First episode is out, and it's a good one. After the events of Season 1, the underground groups of Mandalorians have been broken and scattered. The Mandalorian is scouring the galaxy for the survivors of his kind, hoping to uncover clues to the mystery of The Child.

This time around, his travels take him back to Tatooine, where a man in Mandalorian armor has been seen in a remote mining town.

Suffice it to say, the events are suitably epic.

This time around, I ponied up for Disney+ and so far I'm happy with that. $6.99 a month was not too much, they deserve to get paid, and there is other stuff on there that I will be watching.

There are other things to comment on, but they can wait until people have watched it unspoilered.

Quote from: Lurkndog on October 31, 2020, 01:13:34 AM
There are other things to comment on, but they can wait until people have watched it unspoilered.

The Mandalorian continues to deliver. I was a little bit concerned that success would have made them soft or the show would have gone off the rails, like other series I could mention *cough*Stranger Things*cough* but so far so good. Very good.

No spoilers, but I really love that the show is willing to take it's time, go into side stories and build tension and atmosphere. It's something I've really missed in current films.*

*Yes, I want to compare the show to the sequels. I think The Mandalorian gets Star Wars, where the sequels don't.

I dunno, while Stranger Things has gone off the rails at some points, they've always managed to reel me back in. Even the first season didn't really grab me until about halfway through.

Back on The Mandalorian, though, I agree that atmosphere is a strong point. Pretty amazing for a show that is largely filmed on virtual sets. They really brought a sense of place to Tatooine, making it feel both lived-in and powerfully alien at times.

The music was pretty great for this episode, that really helps to make it feel like a movie more than TV. I love Star Wars Rebels, but they really had to dial back the sound design and music on that show. Mandalorian is much more cinematic.

Holy shit I need a smoke after that.

And I don't smoke.

Really fun episode. I'm so happy with this series that I (mostly) don't regret my wife paying the Mouse. No doubt my world view is deplorable to Disney Execs but I can't fault their craft this time. It's excellent. It has not a bit of the horror show that was the 7-9 trilogy.

Jon Favreau really gets Star Wars. Excited to see what's next.

When do we want to lift spoilers for a current episode?

Quote from: Ratman_tf on November 02, 2020, 05:27:06 PM
When do we want to lift spoilers for a current episode?

How about we hold off on spoilers until the Monday after an episode drops? That gives people time to watch it, but also gives us time to discuss it before the next episode.

If there is a forum-wide policy on spoilers, we should use that instead, I guess. I don't think we have spoiler tags available.

By the way, Episode 10 is not what I expected, but still pretty good. The production values on this one were very impressive. Genuinely movie quality. And I can't 100% tell what was practical and what was CGI. Looked like a mix of both.

Quote from: Lurkndog on November 06, 2020, 04:33:53 PM

Quote from: Ratman_tf on November 02, 2020, 05:27:06 PM
When do we want to lift spoilers for a current episode?

How about we hold off on spoilers until the Monday after an episode drops? That gives people time to watch it, but also gives us time to discuss it before the next episode.

Sounds good.

Quote
If there is a forum-wide policy on spoilers, we should use that instead, I guess. I don't think we have spoiler tags available.

By the way, Episode 10 is not what I expected, but still pretty good. The production values on this one were very impressive. Genuinely movie quality. And I can't 100% tell what was practical and what was CGI. Looked like a mix of both.

I thought so too. I haven't seen CGI this good since Jurassic Park.

I liked this episode, but it did feel like wheel spinning, and I've got a high tolerance for slow boils.

Man, I want to comment on one specific thing, but the spoiler tags don't seem to work.

Quote from: Ratman_tf on November 07, 2020, 08:59:16 PM
Man, I want to comment on one specific thing, but the spoiler tags don't seem to work.

I think I know exactly what you want to talk about.

Spoilers on Monday then.

I think I'm on the "lighten up, Francis" side of the argument on this one.

(I'm talking Episode 2 here, Ep 1 was noncontroversial)

I enjoyed the episode, and I'm fine with slow boil. My wife enjoyed it as well. Production quality was great.
I think if I rewatched the season later, I would not lose much by skipping this.

But yeah that little *thing* at the end...wow.

SPOILER WARNING:

STARTING EACH MONDAY, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE PREVIOUS WEEK'S EPISODE OF THE MANDALORIAN.

THIS IS NOW A SPOILER THREAD.
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So, about them eggs. Holy shit, I did not expect them to go there. I was horrified, and then they kept doing it.

My guess is that they wanted to dispel the aura of kiddy-cuteness around The Child? Or make him more like Daigoro in Lone Wolf and Cub?

Also, from Episode 9, Boba Fett is canonically alive, though he is not using his Mandalorian armor any more. The jetpack missile is also canon. I'd say it is roughly equivalent to an RPG in damage and range. At close range, it could mess up a starship, but it isn't going to catch up to one that's running away.

We see that the New Republic has a fairly weak grasp on the Outer Rim. It seems like they only do occasional long range patrols consisting of two or more X-Wings. And those pilots are forced to be pragmatic about how they keep the peace. That seems like it is both in keeping with the sequel trilogy (for what it's worth), and gives plenty of room for adventurers and freelancers to operate.

It doesn't seem like Mando will be going into the heart of the New Republic any time soon. While this patrol let him off the hook, the New Republic authorities could arrest him at any time if they wanted to. Kind of a pity, I'd like to see more of the New Republic and the core worlds.

Time for my nit!

This episode brought up again how these ships are capable of slower than light travel that doesn't make sense. Any journey between even close stars without hyperspace would take decades or centuries, at best.
I know Star Wars is soft sci-fi, but this is 1930's Flash Gordon soft, and just looks silly in 2020.

Quote from: Lurkndog on November 09, 2020, 08:57:59 AM
We see that the New Republic has a fairly weak grasp on the Outer Rim. It seems like they only do occasional long range patrols consisting of two or more X-Wings. And those pilots are forced to be pragmatic about how they keep the peace. That seems like it is both in keeping with the sequel trilogy (for what it's worth), and gives plenty of room for adventurers and freelancers to operate.

It doesn't seem like Mando will be going into the heart of the New Republic any time soon. While this patrol let him off the hook, the New Republic authorities could arrest him at any time if they wanted to. Kind of a pity, I'd like to see more of the New Republic and the core worlds.

I would too. Maybe Mando will have a reason to visit the Core Worlds and show the difference in law and order. The Outer Rim has always been a contrast, with Tatooine, for example, having slavery and being run by space gangsters.

I don't mind greying up the New Republic, but if we don't get any examples of how they're a positive force in the galaxy, then they're just Empire-Lite, and that's not Star Wars.