered Grogu's call.  Stuff like that.  But at the end of Season 2, this unnamed Jedi took Grogu off to train him, and now he's back, and all we get is a quick line to Greef Karga about how it didn't work out.

I actually don't get this piece of criticism very much.  Yes, The Mandalorian has presented a lot of pre-existing characters who originated in animated shows in such a way that there is no requirement to have that background knowledge, but the stated intention has been that these modern shows (this, The Book of Boba Fett, the upcoming Ahsoka show, whatever else comes down the pike) are interconnected, which is why these characters are making their live-action debuts (Ashoka) or live-action returns (Fett) in The Mandalorian, to establish that they are connected. 

If people choose not to watch one of them, hey, that's their choice, but you run the risk of missing something.  Just like the Marvel films. 

Not to mention that the reunion of Grogu and Mando was pretty heavily publicized, even if you didn't watch the show.  *shrugs*

[gmillerdrake]

Yes, The Mandalorian has presented a lot of pre-existing characters who originated in animated shows in such a way that there is no requirement to have that background knowledge, but the stated intention has been that these modern shows (this, The Book of Boba Fett, the upcoming Ahsoka show, whatever else comes down the pike) are interconnected, which is why these characters are making their live-action debuts (Ashoka) or live-action returns (Fett) in The Mandalorian, to establish that they are connected. 

If people choose not to watch one of them, hey, that's their choice, but you run the risk of missing something.  Just like the Marvel films. 

Not to mention that the reunion of Grogu and Mando was pretty heavily publicized, even if you didn't watch the show.  *shrugs*

This statement and especially the bolded nailed it.

[soupytwist]

The problem is Book of Fett wasn't very good.  I can imagine a lot of people bailed on it long before it turned into Mando 2.5. 

[gmillerdrake]

I'm curious as to if Disney will add to the recap montage given how much blow back they're getting over not showing Grogu's little journey?

[hefdaddy42]

I'm curious as to if Disney will add to the recap montage given how much blow back they're getting over not showing Grogu's little journey?

Are they getting a lot?  Or are the people giving it to them just loud?

I can't imagine there were a ton of Mando fans who didn't watch Boba Fett or who didn't at least read enough to know about Mando showing up in it.

[gmillerdrake]

I'm curious as to if Disney will add to the recap montage given how much blow back they're getting over not showing Grogu's little journey?

Are they getting a lot?  Or are the people giving it to them just loud?

I can't imagine there were a ton of Mando fans who didn't watch Boba Fett or who didn't at least read enough to know about Mando showing up in it.

I've seen a handful of online articles and a Reddit thread or two that are 'mad'. I'm curious as to if it's really not that big a deal. As you mention and I did as well....I'd think a large portion of Mando viewers also watched TBOBF

[Orbert]

We watched it, but it really was pretty weak.  Not just because it followed The Mandalorian, but weak overall.  Poor premise, boring characters, no development, and mostly it just didn't make any sense.  I'm not surprised if a lot of people bailed.  When we did our re-watch last month leading up to Mando Season 3, we watched Mando Seasons 1 and 2, then skipped the first four episodes of Boba Fett and started with The Return of The Mandalorian.

Anyone who has Disney+ presumably has access to the many, many resources telling them that they should at least watch Episodes 5-7 of Boba Fett.  But I still say it was kinda dumb to cross them over so much like that.  Crossing over and interconnecting stories in the same universe are fine.  MCU does it extensively.  But it's always somewhat minor stuff, stuff you could live without but if you caught the reference you get a little extra something out of it.  Not entire plot points and character development.

[orcus116]

As someone who only made it three episodes into Boba Fett before losing interest I was one of the confused ones when Grogu popped back up. Without any explanation it really sucked the impact out of the ending of season two. I understand Grogu is popular but they set the show up to move on from him in a nicely done way and seemingly decided against it.

[ErHaO]

i did not watch Boba Fett because the word of mouth was terrible and there is enough good stuff out there to watch. I was confused and it makes the season 2 ending seem useless.

[jingle.boy]

^^

[Adami]

Very late to the game but just watched the first episode of Andor.

Really liked it! Excited for the rest.

[lonestar]

Very late to the game but just watched the first episode of Andor.

Really liked it! Excited for the rest.

Nice... It's by far the strongest of the SW shows in my humble opinion, and has excellent writing throughout to appease your overly critical heart.

[The Letter M]

Very late to the game but just watched the first episode of Andor.

Really liked it! Excited for the rest.

If you're interested, there is a dedicated Andor thread here as well.
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=57614.0

-Marc.

[soupytwist]

Tough watch.

Didn't IG11 blow up in lava?  I mean I'm an engineer (not a magic space engineer admittedly) and I feel like replacing some wiring probably isn't going to cut it! ..Also this is the only drode Mando trusts....the one that was programmed to kill Baby Yoda, and then tries instantly to do so again when activated. 
It's so dumb they put the actual interesting plot of this show in another (terrible) show, just to reboot Mando back to doing his fetch quest episodes (hopefully it'll be more than this).

[ErHaO]

^^

I mean, it is not that much of a stretch that people expect s3 to continue from s3, no?. I most certainly did not know Boba Fett had important plotlines for this show.

[lordxizor]

I thought Grogu came back to Mando way too soon. I would have liked it to take until the end of Season 3. For one, so Mando would go on some different types of adventures without a toddler in tow. And second, because I think the emotional impact of their reunion would have been stronger.

[jingle.boy]

I thought Grogu came back to Mando way too soon. I would have liked it to take until the end of Season 3. For one, so Mando would go on some different types of adventures without a toddler in tow. And second, because I think the emotional impact of their reunion would have been stronger.