[kscherer]

I was very much looking forward to it, but I had absolutely zero expectations after Episode VIII. I have been pleasantly surprised.

Speaking of which, #8 comes out on December 27! A whole week and a half away.

Here's the funny thing: I'm more excited for The Mandalorian #8 than I am for The Rise of Skywalker.

[turtle]

Iger said that he made the mistake of using the "Baby Yoda" name in emails to series creator Jon Favreau, and "got my wrists slapped a bunch of times" for doing so. In the interview, he referred to the character as "The Asset," or "The Child," which is what it's been called in the seven episodes of The Mandalorian that have aired so far.

Originally Posted by Iger "People really wanted to know, what's its name? I know its real name, and it is one of the reasons I've got all this extra security now. I don't want to be given some kind of truth serum by someone."

Well, why not tell us so we don't have to keep calling him a name he wasn't given?

Well at least it isn't likely Froggy McFrogface or beer.

[kscherer]

Hey, if you ain't gonna fess up, you gonna get names.

It's how we roll!

[turtle]

I didn't realize that the show's eighth episode is the season finale. Then what, another 9 months for more episodes?

[kscherer]

No idea what is to happen. I think this is a test project for Disney, to see how fans like it and the format.

Edit: I just checked the Wikithingy and there isn't much regarding the future of the series, although Disney has announced that if the series is successful, there may be a movie.

Hmmm … Don't know if I can live without little Force McFrog in my day.

Well, with Disney+ the kid and I have discovered Star Wars: Rebels and are really enjoying that (some bits are a little corny, and I can tell it was created for a younger audience, but it's still good fun). Season 1:15 has one of the better light saber duels I've seen. Took them 15 episodes to get there, though.

And Ahsoka Tano! My heart be still.

[Brad]

As much as I've enjoyed it, I think I want The Mandalorian to be over when this season ends, but of course Disney will refuse to let anything good end on a high note. Let it stand alone as an interesting spinoff in this universe, and allow other creative endeavors to exist! I can only imagine a followup season catering to the first season reactions from audiences and then pandering and leaning hard into all the wrong things from marketing and executive meddling.

[kscherer]

I'm right there with you. I hope they let it go as a good thing and switch over to some other character.

- I would pay good money to see a series featuring Ahsoka Tano beginning right at her defection from the Jedi order (and maybe pursued by agents of the dark side looking to recruit her—or kill her)

- There could be a Tie Fighter pilot who crash lands on some wasteland and is rescued by the locals and learns to live and fight with them

- The exploits of some Jedi Master trying to escape from Vader

- Now that Baby Yoda is a thing, there could be a young Yoda series

- I really want to know about Wedge Antilles

Man, take your pick. This franchise is open to so many possibilities, and if Disney can get out one show per quarter, they will be the most popular streaming service out there!

P.S. I tried the[list] thing but couldn't make it work. What am I doing wrong?

[psmith2.0]

To me, it just seems obvious this is the future of Star Wars. You can tell more of a story, and you don't have to get everything right in one two-hour movie. Face it, I think the days of the multiplex are winding down (in our lifetime). Nobody's going to keep paying for middling horseshit on the big screen forever. They can justify it a little easier if it's at home...better food, pee breaks, less $$$, etc.

[kscherer]

Yep.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by kscherer P.S. I tried the[list] thing but couldn't make it work. What am I doing wrong?

example: item 1 item 2 item 3 Hit reply for source with the vB code tags.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by Brad example: item 1 item 2 item 3 Hit reply for source with the vB code tags.

I Think I've got it! But you should have said, "hit quote."

[kscherer]

Today is the day! #8 has dropped. The kid and I will get to it on Sunday, so no spoiling!

Then it will be off to Star Wars: Rebels until a new thing comes along.

Too bad, too. This series has been a real positive since The Last Jedi ruined Star Wars.

[turtle]

Jon says there will be a season 2!

[Brad]

Fuckiiiiiinnnnng storm troopers DON'T YOU HURT MY BABY YODA

Hahaha I'm not going to put any real spoilers here. Just go watch it for yourself!

But I will say that this was a satisfying end to the previous episode cliffhanger and this could totally stand on its own as the true end of the series. As my wife just reassured me a few minutes ago, "if the second [season] stinks, it doesn't have to be canon " and I'm okay with this.

[kscherer]

I love that this show is having that kind of an affect. In real war children are the hardest hit. This show brings a bit of that to light.

Originally Posted by turtle Jon says there will be a season 2!

Fall?

If the wait is that long, we need more episodes. At least 52.

[Brad]

Okay, here's my one real gripe from this end-of-season episode that I'll put into a spoiler tag.

If you're reading on a mobile device where that tag doesn't work as expected, you've been warned.

…



here goes:

I think I hate that they're implying another Darth is involved here. Hearing the classic activation sound and then seeing that goofy black light saber ("dark saber"?) extend through the wall just made me roll my eyes and heave a sigh. Yes, yes, I know black light sabers are a thing somewhere in the vast Star Wars canon of video games or cartoons or something, but it just feels too unreal even for this space fantasy. On top of that, though, I was really enjoying the idea that this was a completely isolated spinoff. Involving another Darth just means we're somehow closely linked back with the mainline because of the Sith's Rule of Two. And I guess was this Darth guy the supposed tie-in to Rise of Skywalker? I don't know yet because I still don't plan to see the new movie until Tuesday.

[psmith2.0]

Spoilers below...stop here if you’re on mobile/iOS!!



....

From what I read earlier today, this darksaber has legit ties to Mandalorians (it was created by one, a thousand or so years before the timeline of any of the movies) and it’s been stolen and used by others, including Maul and characters from Rebels throughout its existence. So, at the very least, it connects to the show’s main character’s cultural history.

[turtle]

Wow, I'm glad I blocked out time on my Saturday morning to watch this episode. The one part at the very end is the one part I did roll my eyes a little. I mean, did they have to go there?

They could have just done that part differently. Either way, I really enjoyed the series as a whole. I also would really rather that TV in general stop making it so the shows are serialized. You need to watch one after the other or you miss something important.

Originally Posted by kscherer Fall? If the wait is that long, we need more episodes. At least 52.

I know, what are they thinking? It needs to be more than 8 episodes for sure.

[psmith2.0]

Are shows like this written, all eight installments, upfront and then everything filmed, or are 1-2 episodes written/filmed, and the rest kinda made up as they go along? What's the typical approach on this short-season TV format, I wonder?

In any case, if 2020 goes by anywhere as quickly as 2019 seemed to, fall will be here in no time.

[psmith2.0]

You know who I'd like to see appear on this show? Vincent D'Onofrio.

Much like Giancarlo Esposito (Gideon), he's done great character actor work and has often been the best part of shows or movies he's been in.

He can play good (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), bad (The Cell), sympathetic (Full Metal Jacket), crazy (later on in Full Metal Jacket), so they could put him in any number of roles/character types. He's been one of my favorites for years and years, and I've often sat through otherwise lousy movies (or movies I really had no genuine interest in, like The Judge) just because I know he's going to be there, putting on a "here's how to act" clinic.

And he's obviously okay with doing genre work (Daredevil, Jurassic World), so a Star Wars project shouldn't offend any "I'm a serious actor, dammit, and above all this pew-pew-pew foolishness!" sensibilities he might've once harbored.

Good writing/story + good actors to convey it all...and the rest almost takes care of itself.

Because you see what happens when one (or both) of those foundations are missing...ahem

[kscherer]

I loved the series. Exceptional, and kudos to Disney/Lucasfilm for a job well done.

Also, The Mandalorian has a tie-in to The Rise of Skywalker. If you've seen both (and I now have) then you will catch it. It's subtle, but it was blatantly obvious to both my daughter and I. Here's a hint: Scates nailed it … sort of.

[psmith2.0]

Well of course...

Not sure it's a good idea. Seems it would be a victim of SNL Syndrome (take something small, novel and/or best in small doses and attempt to build a two-hour movie around it that nobody is actually asking for).

I think Star Wars needs to give the multiplex a rest for about 4-5 years. They've put out five movies in five years. Good or bad, I think that's a bit too much and veers into oversaturation/overstaying-your-welcome territory.

They should build on the success of this show and maybe do another 1-2 Disney+ projects, focusing on quality and good stories (and rebuilding goodwill and re-establishing the brand after the division and rancor the sequel trilogy stirred up), and then maybe revisit a feature film (or trilogy) in a few years. Let people miss it a bit. The worst thing Disney/Lucasfilm could do right now, IMO, is start churning out half-baked, big-budget movies/trilogies right away because they think that's "what people want". I think the days of slapping nostalgia on something and hoping that, alone, will carry it are winding down.

[kscherer]

Hot damn!

My favorite Star Wars character is coming to live action!

Asoka for the win!

—

The article also suggests that the upcoming Obi Wan Kenobi business will be a made for Disney+ TV series rather than a movie, which makes my heart pound harder. I like where they're going with this stuff, I really do. Hopefully, Obi Wan will be the ass-kicker we heard about so often, but still have yet to really see. I mean, Vader has never been more "Vader" than that bit at the end of Rogue One, so maybe Disney gets these characters (or at least some of them—when in the right hands).

[Bryson]

I finally got Disney+ because...well, you know why.

This show was everything I hoped for (and was denied by the new trilogy) in a Star Wars property. So good!

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by kscherer Hot damn! My favorite Star Wars character is coming to live action! Asoka for the win!

I have a tough time focusing on the movie/plot/dialogue/set design at hand whenever Ms. Dawson is on the screen. This could be a double-edged sword..."I watched the entire season, still have no clue what happened...".

[709]

I had to do some back-of-the-napkin age calculation because I only know Ahsoka in Clone Wars (haven't watched Rebels yet) and she's so young, but the math checks out. She'd be mid 40s during The Mandalorian.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 "I watched the entire season, still have no clue what happened...".

Originally Posted by 709 She'd be mid 40s during The Mandalorian.

Be still my heart!

[turtle]

Boba Fett to join up next season!

We all "knew" it was coming, now it really is it seems.

[psmith2.0]

Star Wars, under Disney, will never break away from its past. Everything they're announcing is still tied to that original saga in some way. I know there were two upcoming projects announced Monday...and those will be too, just watch. Uncle Owen's misspent youth, that dancing chick at Jabba's palace and her girlfriend, etc.

Disney doesn't have the balls/conviction to do something truly new/different. They've had nearly eight years...they would've done it by now. Or at least announced it.

[709]

Originally Posted by turtle Boba Fett to join up next season! We all "knew" it was coming, now it really is it seems.

And with Temuera Morrison playing him!

Also:

Originally Posted by 709 I don't believe that Agent May is really dead.

*crosses fingers*