The Mandalorian

[Frontier]

I think the best way to put it is that the season treated the entire Unification of the Mandalorians/Retaking of Mandalore/Darksaber plot like it was an inconvenient obligation, rather than an epic story people wanted to see; it almost comes off like the season was trying to undermine the idea those concepts could be worth several seasons or major storylines.

It’s like a marketing guy is so convinced in the “Din was a Man With No Name type” malarkey (since it was never the premise for more than the first episode) that they were genuinely scared that fans would hate seeing Din become Mandalore, and hate having intra-Mandalroian conflict.

So now, we’re kind of stuck hoping that Favreau and co. can generate an actual slate of strong, stand-alone adventures for the next season (when that was arguably the show’s weakest episodes) and that the other Mandalorians are cool enough when just bluntly portrayed as action figures attract interest… and honestly feel like all those elements are more fit for supporting character roles now than lead ones.

Honestly feel like this season robbed the Mandalorians a bit of their mystique and grandeur even when they tried their hardest not too...and now they're just another planet of people in the universe and not relevant at all to the plot beyond Din, I assume.

I guess Din might bring them in as the cavalry during the big Thrawn movie.

[Ascended]

Honestly feel like this season robbed the Mandalorians a bit of their mystique and grandeur even when they tried their hardest not too...and now they're just another planet of people in the universe and not relevant at all to the plot beyond Din, I assume.

We could see some fun episodes where Din gets squeezed by his loyalty to the Mandalore nation and a bounty from the Republic. If he takes a contract, he's honor bound to see it through so what happens if he finds out the bounty is for an ally of the throne? Just for a one-off adventure, of course.

And who knows how the Republic will react to the rise of Mandalore? They may have lost some of their mystique and grandeur this season, but a handful of them just took down Gideon's seat of power, his super soldiers, and all his toys in his most sacred and private of lairs, creating a power vacuum in the outer rim. They regained access to as much beskar as they need, they still retain *most* of a fleet, are united behind one leader (for now) and are already allied with a major trade hub and Jack Black's unusually rich planet. And they're all neutral systems, set apart from the New Republic. The pilots on the rim might love Din and his people for taking down Gideon, but the brass on the core worlds might not be so excited to see a new potential rival on the scene.

If this season was anything to go by, then I doubt the deeper politics and social issues get discussed, but Mando isn't the only show set in this era either. And it's hard to believe that Mandalore's role in the wider galaxy won't be relevant to the Big Damn Deal movie. Might even get a little air time with Skeleton Crew or Ahsoka maybe.

I definitely think there were factors behind the scenes that threw the balance of the season off. That Rangers show not happening, maybe the movie getting approved changed plans too, maybe certain plot points needed to be established before Ahsoka started, who knows what else. But it still feels like they picked up a whole lot of threads, only to immediately put them back down again, and while I won't argue with a return to season 2 sensibilities, I really don't want the events of this season set aside so we can pretend Din hasn't stepped up to run with the big dawgs. At the very least Din could be working for his own nation. I'm sure there's a lot of work Bo could have him do to help Mandalore reestablish themselves. Unless part of this apprenticeship is about being away from your clan. Which isn't a lesson Grogu needs, but if it's tradition....

I'm mostly good with where the season wanted to take us, and I'm mostly fine with where we ended up, but the trip here was definitely janky, we took at least two wrong turns, and never stopped to really look at all the cool stuff we should have along the way.

[Immortal Weapon]

Honestly feel like this season robbed the Mandalorians a bit of their mystique and grandeur even when they tried their hardest not too...and now they're just another planet of people in the universe and not relevant at all to the plot beyond Din, I assume.

I guess Din might bring them in as the cavalry during the big Thrawn movie.

I wonder what happens to their land in Navarro. It looks like everyone left for Mandalore. I'm sure Din's cottage is within that land but the mandos should hold on to that settlement in case they lose their planet again.

[Immortal Weapon]

We could see some fun episodes where Din gets squeezed by his loyalty to the Mandalore nation and a bounty from the Republic. If he takes a contract, he's honor bound to see it through so what happens if he finds out the bounty is for an ally of the throne? Just for a one-off adventure, of course.

And who knows how the Republic will react to the rise of Mandalore? They may have lost some of their mystique and grandeur this season, but a handful of them just took down Gideon's seat of power, his super soldiers, and all his toys in his most sacred and private of lairs, creating a power vacuum in the outer rim. They regained access to as much beskar as they need, they still retain *most* of a fleet, are united behind one leader (for now) and are already allied with a major trade hub and Jack Black's unusually rich planet. And they're all neutral systems, set apart from the New Republic. The pilots on the rim might love Din and his people for taking down Gideon, but the brass on the core worlds might not be so excited to see a new potential rival on the scene.

If this season was anything to go by, then I doubt the deeper politics and social issues get discussed, but Mando isn't the only show set in this era either. And it's hard to believe that Mandalore's role in the wider galaxy won't be relevant to the Big Damn Deal movie. Might even get a little air time with Skeleton Crew or Ahsoka maybe.

I definitely think there were factors behind the scenes that threw the balance of the season off. That Rangers show not happening, maybe the movie getting approved changed plans too, maybe certain plot points needed to be established before Ahsoka started, who knows what else. But it still feels like they picked up a whole lot of threads, only to immediately put them back down again, and while I won't argue with a return to season 2 sensibilities, I really don't want the events of this season set aside so we can pretend Din hasn't stepped up to run with the big dawgs. At the very least Din could be working for his own nation. I'm sure there's a lot of work Bo could have him do to help Mandalore reestablish themselves. Unless part of this apprenticeship is about being away from your clan. Which isn't a lesson Grogu needs, but if it's tradition....

I'm mostly good with where the season wanted to take us, and I'm mostly fine with where we ended up, but the trip here was definitely janky, we took at least two wrong turns, and never stopped to really look at all the cool stuff we should have along the way.

So your saying that the Mandalorians have unintentionally created a Separatist alliance? Seeing how stupid the new republic is, they might cause problems believing that a clone wars style conflict will potentially happen with these neutral systems working together?

[BeastieRunner]

So your saying that the Mandalorians have unintentionally created a Separatist alliance? Seeing how stupid the new republic is, they might cause problems believing that a clone wars style conflict will potentially happen with these neutral systems working together?

First Order and demilitarization so soon after a large scale war will do them in before they even think of Mandalore.

[godisawesome]

Honestly feel like this season robbed the Mandalorians a bit of their mystique and grandeur even when they tried their hardest not too...and now they're just another planet of people in the universe and not relevant at all to the plot beyond Din, I assume.

I guess Din might bring them in as the cavalry during the big Thrawn movie.

The irony is that TCW and Rebels both went out of their way to explain the Mandos more bluntly and even cover their politics, economy and policies (enough to get the infamous “poisoned tea” episode)… but I’d argue they still had more mystique and grandeur there just because when they “snapped”, they snapped hard, and maybe proved that warrior Mandos disunited and fighting each other is much more fun then just pitting them as heroes against a more conventional threat.

[Grunty]

I wonder what happens to their land in Navarro. It looks like everyone left for Mandalore. I'm sure Din's cottage is within that land but the mandos should hold on to that settlement in case they lose their planet again.

Considering the general state of Mandalore, which was allready not the most hospital place outside it's domed cities before the empire attacked it, with the glassed surface, the disruptive storms, all manners of horrible creatures lurking on and underneath it's surface and basicly no functional infrastructure, it seems unlikely that they would actualy resettle it anytime soon or even straight away.

For the people of the Watch it would essentialy be like settling in a place that is much worse than the one they lived in at the beginning of the season.

Meanwhile the nomadic survivors might also welcome leaving the hellhole of a planet for some time.

Reclaiming the great forge and by extension their homeworld makes more sense as a symbolic act and to establish a gathering point for the scattered "tribes" to re-unite and from which they can beginn the slow process of rebuilding their homeworld, rather than being the signal for a mass migration back to it.

Also considering the still existing tensions between the tribes, it might also not be a good idea to try putting everyone on Concordia for the time being.

So for the Watch to have land they were peacefully gifted (or earned through battle if that fits their perspective better). Where their presence is accepted or even appriciated by the rest of the population. Where they can raise their children. Live by their definition of The Way as they see fit. Where it's peacefull enough to not fear for their lifes every minute, but rough enough that they won't go "soft" easily. It would seem foolish to not use it, even while they are planning to re-unite and re-build their home world.

Not to forget, that they might feel honor bound to keep a presence on Navarro, after they were given land there.

[j9ac9k]

I thought the finale was fun, if a little perfunctory. Nothing surprising or particularly interesting happened. Just "good guys beat the bad guys." (although Axe almost killed our main characters - way to go, guy )

I do wonder what Elia's going to do now. Will she join up with one of the other former Imperials we saw, take it upon herself to screw the NR somehow or give up and just live an unhappy life as a good NR citizen?

Also, I do think Gideon is dead, but seeing half his face blown off his skull in that explosion would have been good confirmation.

I'm an idiot and/or getting dimentia -- what happened to Din's Beskar spear? For the life of me I can't remember.

[Frontier]

I thought the finale was fun, if a little perfunctory. Nothing surprising or particularly interesting happened. Just "good guys beat the bad guys." (although Axe almost killed our main characters - way to go, guy )

I do wonder what Elia's going to do now. Will she join up with one of the other former Imperials we saw, take it upon herself to screw the NR somehow or give up and just live an unhappy life as a good NR citizen?

Also, I do think Gideon is dead, but seeing half his face blown off his skull in that explosion would have been good confirmation.

I'm an idiot and/or getting dimentia -- what happened to Din's Beskar spear? For the life of me I can't remember.

One reason I don't think Gideon is 100% dead is because he was in touch with her.

[inisideguy]

Could SNOKE be a jacked up Gideon clone?

[Jackalope89]

I thought the finale was fun, if a little perfunctory. Nothing surprising or particularly interesting happened. Just "good guys beat the bad guys." (although Axe almost killed our main characters - way to go, guy )

I do wonder what Elia's going to do now. Will she join up with one of the other former Imperials we saw, take it upon herself to screw the NR somehow or give up and just live an unhappy life as a good NR citizen?

Also, I do think Gideon is dead, but seeing half his face blown off his skull in that explosion would have been good confirmation.

I'm an idiot and/or getting dimentia -- what happened to Din's Beskar spear? For the life of me I can't remember.

That was turned into chainmail armor for Grogu. And possibly other things too.

[Ascended]

So your saying that the Mandalorians have unintentionally created a Separatist alliance? Seeing how stupid the new republic is, they might cause problems believing that a clone wars style conflict will potentially happen with these neutral systems working together?

I'm saying it's possible, yeah. If Mandalore regains its strength, the entire outer rim will flock to them. Some rich, influential worlds already have. And rightly so, given the way the Republic has ignored the rim. I don't know if the Republic would consider a new Mandalorian alliance a military threat, but they'd absolutely consider them a political one.

Could SNOKE be a jacked up Gideon clone?

Pretty sure it's established Snoke was a half-failed Palpatine clone. And it seems Gideon wasn't involved in that program anyway, that was Hux. Gideon was trying to create super soldiers, apparently without the knowledge or approval of the other Shadow Council members.

Irony is, if Gideon had shared his research instead of hiding it, and if he truly did create Force-sensitive clones, then Hux could have brought Palpatine back decades sooner. Once again, evil defeats itself.

[Jackalope89]

I'm saying it's possible, yeah. If Mandalore regains its strength, the entire outer rim will flock to them. Some rich, influential worlds already have. And rightly so, given the way the Republic has ignored the rim. I don't know if the Republic would consider a new Mandalorian alliance a military threat, but they'd absolutely consider them a political one.

Eh, helping protect a couple of planets that don't already have their own peace officers, and hitting a singular Imperial Remnant base, doesn't automatically make them a big threat. Right now, they need to focus on establishing at least some sort of settlement on Mandalore. And while the Children and Owls are doing okay together, a big part of that was a combined hatred of the Imperials, and Djarin helping to bring goodwill between the two. Hard to say how other clans will be over time.

But aside from protecting their system from pirates, Imp remnants, and their allies, I don't see the Mandolorians even thinking of projecting any sort of power until they can establish at least a few good settlements.

[Ascended]

Eh, helping protect a couple of planets that don't already have their own peace officers, and hitting a singular Imperial Remnant base, doesn't automatically make them a big threat.

Not today, no. But tomorrow?

Handful of Mandalorians just retook their planet and took down one of the Empire's major leaders, in his own home, ruining all his toys. The Republic itself couldn't hold onto this guy and a few dozen mandos just dealt with it. Planets are already flocking to them and they don't even have a whole city cleaned out yet.

Maybe the Republic is thrilled to see an old ally rise. But maybe they see potential competition, in a region they barely hold as is. Mandalore is legend, and without even trying they've made powerful allies. What happens when they start getting actively involved in trade again?

Show probably won't do anything with the politics either way, but if I were the Republic I wouldn't necessarily be thrilled to see Mandalore return to power. It'll take time for them to rebuild, and they don't seem expansionist anyway, but it might not matter whether Mandalore encourages it or not, the way it's going so far other worlds will come to them anyway.

[godisawesome]

I’ve got a mild pet theory that the ST’s setting could be moderately improved if TROS’s hint that the First Order actually isn’t able to rule the Galaxy, only fight the war and dominate their immediate space, we’re turned into the idea that as much as Mon Mothma’s disarmament plan left the overall Galaxy unready for a full scale re-emergence of Imperial die-hands, it perhaps still left enough major systems and planets strong enough that TLJ’s “First Order Reigns” and “they’ll conquer key systems in weeks” nonsense became an “…or not.”

The Mandos could provide local support to their section of the Galaxy, as could other minor powers and Anti-Imoerial factions, and just make it so the First Order’s still supreme but not dominant fleet has to gather together to enforce their will on only one or two important a planets at a time, even as they rule the space lanes.