01/17/2020

                             (Disney+)

By NICHOLAS MADOLE
SNN Staff Writer

Bounty hunters, aliens and stormtroopers, oh my.

Disney’s The Mandalorian, directed by Jon Favreau, is a show featured on the Disney+ streaming app that was released in November 2019. The show begins by introducing the main character, Mando, as he is called throughout the show. Mando, played by actor Pedro Pascal, is a bounty hunter and member of the Mandalorians, a multispecies culture of warrior clans who follow a code of honor.

Their home planet is Mandalore; however, not all Mandolarians are born there. In some cases, children who are alone and have no place to go are recruited by the Mandalorians and train rigorously to become warriors. The Mandalorians wear helmets and are sworn to never let any living thing see their face.

 Mando is always looking for the next job. When, he takes on a new job involving the capture and return of an unknown creature, he finds nothing but trouble along the way.

When he travels to a desert planet called Arvala-7, he encounters Kuiil, an Ugnaught moisture farmer. Kuiil welcomes the Mandalorian and offers his assistance as he is troubled by the many bounty hunters who have tried and failed to capture Mando’s target. After a series of setbacks and hostile encounters, Mando acquires his bounty, but is surprised by what he finds: a young alien who Mando calls The Child. He spends the remainder of the show watching over The Child, popularly known among fans as “Baby Yoda.”

The Mandalorian is very well-written and draws you in even if you have never seen a Star Wars movie. I found myself getting more hyped with each episode.

Kuill, the moisture farmer, is soft-spoken yet wise, like Yoda himself. He lends his assistance wherever it is needed.

1G-11 is a droid and starts out as a bounty hunter targeting The Child. He is destroyed, rebuilt and reprogrammed to protect The Child at all costs. Mando doesn’t trust droids so there is a sense that the droid may betray him.

The show does a good job telling the story of the Mandalorian and shows him evolve as a person. As he spends more time caring for The Child, he starts to become like its father, until finally they become a clan. He learns true friendship and becomes more honorable than ever.

I would highly recommend this show to anyone who has an interest in aliens or outer space. I give it five out of five stars for its diverse array of characters and environments, as well as it’s unpredictability, which makes it a rollercoaster.