#seriously mando s2 needs to get here like last week

[kotorswtor]

i've got 2 lore questions: 1) when/why do you think the whole "no removing helmets" thing came into being, since (my understanding is) it wasn't in place during tcw or rebels? and 2) considering they're still canon (or re-canonized) what do you think happened to the miraluka post order 66? at least one was recruited by sheev for his sith boyband, the uhhhh....(checks wookiepedia) inquisitorius, right? a whole species of force sensitives seem like something ol' sheevie wouldn't just ignore

The more I try to drill down on speculation about history and culture developments in The Mandalorian, the more confused I get.

I instinctively want the helmet taboo to have developed out of a security measure instituted during or as a result of the Great Purge. But that’s hard to square with other stuff we know about the timeline: Din tells Omera he’s been wearing the helm full-time since he wasn’t much older than Winta (and that comports with Legends stuff about Mandos having a comparatively young age-of-majority, like, mid-teens). That gives us a date-range of around 10-5 BBY...when the Mandalorians we see in Rebels in 4-1 BBY are casually walking around with their faces uncovered. I think the conclusion that’s hard to avoid is that the helmet taboo isn’t universal (in the Disney Gallery series, Bryce Dallas Howard very carefully states that “as far as Din knows, the helmet taboo applies for all Mandalorians”), or that different Aliite may turn out to adopt it on a different schedule. It’s possible that that’s more of a thing for diaspora Mandalorians than ones local to Mandalore. Gut-wise, I also want to connect it to the cultural conservatism that we see in Clan Viszla/Death Watch, but considering that as of Rebels, we’re seeing their representatives throwing in with either Bo Katan Kryze or Gar Saxon, maybe there’s something else driving that entirely.

Re: Miraluka, you’re right. The Sheev is very unlikely to overlook the resource of an entire planet of people with a pretty high minimum level of Force-sensitivity and an indigenous culture that cultivates research and training in the Force. I’m not surprised that if one was going to resurface in present canon, it was as an Inquisitor. A lot of Miraluka in Legends continuity end up characterized as evil-to-extremely-morally-ambiguous (Visas Marr, possibly Darth Marr, Krynda Draay, Q’anilia). The thought that I hate but seems likely is that everyone who didn’t manage to get out in time got coopted into the Sith Eternal/Final Order.

[doopcafe]

The Mandalorian: The Rescue (Chapter 16) 

Summary: Mando and friends rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon with unexpected help.

Comments: I probably can’t add anything that hasn’t already been said. This episode was great and I don’t write reviews flavored with “this episode was great” very well. 

A friend—who seriously needs to learn how to respect spoilers—texted me an hour after this aired about Cara’s gun jamming (Dan: it was Nick). Three days later, after several dramatic life-changing events and decisions (in real life), we finally had time to watch and learn all about Cara’s gun jamming. 

Setting aside the ridiculousness of jamming a laser gun (which has no moving parts), what was the point in terms of tone or story? The gun jams, Cara struggles with it, then it works again and she gets back to shooting worthless stormtroopers. If the purpose was tension, the scene fails because their group consists of four complete badasses shooting worthless stormtroopers—therefore, “shit, my gun jammed” isn’t really selling non-negligible levels of tension or suspense. If the point was humor, it also fails because the confusion over “laser gun jams” far exceeds any chuckle from “lol, Cara’s gun broke.”

But that’s a pretty small gripe in what was otherwise a very satisfying conclusion to S2. 

By the way, what was Luke thinking when he walked onto that bridge at the end? 

From Luke’s perspective, he’s chillin’ with the Force when he gets an SMS from some Force user asking for help. He flies halfway across the galaxy to battle through a platoon of murder droids on a ship populated by stormtrooper corpses only to find (1) a Mandalorian hanging out with something that looks like his former Jedi master, (2) a New Republic marshal, (3) a high-value Imperial target, and (4) a couple more Mandalorians pointing blasters at him. Oh, and there’s an ancient lightsaber tossed on the floor somewhere. He’s gotta be wondering what the hell just happened on this ship.

Also, R2’s reaction to meeting a miniature Yoda should have been to extend his taser and make threatening sounds. Last time R2 saw this f—er, he repeatedly smacked R2 with a stick.

In conclusion, Mando without Grogu? True, Grogu’s basically worthless and doesn’t do anything except sell toys, but he was such a key part of this show’s identity that it’ll be interesting to see where S3 goes from here. Also true: the penultimate episode of the season had absolutely zero scenes of Grogu and it was just fine.

My enjoyment: 5/5 

P.S. - A week ago I would have summarized my feelings regarding a Boba Fett spin-off series with *eye rolls* and a disgusted comment about fan service, but now... just give me all the Star Wars you possibly can. 

I grew-up with only the OT and some weird EU novels to keep me going for fifteen years, so... yah. Inject this shit into my veins and keep it flowing.