So, finally, after all this time, we get live action series of Star Wars. Unfortunately, the episodes are only double the length of the animated ones, and in the first one, you get less of content. Honestly, I don't know why, as especially the lack of content has been evident in the new films as well. It feels strange, especially you'll find the great Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau helming the series.
In twenty minutes that Disney allowed for Dave to do his magic, the episodes were always full of great stuff. In The Mandalorin, you'll have to seen at least the original trilogy to get anywhere, but even then you'd need exposition as there are scenes that completely mystify the Mandalorian angle. In fact, if you have not seen the Rebels, you will lost. If you have played some of the video games, or read the non canon novels, you might get that back in the days of the Old Republic, Mandalorians were an elite race of warriors.
In a way the training that Clone Troopers received is something that you can use to compare the skills and the knowledge that has been installed into the Mandalorian's. Some could say they are "bada$$" and I would agree. Wholeheartedly. The simple reason is that there are no other SW factions that even compare to this people. But, the thing is, back in the old days, the Mandalorian's they gained their fearsome reputation by acting as bounty hunters or mercenaries. The war dominated their lives and at the height of the Old Republic they followed House Vizla and started a war against the Jedi.
You might think that back in the glory of the Old Republic it would have been foolish to act against the galactic peacekeepers. But, the thing is, they didn't care. It was their culture that dominated them and said that whoever wields the Black Saber rules the Mandalore and therefore, all of its people. Hang on a minute, you might think, only the Jedi or the Sith are able to fully use light sabres, but that's only half of the truth, because to wield the blade effectively you'll have to have a force sensitive people.
The thing is, Mandalore never sent their people into the Jedi Academy, when they had their own schools and customs. It was the Sith who found out about them being Force Sensitive, and they used it to slave the whole race under their will. Little they did knew about it, and in those days, a Mandalorian could challenge a Jedi Knight to a single combat. And they were proud about it, even if most of the fights were lost. Jedi simply were a challenging opponent, not an immovable object that blocked everything.
So, they are proud, and that is what you'll get from this episode. You won't learn his name, as he is simply called The Mandalorian. You won't learn his history either, as the only thing you'll get is that he is at top of his game and his name isn't related to the Fett's. In a way, what Fett did pales in comparison to this one. He doesn't even need the help of Vader or Storm Troopers as he can put his tags in the carbon on his own without using anyone help.
That fact kicks him in the butt, when he rides to town holding his mark, and wonders why nobody has been able to collect the bounty for fifty years. So, when the plasma bolts start flying he is joined by IG-11 droid, but even that assassin droid is having trouble with the town occupants. That fight lasts over ten minutes, and it is the best live action droid fight in the SW history.
If you can see the first episode I warmly recommend it to the SW fans, while the general public might be out its reach. Unfortunately.