The Mandalorian: Bringing Star Wars back

 The Mandalorian: Return of the Sci-Fi Western


With Star Wars Day having just passed, I thought it was about time I wrote a Star Wars piece! 


When The Mandalorian was released to audiences, no one was really sure what to expect from it, except we all knew it looked promising. And then it blew us all away. Something about it really clicked for people, and whilst partly I reckon most film and TV released during the pandemic offered very welcome escapes from real life struggles, The Mandalorian has something genuinely special going on. 



In true Star Wars fashion, family are the people you choose and who choose you, through thick and thin, forsaking all others, when the connections between you might not seem an obvious fit. It’s something we see throughout the franchise and it’s an important part of why it’s so popular and moving. 



And of course, we’ve seen various father-son relationships play out across generations of Star Wars but what The Mandalorian gave us was a father figure who never expected the role to be thrust upon him, and was definitely not expecting the deep connection he would find with the Child who entered his life as merely an “Asset.” This Child falls into his path and suddenly his life is forever changed by the encounter. 



But this is not just another warped and dysfunctional father-son Star Wars trope. Instead this is a relationship where the choice is made to stand by one another, where sacrifices and compromises are made, and companionship is not simply living alongside each other because it’s the easy option but despite the challenges, helping each other to grow and develop into more empowered and fulfilled versions of themselves. Where normally we might anticipate conflict, tension, and anger, in this relationship we see care, responsibility, and humour. Of course, it wouldn’t be Star Wars without the action, intrigue, journeying and quests, but at the heart of it all is this growing relationship between two characters which, despite their differences, looks an awful lot like a father, and a son.



The Mandalorian is a great example of when a franchise is done well. It builds upon the existing sci-fi Western elements we know and love (take Luke  on Tatooine gazing dramatically into the distance, accompanied by John Williams’ unmatched score), but it’s taking them in a different narrative direction. There are new characters to be revealed and developed, new relationships and connections, new places, spaces, creatures, and technologies to be introduced to. When we meet the Mandalorian, of course we know nothing about him, but over the course of the story we don’t just get to know him and his life, but we get another glimpse into that fantasy world of a galaxy far far away… 

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