On Mando&Grogu and the buildup to a sequels-adjacent thing
Watched The Mandalorian and Grogu, loved it and I am very tired so this might be incoherent but want to get this out. Spoilers ahead, fresh off getting home. It’s been released at a pretty bad time economically and it’s a bit of a whiplash after so much serious content. I think that’s a good thing. I shall explain why.
I finally figured out the vibe of that Republic base they keep going back to. It's a damn space!VFW with an active air wing, full of old hands and former Rebels turned New Republic pilots rotting at the ass end of the galaxy, nowhere near its governance (which is very, very important, because Mon Mothma's rush to demilitarize is...I'm too fuckin tired for that one rn) and I don't think that's a mistake in storytelling in any aspect. For one, there's no evident involvement from the youth of the galaxy (so...who in the galaxy is taking up for the New Republic's cause or do they all miss the Empire?), for second, these pilots are still doing what Rebels did in the OT (but not all willy nilly) and Poe Dameron will do in the ST and be upbraided by Leia for: jumping in planes and blowing something up (in Resistance, it's said that most of the New Republic pilots will jump ship and join Leia when she creates the Resistance). That's great, except you need a plan or it's just a useful statistic. Note how in Andor everything was successful because it was a coordinated, purposeful effort of many people?
The movie is still a fun action film in the style of a quick-moving 80s film with puppets. I think they’ve finally hit their stride with the kind of nostalgic storytelling they've been going for, something nostalgic without beating us over the head with it the way they did in Skeleton Crew, much as I loved that too. Low stakes…except not, and that part only through implication.
Stinky Rotta is adorable, no notes. I love the notion that the kindness shown to him by Ahsoka and the Jedi seems to have made a lasting impression. I love that the kindness of the Jedi is what seems to have outlived the reality they became at the end of the Republic. It’s the fundamental idea of the Jedi, of what they were like and what they stood for, the thing Baylon Skoll says he misses, that has outlived them in the end.
First half of the film—Although I am disappointed that there is no mention or sight of Kallus, Zeb is there and he’s…Zeb. Love him—recovery of Rotta, with Zeb.
Second half of the film—the Twins’ revenge for Din not bringing them Rotta, and Grogu.
The New Republic cannot be stupid enough to not know that they’re selling Rotta into pain and torment to get their hands on an ex-Imperial. It seems like official policy is it's okay to make deals with the Hutt cartels to find ex-Imperials. They're so focused on the ex-Imperials they are doing nothing to maintain the ideals they say they have, and they're doing a worse job of providing for the population than the Empire did (there's so much to talk about there). The New Republic claims the moral high ground (I'm a little light on details because I haven't played it yet, but it seems the Empire had their own competitive cartel but importantly they never did that openly, per Jedi: Survivor) while failing to at least give the population bread and circuses. Can't eat your principles except as a mental exercise, which corrupts them.
Second of all, blowing up that palace as a New Republic squadron? See the second to top paragraph but that's gonna come back to bite them in the ass. I would not be shocked if a would-be successor claimed legitimacy by striking back against the ones who killed the Twins, the New Republic (that doesn't need to be true, it just needs to be the argument someone makes).
I do think it's a good idea to have just a fun movie to decompress and remember whimsy. I once took a very serious, crushing course--they kicked us out for one day about halfway through to get some air. We were bitching for half of it and then we realized we needed the breather to not go into psychosis or some shit.
I also think that Favreau is trying to set us up for some sequels setup in earnest. TBB, The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, even Resistance in the later stages--has been hinting at it.
Anyway it's late as hell this is probably a mess and I"m tired.
