Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian

Rewatching Season 1, I suddenly clocked that the Imperial agent who hires the Mandalorian has been given the same unusual accent as Grand Admiral Thrawn in "Rebels." Very thin, clearly articulated 't' and 's'; rounded and oddly emphasised long 'a' sounds that are more like 'ay': "Apprecieay-ted." If deliberate, it's a very nice touch, implying some commonality of background between the two officers.
 
Is that Werner Herzog, the old man in the first episode? I think it's his usual accent, maybe played up a bit for effect. It's a slightly weird role, as Herzog is a rather arty film director (he's made some very good things) and has a reputation as something of a maverick. It's strange casting but it works really well.
 
Is that Werner Herzog, the old man in the first episode? I think it's his usual accent, maybe played up a bit for effect. It's a slightly weird role, as Herzog is a rather arty film director (he's made some very good things) and has a reputation as something of a maverick. It's strange casting but it works really well.
Yep, that's him! Turns out Thrawn was voiced by a Danish actor called Lars Dittmann Mikkelsen. So maybe it was a case of both actors choosing to play up aspects of their own accent in the same way. Oddly effective bit of accidental worldbuilding....
 
Okay, so it is now official. Disney has done a bit of shuffling and thinking. Ashoka Tano is getting her own series with Sabine Wren (another Mandalorian) and it is set in this time with the Mandalorian. So it is more expansion on the subject and making the time between the trilogies makes more sense to the larger audience.

I still can't fully comprehend what is happening in the aftermath of Emperor's death and how much Imperial Stuff is out there, but it's clear that Grand Adm Thraw was spared with his fleet mostly intact. But without the Imperial approval, he is definitely a very curious and extraordinary warlord, capable of doing serious operations anywhere in the galaxy.

Star Wars' upcoming Ahsoka series on Disney+ will see Anakin's former Padawan, played by Rosario Dawson, reuniting with Sabine Wren, played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo, to search for the missing Jedi Ezra Bridger from Star Wars Rebels. This mission involves seeking out Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Imperial leader who disappeared with Ezra in the Star Wars Rebels finale. Ahsoka had been seeking information on Thrawn's whereabouts when she appeared in The Mandalorian. It seems she found what she was after. The Illuminderdi reports that it has acquired a character description for Thrawn, suggesting he's a lead character in the series. Here it is:

"Grand Admiral Thrawn is described as a grand admiral in the Imperial Navy and unequivocally, the most clever and calculating of the Emperor's followers. Thrawn is tall, strong, with a solid build. He is a member of the Chiss alien species meaning he is a blue skinned humanoid with glowing red eyes. Thrawn dons a white uniform befitting his rank with the Empire. Grand Admiral Thrawn is described as a series lead."

While the description does little other than reaffirm what we already knew about Thrawn's physical appearance, the part about him being a lead is interesting. It suggests we'll be seeing a lot of Thrawn in Ahsoka.

The Ahsoka series takes place in the same post-Return of the Jedi era as The Mandalorian. Hayden Christensen will appear in the series as Ahsoka's Jedi master, Anakin Skywalker. One reported synopsis read, "Ahsoka Tano is on the hunt for the evil Grand Admiral Thrawn in the hope it will help her locate the missing Ezra Bridger, the young Jedi that disappeared with Thrawn many years ago."
 
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Okay, so it is now official. Disney has done a bit of shuffling and thinking. Ashoka Tano is getting her own series with Sabine Wren (another Mandalorian) and it is set in this time with the Mandalorian. So it is more expansion on the subject and making the time between the trilogies makes more sense to the larger audience.

I still can't fully comprehend what is happening in the aftermath of Emperor's death and how much Imperial Stuff is out there, but it's clear that Grand Adm Thraw was spared with his fleet mostly intact. But without the Imperial approval, he is definitely a very curious warlord, capable of doing serious operations anywhere in the galaxy.
Ugh, been trying to take a break from SW after the confused mess of TLJ/ROS and the shift to obsessing over Mandalore instead of Jedi. Ahsoka was hard enough to resist and now they're finally giving Thrawn the stage he has deserved since the 90s. I might have to cave.
 
The live-action Star Wars universe is headed into some interesting territory in the next few years, with new and familiar characters having their stories explored in Disney+ shows. The Mandalorian's Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) is definitely among the new characters who have already stolen fans' hearts, as fans are eager to see where his story goes next in future appearances. A new report from the Bespin Bulletin might shed light on one aspect of Din's future, with the outlet revealing that, following the destruction of the Razor Crest in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, the bounty hunter will be piloting a new ship. Specifically, the report claims that Din will be piloting a Naboo N-1 Starfighter, a type of ship that was originally introduced in the prequel trilogy, and has popped up throughout the canon since then.

This detail is interesting especially given the most recent episode of The Book of Boba Fett, the currently-airing Disney+ series that spins out of the events of The Mandalorian Season 2. The final scene of the episode featured Din's theme music, possibly suggesting an appearance from the character sooner rather than later. The possibility of Din appearing in The Book of Boba Fett has been rumored for the past few months, given both shows' place in the Star Wars timeline.

"I can't say anything," The Book of Boba Fett star Temura Morrison said in a recent interview. "But we have some wonderful, colourful things to look forward to. I don't want to say too much about it because we're all going to go on this journey together. And every little bit of information is pretty precious now."

If Din doesn't end up piloting a Naboo N-1 in The Book of Boba Fett, there's always Season 3 of The Mandalorian, which began filming last year. While a release date has not been set for the new season, there's already been a lot of hype surrounding the series' return.
 
An interesting bit of news. I wonder whether a starfighter would suit a bounty hunters job as a shortage of cargo space could be limiting. Still, it'll be great to see some PT era designs getting a bit of love.
 
An interesting bit of news. I wonder whether a starfighter would suit a bounty hunters job as a shortage of cargo space could be limiting. Still, it'll be great to see some PT era designs getting a bit of love.
Might be a beggars can't be choosers situation.
 
Following the success of The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau has been a constant presence in the world of Star Wars, standing alongside Dave Filoni as the creatives that most fans consider responsible for most of what comes to the small screen. According to a report at Puck, Favreau was originally only signed on for that first season of The Mandalorian, and after it exploded in popularity, he was able to leverage that to get an "insane" deal with Lucasfilm to stay on board. No details were offered, as the contract only came up in the larger context of analyzing Disney's streaming model.

The piece notes that Disney tends to be fairly tight-fisted when it comes to compensating their creatives. They have long had a reputation for paying less than other studios, and relying on the fact that they're Disney, so everyone wants to work with them, or on their properties. That mindset is only strenghtened by acquiring Star Wars and Marvel in the last decade or so.

According to the article, "Sure, there are exceptions. Favreau originally signed on to do just one season of The Mandalorian, so when it became Disney+'s signature series, he extracted an insane deal to continue, with all kinds of bonuses and incentives for writing or directing individual episodes. But I'm betting even Favreau doesn't get a cut of the show's merchandise revenue, meaning Disney likely doesn't share the windfall from my kid's many Baby Yoda T-shirts and PJs with the guy who, along with Filoni, actually created the character."

Puck is working on assumptions for that last part, and a rep for Favreau declined to comment for their story, but it's almost certainly true. George Lucas built his personal fortune by retaining control of the Star Wars merchandise during the original trilogy, but that's a trick that's unlikely to work again. Hollywood has admired Lucas's brilliance, and the short-sightedness of everyone else who could have had a cut of that cash, for decades.

Favreau is no stranger to big Disney deals, though. He directed the first two Iron Man films and then got The Jungle Book before The Mandalorian even came along, and then added The Lion King, making him one of the top-grossing directors in the studio's recent history. Sure, his films might not have made Infinity War and Endgame kind of money, but he has a more diverse portfolio of hits for the studio than almost anybody currently working there (at least until Taika Waititi and Kevin Feige get their Star Wars projects running).
 
Ive never understood the Mandelorains and their obsession with keeping their helmet on .
It's his idea. He is trying to follow the Armourer's code and be a true Mandalorian. Thing about them is that they are extremely idealistic people, almost all of them are fanatics to one way or another. And for the Armourer's cast going all the way on strick codes on keeping the face hidden is just one facet of the whole gem.
 
This is the best that they have for the franchise, and partly Rogue One (which was saved by the third act). The rest are at best average, but at least not as bad as Star Trek.

Given that, I hope that they don't foul this up in any future seasons remaining.
 
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