For some, today is but a Thursday at the end of November, and for others, it’s Thanksgiving. No matter if you’re currently in stage three of a turkey-induced haze, sneaking off to the kitchen to pilfer snacks while the rest of your family is distracted by the football game, or just getting through another regular old day … join us as we give thanks to our favorite Bounty Hunting Accidental Space Dad who hails from a galaxy far, far away — the Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian, Disney+’s hit new series that premiered with the streaming service a couple of weeks ago, follows the story of a lone bounty hunter (who is portrayed by the talented Pedro Pascal.) Our main character’s name has not yet been canonically confirmed in the show itself, but Pascal may or may not have let something along the lines of “Dyn Jarren” slip in an interview (throw us a bone, Lucasfilm, inquiring minds need answers!). For now, other characters have referred to him as the Mandalorian or Mando.
There are plenty of reasons to be thankful for Star Wars‘ coolest new character, so in the spirit of today’s holiday we’ll review some of the best.
The Voice
Let’s just get this out of the way, because we’re all thinking it and there’s absolutely no denying it … that voice. Star Wars fans are certainly no strangers to masked characters, especially those in lead roles like that of Darth Vader and Kylo Ren. But there’s just something about the Mandalorian’s voice in particular. Is it the added level of clarity? The sassiness laced with vulnerability? The overall relatable nature? Pedro Pascal just being … Pedro Pascal? All of the above, honestly.
The Sass
Let’s come back to that sass — Hire One Bounty Hunter, Get A Lifetime’s Worth of Sass Free! We’re but three episodes in and few have made it through a conversation with the Mandalorian unscathed by some sort of a sharp, witty, or humorous remark from him. “I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold,” “I like those odds,” “You understand THIS?” (cue flamethrower), and essentially the entire script of his interactions with the short-lived droid IG-11, to name a few. Bounty hunting is a complicated profession, and we respect the Mandalorian for keeping things interesting.
A Hardworking, Multi-Tasking Dad
I’m sorry, he did what now? That’s right. The Mandalorian stormed the facility that had hired him to capture Baby Yoda in the first place, rescued his tiny green son, and cradled him delicately in one arm while destroying every single stormtrooper in the building with his free hand. We love a multi-tasking space dad and that’s the tea.
Literally the #1 Jawa Fan in the Galaxy
It’s been a long day at the office and you come home to find that a sandcrawler full of Jawas has looted your ship for all that’s it’s worth. What do you do? Cut your losses and call it a day? Well if you’re the Mandalorian, clearly the best option is to attack their giant vehicle with your bare hands, disintegrate a few of them, very gracefully get dumped off the transport, and waltz back over to their campsite the next day to sort of make peace (and maybe, possibly threaten them with a flamethrower). This man is clearly a diplomat in the works.
A Posterboy of Character Development
I’m sorry, but “That’s not a toy” can’t come to the phone right now, Baby Yoda’s New Dad is in the house (the ship?) In the span of a single episode, we went from heartbroken as he left the child, hopeful as he reached a moment of inner turmoil, and finally victorious as he handed the ball knob over to his tiny new co-pilot. We know that he’s an infamous bounty hunter, a profession which is bound to the Code of the Guild, and we can only assume that this is something he previously followed with a blind, unfeeling faith in order to “get the job done” and ultimately bring the rewards back to his clan. And yet … for the child, he falters.
Kicks Ass, Gets His Ass Kicked (all in a day’s work!)
Listen, nobody is perfect. Mess with his small green floating space pod child? You’re toast. Literally disintegrated. He’ll take out an entire team of stormtroopers all while cradling a cooing baby in his arms. But put him up against a rowdy blurgg, a pack of Jawas, or an angry mudhorn? He may or may not find himself lying face up in the dirt, questioning all of his life decisions. The Mandalorian isn’t invincible, but he’s definitely fearless, which is an admirable trait that makes him a truly fascinating character.
So thank you, Jon Favreau, for bringing us this incredible new Star Wars series with a brand spankin’ new bounty hunter that’s essentially the best thing since sliced bread. Do they even have sliced bread in space? Who knows.
Catch the next episode of The Mandalorian this Friday, November 29, exclusively on Disney+.
