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fanthatracks · 11 months

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Star Wars Celebration Japan presents the best of the Star Wars saga at the Makuhari-Messe Convention Center in Chiba, Japan. For three days, July 19-21, meet your fellow fans from Japan, Asia, and around the world to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars saga in Japan. Enjoy live entertainment, memorable exhibits, great Star Wars shopping, and days of events you'll find no where else but here... That's how the official Celebration Japan site teased the weekend, but how did it really shape up? Was it a storming success like Celebration Europe? Did it pour down with rain? Was there a huge surprise appearance by George Lucas like Celebration 3, or would the magic of Star Wars reign supreme as it did at the first Celebration back in 1999? Fan Chris Gereke, Lucasfilm Events Manager Mary Franklin and artist Richard Chasemore were in attendance, and here's what they had to say about the show.... Celebration Japan Art Show: Come see and purchase the works created by official Lucasfilm artists especially for this weekend. These beautiful Star Wars pieces will be available only at Celebration Japan. This is your opportunity to meet the artists and ask questions, too. Lawrence Noble Sculpting Live: Star Wars artist Lawrence Noble, who has created sculpts and artwork for the Star Wars galaxy including personal sculpts for George Lucas, will be sculpting Luke Skywalker (actor Mark Hamill) live during Celebration Japan. Enter to win, and you might be drawn to receive this one-of-a-kind sculpture! One lucky fan will win it! Must be present to win. Star Wars Photo Sets: Star Wars fans have created fantastic photos sets, including vehicles and creatures, that will make you feel like you are inside the Star Wars galaxy. Find them across the show, and stop to have your picture taken! Celebration Store: The Celebration Japan Store features exclusive, collectible Star Wars items that you can only purchase here, plus more Star Wars treasures for sale. Do not miss shopping at Star Wars Celebration Japan. The Vader Project: Pop culture and underground artists, including exciting artists from Japan, have created their own edgy variations on the iconic Darth Vader helmet. This exhibit is a must-see on your Celebration Japan schedule. Celebration Japan Autographs: Official Pix, the licensed provider of official Star Wars photos and autographs, is hosting the Autograph Hall at Celebration Japan. Meet stars from the movies of the Saga, and get their autographs. Here's who you can meet: - Amy Allen (Aayla Secura, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith); - Jeremy Bulloch: (Boba Fett, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi; Lt. Sheckil, The Empire Strikes Back; Captain Colton, Revenge of the Sith.); - Anthony Daniels (C-3PO, all six Star Wars movies); - Anthony Forrest (Fixer and Stormtrooper, A New Hope); - Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker, original Star Wars trilogy); - Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker, The Phantom Menace); - Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett, Attack of the Clones); - Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca, original Star Wars trilogy, and Revenge of the Sith); - Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett, Attack of the Clones; Commander Cody and clone troopers, Revenge of the Sith); - Ray Park (Darth Maul, The Phantom Menace); - David Prowse (Darth Vader); - Tim Rose (Return of the Jedi); - Orli Shoshan (Shaak Ti, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith); - Matthew Wood (General Grievous, Revenge of the Sith; Bib Fortuna, The Phantom Menace). Also meeting fans and providing complimentary autographs in the Official Pix area: - Dave Filoni Saturday, 2:30pm - 5:00pm; - John Knoll Sunday, 3:00pm - 4:30pm. Star Wars Family Area: Families will enjoy Star Wars crafts and activities, and a place to sit down and enjoy the Celebration together. Come take part in the interactive fun of being a Star Wars fan of any age! Star Wars Jedi Training Stage: Young Padawans who want to learn the ways of the Jedi are invited to train at the Jedi Stage every day of Celebration Japan.

Learn from the Jedi Master, and prepare to take on surprising challenges! Every day at 11am, 12pm, 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm. Celebration Japan Exhibit Hall: Makers of great Star Wars toys and collectibles will be showing and selling their wares in the exhibit hall. Find Star Wars treasures to buy in the dealer booths, too. In the Fine Molds booth: Lorne Peterson, autographing each day of the show: 3:00pm - 4:00pm Star Wars Fan Tables: Learn what these great Star Wars fan clubs do, and maybe join the fun yourself! Celebration Japan Fan Events: Saturday, July 19th 1:00pm - 1:30pm: Rebel Legion & Jedi Order on Jedi Stage 2:00pm - 2:40pm: Preparation of 501st Parade - 501st Fan Table 2:40pm - 3:00pm: 501st Parade Sunday, July 20th 8:20am - 9:00am Preparation for 501st Legion Group Photo 9:00am - 9:30am 501st Legion Group Photo 10:00am - 5:01pm 501st Legion Droid hunt 1:00pm - 1:30pm: Rebel Legion & Jedi Order on Jedi Stage 2:00pm - 2:20pm: Preparation of Combined 501st Legion and Costume Contest Parade 2:20pm - 2:45pm: Costume Parade Monday, July 21st 10:00am - 12:00 noon: Announcement of Droid hunt Prize - 501st Table 1:00 pm - 1:30pm: Rebel Legion & Jedi Order on Jedi Stage 2:00pm - 2:40pm: Preparation of 501st Parade - 501st Fan Table 2:40pm - 3:00pm: 501st Parade Chris Gereke "Star Wars Celebration Japan in Makuhari-Messe in Chiba. Celebration Japan standouts were The Clone Wars panels with Dave Filoni, Matt Wood and Takeuchi." [gallery link="file" columns="2" size="large" ids="144925,144924"] "The 501st had a cool Silver Trooper guarding George Lucas in carbonite. Someone's head will roll. Alongside the Rebel Legion modeling groups were set up with some amazing character and ship models as well as collector groups." [gallery link="file" columns="2" size="large" ids="144927,144926"] "The Clone Wars footage was amazing. Three different clips were shown. Obi-Wan, Cody, Anakin, Rex and the clones battling countless Battle and Super Battle droids as well as spider droids on the world of Christophsis. Anakin and Rex make a very dramatic and unconventional flanking move to turn the tide of the battle against the droids. Several clones lost heads or limbs and became cannon fodder. The next clip was a fun clip with Anakin and the new character Ahsoka. Anakin's padawan (who rivals Padme and Leia with her wit and character) attacking a Separatist outpost atop of a mountain. "Race you to the top!" The massive AT-TE actually ascending the mountain, the battle droids are zany almost a stooge quality or a Gomer Pyle shtick. I loved how the battlefield is turned on its side as 'sky guy' and 'snips' race to the top. I think fans will love Ahsoka, she is a very cool character. The third clip was Kenobi and Asajj Ventress in a fierce lightsaber duel with Kenobi's famous quips that ended with Kenobi at the business end of Asajj's lightsabers. The Clone Wars looks amazing...on all levels." "The Fetts, Vader, Chewie, Skywalker, John Knoll and Dave Filoni panels were great. Steve Sansweet mc'd most of them. The English to Japanese translation took a little patience and the Celebration Japan fans went wild for Mark Hamill." Mary Franklin "Producing a Celebration in Japan was a unique challenge, because it was the first of the Celebrations in which most of the staff and crew did not speak English, and I do not speak Japanese. Even though we did not share a common language, we shared a common goal: putting on a great experience for Star Wars fans. We carried on together for the best possible outcome." Chris Gereke "The front middle of the Celebration Japan floor was the family recreation area where families could do crafts or Lego and buy toys from the coin vending machine. Beside that was the Jedi training stage where padawans could test their Jedi skills against Darth Vader and two of his Stormtroopers. The stage was lined by the Family Mart vendors where you could purchase food. Especially cool were the Pepsi Bear Kubricks that came with Pepsi."

[gallery link="file" columns="2" size="large" ids="144931,144932"] "From left to right as you looked onto the Celebration Japan convention floor was laid out with the Artist Alley. On the left was artist Matt Busch, Spencer Brinkerhoff III, Randy Martinez, JAKe, Ralph McQuarrie, Tsuneo Sanda, Nagano, Lawrence Noble, Malcolm Tween and Robert Hendrickson." Richard Chasemore "Me drawing with a speeder helmet on!" Chris Gereke "There was a VIP party with the celebs with food, exclusives such as a Tsuneo Sanda print or Ewok hair. The con was adorned with Clone Wars posters and the Sanda Celebration Japan promo posters." [gallery link="file" size="large" ids="144935,144941,144942"] "Official Pix did an extraordinary job with the autographs and VIP actors and guests. Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Amy Allen, Jake Lloyd, Orli Shoshan, Tim Rose, Ray Park, Dave Prowse, Daniel Logan, Temeura Morrison, Mike Edmonds and Matt Wood." "The Celebration Japan store had some cool Star Wars exclusives that should be available on starwarsshop.com soon. Bounty Hunter shirts, bottle caps, Kubrick shadow guard, Marc Ecko Stormtrooper and Boba Fett hoodies. Clone Wars tickets, CJ towels, dolls, McQuarrie print, bear ewok and Kubricks." [gallery link="file" size="large" ids="144937,144938,144939"] "The Dewback Project was an amazing fan favorite. Goro the designer created an amazing likeness to the Dewback from A New Hope, maybe even better. You could ride or have a photo oportunity with the Dewback and or Yumi. And don't forget the cute Celebration Japan Slave Leia." Mary Franklin "There was no doubt in my mind that Star Wars was a cultural phenomenon in Japan, but my biggest concern in planning the programming was getting the mix of entertainment and exhibits just right for the audience. Based on what I have seen from Japan over the years – the different Star Wars collectibles, different Star Wars animation and costumes – the Japanese fans consistently add their own refreshing and unique spin on the saga. As we anticipated the majority of the audience would be Japanese, I really wanted the show to appeal to them. It was important it be a real Star Wars Celebration, but I believed it also specifically needed to be a Japanese celebration of Star Wars." Chris Gereke "In a separate Clone Wars panel with Dave Filoni, Takuechi and Matt Wood they premiered the General Grievous episode from the TV series. The Clone Wars TV opening had a retro World War II newsreel opening and radio era voice instead of an opening crawl. This episode contained Kit Fisto and his clones, which look amazingly cool. They descend on a planet to apprehend Rune Haako. The episode had a cool dark suspenseful feel and a new Mon Cal Jedi Knight Nahdar Vebb who was Kit Fisto's padawan. They descend into a lair only to discover Grievous' pet Roggwart, named Gor. Very cool." [gallery link="file" columns="2" size="large" ids="144944,144943"] "The exhibitor area had Disney Star Tours, the post office where you could purchase customized stamps, model areas, Wii, Lego, Hasbro, Sanyko and photo oportunities with Vader, Artoo and Threepio. Larger than life pachinko and arcade type games were giving Vader postcards with signatures. Watches, JAL Vader and Stormtrooper samurai armor. Kotobuyika, Clone Wars figures, book sellers where Steve Sansweet signed his Vault and Star Wars Poster books which are a must for a Star Wars fan. And make room on the shelf for the Star Wars Encyclopedia." Richard Chasemore "Lawrence Noble giving a prize of a bust he did of Luke! Amazing work and the Japanese girl that won it went mad when she found out!" [gallery link="file" size="large" ids="144945,144946,144947"] Chris Gereke "Star Warriors was a documentary about the 501st and the Rose Bowl Parade starring Lucasfilms Steve Sansweet and Mary Franklin, George Lucas and the different personalities of the 501st."

Mary Franklin "The local fans from the 501st Legion, Rebel Legion, and Star Wars collecting and building clubs were a tremendous resource. Not only were they readily willing to share their talents and time and ideas before the show, they took an active part in the show with fan tables, presentations, costumes, and entertainment. They were instrumental in a successful show that was “by the fans; for the fans.” Japanese guests, like The Clone Wars episodic director Atsushi Takeuchi, showcased national talent at the show as well." Chris Gereke "Behind and beside the Artists Alley were the Belgian Props with the Millennium Falcon, Snowspeeder, speeder bike and Jabba. Behind that was the Digital Stage with Rex, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka guarding the entrance. Beside the digital stage was the Vader Helmet project which was amazing." Mary Franklin "For the three days of the show I watched the fans have a great time, and take in every aspect of the programming and entertainment. I hope they felt it was a show created just for them, even while it celebrated the worldwide fandom of the Star Wars saga." Originally posted on Lightsabre.co.uk in 2008. Listen to Collecting Tracks Episode 6: Revisiting Celebration Japan 2008 as Richard and Chris look back to the collectibles of the event ahead of our return to Japan in 2025. [amazon box="B0BP5NV3M6"]

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nofatclips · 4 years

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Burning, a live film about Mogwai by Vincent Moon & Nathanaël Le Scouarnec, filmed at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY, April 2009

The Precipice

I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead

Hunted By A Freak

Like Herod

New Paths to Helicon, Pt. 1

Mogwai Fear Satan

Scotland's Shame

Batcat

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myhauntedsalem · 2 years

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Bulloch Hall’s Sobbing Well

Roswell, Georgia

Bulloch is a ten-acre antebellum plantation located in Roswell, Georgia. Major James Bulloch, a wealthy coastal planter had this Greek revival style home. Bulloch Hall, built by African American slaves in 1839.

Bulloch Hall is where President Theodore Roosevelt’s mother, Martha Bulloch lived as a child. This plantation grew cotton, and the Bulloch’s owned thirty-two house and field slaves.

It is believed one of these slaves, aged 14 has haunted the plantation for over century.

The Union Army made Bulloch Hall their headquarters in 1864 during the Civil War. The family fled their home.

The president’s mother died before the war ended but while Roosevelt was president, he visited the plantation in 1905 to see where Martha grew up. The plantation passed through various hands after the war, including a period of two decades where it stood abandoned.

In 1977, the city of Roswell bought the land and turned the hall into a house museum that highlights exhibits about pre-Civil War life and culture.

The young African American slave who is believed to haunt Bulloch plantation died in an accident. She was drawing water from the well behind the house when she fell in. She drowned.

Soon after this tragic death, witnesses reported they heard a young girl’s voice coming from the well. They heard her pleading for help, then her sobs. This crying sound is still heard today. The well has been investigated numerous times but no logical reason has been discovered for these sounds.

This girl’s apparition has been seen in the house and since her death, another strange phenomenon has occurred for many years. The candles and oil lamps throughout the house will not stay lit for any length of time. At other times the entire house will light up while no one is inside.

Even during the two decades the mansion lay abandoned. Witnesses who walked past at night would report seeing candle and lamplight glowing from the mansion’s windows.

Visitors and staff have reported seeing the period lamps in the home, light up and extinguish when no one is standing near them.

All this strange activity is attributed to the young ghost for it is believed one of her primary duties while alive was to light and extinguish all the home’s candles and lamps.

#Bulloch Hall’s Sobbing Well #ghost and hauntings #paranormal #ghost and spirits #haunted locations #haunted salem #myhauntedsalem

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sculptureandcombinedmedialsad · 3 years

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In 2008, the Museum Tinguely in Basel, Switzerland, converted its exhibition spaces into a production hall.

Starting with Swiss kinetic artist Jean Tinguely's drawing machines that date back to the 1950s, the museum showed art machines down to the present day, created by artists such as Pawel Althamer, Angela Bulloch, Olafur Eliasson, Damien Hirst, Jon Kessler, Antoine Zgraggen, and many others. All of these machines have a common feature: they produce their own art.

“Art Machines Machine Art” (Kunstmaschinen Maschinenkunst) was jointly conceived and elaborated by Katharina Dohm of the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt and Heinz Stahlhut of the Museum Tinguely, Basel.

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

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National Examiner, January 18

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: 25 Rich and Famous Folks Who Caught Coronavirus

Page 2: Secrets behind Bridget Jones’s Diary

Page 4: Tom Hanks’ movie roles

Page 6: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos who first met on the set of All My Children are producing a spinoff called Pine Valley

Page 7: Amazing Pyramid unlocks your psychic powers

Page 8: Joan Collins says she’s had a tough time all her life during her 70-year film career and was only taken seriously when she started to lose her looks

Page 9: Nostradamus predicted it -- Star of Bethlehem shines again 800 years later

Page 10: A service dog who went missing for three years is finally back with her joyous family

Page 11: Your Health -- when hearing goes on the blink -- listen to your body for warning signs

Page 12: Betty White, 99 -- birthday scrapbook and her biggest regret

Page 14: Dear Tony, America’s Top Psychic Healer -- work to achieve your karma, fighting it makes no sense -- Tony predicts so many people will be ripped off money wise in 2021

Page 15: Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney is jumping on the coronavirus vaccine band wagon and says he’s eager to be among the first to receive the jab -- Ian McKellen already got the vaccine

Page 16: Cover Story -- lucky winners and tragic losers -- 25 celebs who battled COVID -- Charley Pride, Lesley Stahl, Antonio Banderas, Tom Seaver, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson

Page 17: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Prine, Kanye West, Donald and Melania Trump, Ellen DeGeneres

Page 18: People are more likely to return a lost wallet if there is money inside

Page 20: Coronavirus (continued) -- Roy Horn, Neil Patrick Harris, Andrea Bocelli, Tony Shaloub, Pink, French President Emmanuel Macron, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla

Page 21: Prince William, Joe Diffie, Andy Cohen, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Alyssa Milano

Page 22: Cher admits it wasn’t easy when her son Chaz Bono transitioned from female to male

Page 24: A town in Virginia turned out to give their UPS driver a hero’s salute after he delivered more than 200 packages a day during the pandemic and holiday season along with cheerful waves and kind smiles

Page 25: Nurses at a hospital in Arizona went above and beyond the call of duty when they set up a dream wedding for a young mom with bone cancer in just three days

Page 26: Veteran broadcaster Larry King says he’s trying to stay positive after a year filled with private trauma

Page 27: Julianne Moore just celebrated her 60th birthday and couldn’t be happier about it

Page 28: When Julie Andrews sang about the hills being alive in 1965′s The Sound of Music in one of the most famous openings in movie history it looked like she couldn’t be happier or more carefree but the truth is that scene was a struggle that nearly froze the cast and crew, made them go hungry, forced them to use the bathroom facilities behind a bush in the forest and knocked the star off her feet

* Elvis Presley’s ex-girlfriend Linda Thompson recently shared some details she’s kept to herself for 45 years including what The King’s bedroom looks like

Page 30: What your walk says about your health

Page 32: Now listen to this -- hearing problems can affect almost anyone -- Whoopi Goldberg, Rob Lowe, Stephen Colbert, President Bill Clinton, Jane Lynch, Robert Redford, Halle Berry, Chris Martin, Jodie Foster, Lou Ferrigno, Holly Hunter, William Shatner

Page 40: A restaurant owner known for feeding anyone who’s hungry nearly lost his business until the community stepped in and saved it

* A California senior who miraculously survived a nightmare battle with COVID-19 made a whopping 800 delicious tamales for the doctors and nurses who saved her life

Page 42: UFO sightings of the stars -- Jackie Gleason, Russell Crowe, Olivia Newton-John, Shirley MacLaine, Cliff Robertson, Fran Drescher, David Bowie, John F. Kennedy, Mick Jagger

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Tiger Woods hits the links with son Charlie for the PNC Championship Golf Tournament in Orlando (picture), Jennifer Garner dons a garishly goofy sweater in L.A. (picture), Mark Hamill says his appearance as Luke Skywalker in season two if The Mandalorian was kept under wraps for over a year, Jeremy Bulloch who played Boba Fett in the early Star Wars films died from Parkinson’s disease complications

Page 45: Elle Macpherson (picture), Harrison Ford could use some pointers about wearing a mask (picture), Emma Slater and Sasha Farber in L.A. (picture), Regina King in Malibu at an event for her new film One Night in Miami (picture), a reboot of Little House on the Prairie is in the works, Maren Morris is playing it safe during the pandemic and has called off her RSVP tour but she is in the midst of working on her third record, Richie Sambora says he has no regrets about his decision to leave Bon Jovi in 2013 to care for his daughter Ava, Amelia Hamlin drew criticism online when she was spotted spending time with Scott Disick, Pink can’t catch a break -- she recovered from a bout with COVID-19 and needed stitches in her thumb after a run-in with a wineglass and recently fractured her ankle rushing down a flight of stairs

Page 46: A 93-year-old veteran in Ohio is whittling walking sticks to raise money for his local food pantry

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disneyplusfan · 4 years

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Revisiting our first viewing of The Mandalorian S01E01

A look back at our reactions to Season 1 episodes as the new season of The Mandalorian begins.

November 24, 2019

The Mandalorian: Chapter 1 recap by K (includes detailed spoilers)

A Mandalorian bounty hunter tracks a target for a well-paying client.

Directed by Dave Filoni

Written by Jon Favreau

Music by Ludwig Gӧransson

Airdate: Nov 12, 2019

As I write this, I have watched the first three episodes of The Mandalorian three times now. I’m hooked. I did not expect to be. I expected to like it well enough — but not to love it.

I’m a Star Wars fan for *cough* many years, since childhood. Adore the original trilogy, intrigued yet annoyed by the prequels, less than wow’ed by the final trilogy. I like Rogue One. I also liked Solo, although I get that I’m one of maybe three people in that camp. I have not watched Clone Wars. So this is my frame of reference.

Boba Fett is perhaps my favorite character. He is one of the best characters in the franchise, and I will die on that hill. You know next to nothing about him, and that adds to his mystique. I read Tales of the Bounty Hunters and Tales of Jabba’s Palace back in the day, and “Last Man Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett” and his showdown with Han Solo will always be the quintessential Boba Fett/Mandalorian story for me, canon or not. I was enraged when they changed his voice in the original trilogy to Jango’s (like he couldn’t just be disguising his voice??).

For me, Boba Fett is the original Mandalorian against whom all others will be measured. I have spoken.

All this to say, my standards were high. My expectations for The Mandalorian in particular would have been even higher, if I wasn’t somewhat disappointed by the final trilogy of films. And this was the first live action Star Wars television series, so it’s uncharted territory.

I also managed not to be spoiled at all for this show going in, which was how I like it. Everything came to me fresh as I watched.

From the establishing shot, the cinematography is like the original series movies. Check. You feel immediately immersed in the Star Wars universe. Check. It’s a snowy ice world, like Hoth but greyer and flatter in terrain.

The titular Mandalorian, who is all but certainly not Boba Fett, as he looks a bit different in his armor (and the show is set 5 years or so after Return of the Jedi, which you don’t know yet in the show itself but meaning Boba Fett should be dead by now, or at least dying in the Sarlacc’s belly), looks good. Same imposing figure, same mysterious-yet-badass immediate impression in his imposing armor and weaponry. Can he pull it off? I mean that for the actor as much as the character. I know nothing about which actor is playing him (Pedro Pascal, from Game of Thrones, I learn later). I’ve remained completely unspoiled.

He’s holding a tracking device. So, also a bounty hunter. Check.

He’s heading for an establishment, a darkened bar, or saloon, or cantina. Inwardly I eyeroll a little. Another cantina?

From inside the bar we see the round spiral blast door opens from the middle outward and the Mandalorian is darkly silhouetted against the icy white exterior landscape.

Nice, iconic character-establishing shot. I am interested.

Simultaneously, the music starts. A soft, repetitive, lulling theme of eight wind notes vaguely Native American in tone that we will come to know quite well. For now, it adds a touch of mystery and suspense. The lulling, almost hypnotic aspect of the music gives the sense this is all just routine, and the Mandalorian’s short, almost imperceptible shake of the head as an insult is hurled at him seems to add to this effect.

Two patrons of the bar, a couple of aliens, have been roughing up a meek, chubby merman guy, some kind of aquatic creature. He’s a new species so that’s interesting. They are bullies, who threatened to cut off his glands, so the violent type, and it feels like Mos Eisley or worse. Inwardly I eyeroll again because we’ve seen this before in the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. Don’t they have any new ideas?

The Star Wars universe has at least one entire galaxy to play with. Yes, establish place as the Star Wars universe with familiar things. But within that we don’t need to keep seeing so many of the same things we have seen before. Give us some easter eggs because we’re fans, but give us new things to love, too. It’s a balance, and I personally want more new than repeat. One of my main gripes with the final trilogy is that it’s too much of the same, just with new characters who aren’t fleshed out and developed enough for me to care about them. But that’s another review.

So it’s a cantina, and they want Star Wars fans who are perhaps not as well versed as me (like say, my sister) to be oriented. Fine, I’ll be patient. I don’t doubt a bounty hunter will frequently find himself in such places.

All the patrons’ eyes are on the Mandalorian as he enters and stands at the bar counter. If you haven’t started to feel vaguely Western elements yet, they start to come now. He’s got his back to the rest of the bar, waiting. Almost baiting. The bullies immediately shift focus leaving the merman alone to go pick on him instead. It’s a mistake and everyone knows it. But they must test our hero. And I too, as if just another patron at this cantina, want to see them test him. I’m curious.

The loud one calls him “Mando!” and we have something of a name to call him for now. But it might be an insult and I’m not quite sure yet.

They seem interested in his armor — Beskar Steel — and this is something I personally have not heard of before. I’m interested.

A bit of Mandalorian taunting and a quick fight later, one of the bullies who tried to escape the bar is pulled into the blast door entryway as the Mandalorian’s grappling hook yanks him halfway back inside, and closes it, severing him in half. I let out a bitter laugh. It wouldn’t be Star Wars without some bully losing a body part in a bar fight, right? Check. And the Mandalorian proved himself badass, so far.

He goes over to the merman, who first just tries to thank him, then bribe him with credits and a drink. The stoic, imposing Mandalorian simply places a disc on the table in front of him, and immediately a holographic image pops up showing his face and name in Basic.

“Is that a bounty puck?” the merman asks. A device that’s new to me, perhaps not to others. Further interested. The weak man tries bargaining some more.

The Mandalorian brings a hand to his blaster and speaks for the first time.

“I can bring you in hot, or I can bring you in cold.”

Cut to opening title credits.

Perfect first line.

The voice itself doesn’t immediately wow me. It’s not as grizzled as Fett’s, it’s younger and somehow... unseasoned? I’m not sure. But it’s not Jango’s voice, so I’m willing to accept it. And again I think, why couldn’t Boba Fett have kept his original Jeremy Bulloch voice?

Title credits. Nice font. The drum beat theme music that also sounds vaguely Western. I like it.

Then we are back outside on the ice world, walking back up the path where we first saw the Mandalorian. He’s got the merman in handcuffs.

“I need passage, to the yards.”

An Ortollan, a species from the original series, plays a little flute and a land speeder comes up piloted by a droid.

“No droids.”

I find it interesting that our Mandalorian would prefer a living creature to a machine as a programmed droid should be more reliable but perhaps machines can be remote controlled, or else there’s a story there that I really want to hear.

The Ortolan plays his flute again and the next speeder comes up, a red one. It's considerably more broken down than the previous one, driven by an older guy in a hooded coat. “Where to?”

They pull up to a silver-colored ship of some kind, bigger than the Slave IV I think. Kind of clunky, really, more like a C-130 cargo transport than an F-16 fighter jet — not what you’d expect to be necessary for a bounty hunter to make quick getaways. Merman agrees with me.

“You’re kidding me, right? I’ll hire us a Livery Cruiser. I’ll pay for it. Just trying to make it pleasant.”

The speeder pilot meanwhile is scanning the horizon anxiously and demands payment. The Mando pays him. “I’d stay off the ice if I were you.” Something’s gonna attack, and probably from beneath the ice. Can’t wait.

Merman is worried and watches the speeder depart into the distance as the Mando readies the ship.

Something launches up from under the ice and consumes the speeder, and a snakelike body with dragon-like spinal plates disappears beneath it again. Merman freaks out and demands they hurry as the ice cracks in their direction.

The Mando yanks him out of the way just in time for a giant walrus-tusked creature with a long body launches out next to the ship. It catches part of the ship’s landing gear in its mouth as they try to take off and there’s a familiar sound effect like the Falcon losing power.

The Mandalorian grabs his tuning-fork weapon from outside the cabin doors (where it stays when it’s not on his back) and heads out to fight. The creature has one of the landing gear legs in its mouth as the music swells very tribal. One zap from the tuning fork weapon and the creature is electrified, immediately lets go, and they escape.

The ship is more impressive in air than on the ground as two enormous jets fire. It seems heavy though. I don’t see any weapons except two forward cannons of some kind, but of course there is probably ample hidden weaponry. Can’t wait.

Once in space the merman starts bargaining and conversing but the Mandalorian is silent, having none of it.

“I like your ship,” the merman says, now trying to butter him up. “She’s classic. Razor Crest, am I right? Pre-Empire?”

So it’s an older ship. The cockpit, entryway and ramp, halls and hull are quite wide and roomy. It makes sense that a bounty hunter needs room to carry cargo. I suppose some quarry may be quite large depending on species. I’d like to see him have to capture something large. I wonder if he has a larger ship because he’s young, and can’t yet afford something speedier. Or perhaps he loves it, despite being old and possibly rickety, like Han loved the Falcon. It doesn’t look like it’s been through the wars, though, so that’s a mystery. Can’t wait to learn more about the ship.

Merman goes below on the pretense of having to use the evacuation tube. There’s some funny toilet humor here. There’s no restroom, the evac tube is in the middle of the floor against a wall--kind of like a New York City basement apartment I viewed once. To the right of the evac tube is a wall with what looks like a palette inside -- I guess that’s where the Mandalorian sleeps? It’s hard to tell.

Merman keeps exploring as he talks. Finds a cache of weapons but surprisingly just closes it again. And then he finds the other bounties.

This actually pissed me off on first viewing. The Mandalorian has several other quarry below deck--all encased in carbonite. I did a massive eyeroll here. Boba Fett (really, Vader) encased Han in carbonite as a matter of convenience at the location they were at in Cloud City. It was a test to see if he could transport Luke that way to the Emperor--IF he survived. But it’s NOT like it was the preferred mode of choice for bounty hunters to transport their quarry. So why would this Mandalorian just happen to have not just bounties in carbon freeze on his ship but has a carbon freezing /chamber/ on the ship, as he shoves the merman into it.

This really annoyed me until a friend suggested maybe the other hunters heard about Fett and Han at Jabba’s Palace and it became a thing once they knew it wouldn’t kill the bounty. After some thought I have accepted this idea, even though it seems quick if this is only set 5 years after Jedi. Still, the other Mandalorians would have been among the first to know, and it’s a more practical mode of transport allowing low risk of escape and not having to address your quarry’s various biological needs. Also easily stackable while protecting them. So okay, I’ve come to accept it.

Mando arrives at a spaceport in a semi-large desert city, that actually looks a lot like Tatooine--both what we’ve seen from the original trilogy and the prequels. They never actually state where we are at any of these locations, but this is my theory. There’s a droid like Red, there are people walking around dressed like Tatooine inhabitants. More evidence comes later in the series.

He enters another drinking establishment that seems to be the meeting place for his contact. The feel is very much like the bar where Han shot Greedo, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was even the same one years later. Aliens of all types, again, watching him closely.

He meets his contact and returns the fobs. Payment is arranged. The Mandalorian says the Empire is gone, and he accepts Calamari flan at half than Imperial credits at full payment.

The question of the next job comes up. Guild rates are high. The Mando wants the highest. 5,000 doesn’t cover fuel these days.

The contact says “Well, there is one job.” No puck. Face to face, direct commission. Pays well. “Underworld?” No codes. The Mandalorian accepts the chip.

More of the city. Goes to a back-alley establishment. Arrives at a door with a TT-8L/Y7 gatekeeper droid, like at Jabba’s Palace. Inside is a walking garbage-can droid like in the Jawa’s ship. I take this as more evidence we are on Tatooine, though of course these items could be sold throughout the galaxy.

Inside there are four Stormtroopers. An older man with an Imperial pendant who is clearly the leader and client. “Greef Carga said you were coming.” So that’s the Mando’s contact back at the bar. “He said you were the best in the parsec.” Haha, at least we are using parsec correctly now.

A side door opens, which startles the Mandalorian and he draws his tuning fork weapon (a modified amban phase-pulse blaster rifle). The four Stormtroopers draw also. A younger man with glasses comes in, shielding his face, apologizing profusely. The client introduces him as Doctor Pershing. A scientist. The Mandalorian still has weapons drawn in both hands, facing off with the Stormtroopers. “We have you four to one.” “I like those odds,” he responds. “He also said you were expensive. Very expensive.”

All calms down and the client invites him to sit. He unfolds a block of beskar steel as down payment. He has more upon delivery of the asset -- alive. Proof of termination is also acceptable for a lower fee. The Doctor protests.

No puck. Tracking fob, age, and last known positional data only. The quarry is 50 years old.

“It is good to return the beskar back to the Mandalorians. It is good to restore the natural order of things after so much disarray, don’t you agree?”

The Mandalorian pauses here and almost imperceptibly again cocks his head. He touched a nerve. Amazing how an actor can still convey so much behind a helmet. I still don’t know this actor but he’s pulling it off.

More of the city. Whatever that laughing thing was at Jabba’s feet, two of his species are roasting on a spit. One more is in a cage. (It’s a Kowakian monkey-lizard like Salacious Crumb. I had to look that up.)

The Mandalorian ducks in behind a curtain. Down some steps. Strings here that sound very Star Wars. A long hall with other Mandalorians about. Some have the helmet antenna like Fett. Some are small, running. Children.

At the end of the hall over the archway is a Mandalorian skull emblem. Within is a person working at a forge, hammering metal and heating it over a ring of open gas flames like Bunsen burners. The blacksmith, which IMDB tells me is Armorer, comes forward and sits down with our Mandalorian. There is fur around the collar, the helmet is different, golden with two small horns, and looks more like a gladiator helmet. From the way she moves, and especially once she speaks, this is a woman. I am intrigued, since I have not seen a female Mandalorian before. They nod respectfully to one another. The Mando produces his payment: the Calamari flan--and then, the bar of Beskar steel, marked with an Imperial insignia at one corner. She is visibly surprised and impressed.

“This was gathered in the Great Purge. It is good it is back with the tribe. A pauldron is in order. Has your signet been revealed?”

“Not yet.”

“Soon.”

A pause here to discuss armor. Any show about Mandalorians was going to have certain elements. Ships, weapons, lore, armor.

Mandalorian armor is famous in the Star Wars universe. Beskar steel, the material it is made of, is strong, and can withstand almost anything, yet very light, rather like mithril in the Lord of the Rings universe. It would seem the Great Purge by the Empire included not just Jedi but Mandalorians, and their armor was melted into bars, as currency or for transport. (This is speculation on my part.) And that a goal of the Mandalorians is to reclaim as much beskar as possible, and reforge it back into Mandalorian armor.

The blacksmith does just this and makes him a pauldron, or shoulder cover, from the bar of beskar. She tells him this is extremely generous and the excess will sponsor many foundlings.

“That’s good,” he responds. “I was once a foundling.”

“I know.”

A bit more of our hero’s background.

Her forge is a combination of computerized part designs and heavy iron machinery, like a 3-D printer on steroids. And as it bangs out the new pauldron each loud clang of metal on metal shows us a brief flashback of our Mandalorian’s memories. A battle with fire and sparks all around. A woman in dark red robe carrying a boy also in dark red robe. He is terrified. Presumably this is our hero. She is carrying him, he’s maybe 8-10 years old. A man is with her, her husband? People getting shot--massacred--all around them as they run. Explosions. She opens an underground container of some sort, deposits the boy. He has brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. He reaches for her as the doors close. And then the pauldron is completed; the flashbacks stop.

Having viewed 3 episodes already, this becomes a pattern and I love this device. You get a little more of his backstory with each piece of armor, with each clang of the forge. It’s perfect. It makes sense that in these moments as he waits in this safe place, he might slip into memories. Or perhaps they come unbidden at this time for some reason. There’s also a nice theme of memories being buried beneath his armor, along with his emotions. And only when there’s a chink in the armor, does it show through.

The pauldron goes on, shiny and new, and for the first time I notice the wipes. A center point wipe expanding outward, with fuzzy borders, and so very Star Wars that it makes you smile.

He heads to another planet that looks from space like Tatooine. If we weren’t on Tatooine before, we might be now. We are at least in the vicinity. It’s a desert planet with jagged sandstone cliffs all around. He lands his shiny ship, and gets out with the fob. He looks through his turning-fork weapon’s scope, and spots two distant creatures I can only describe as land grouper with legs and long tails. Suddenly he is attacked by one, sinking its teeth into his arm before he can get a shot off, and then a second, and though he fights with flamethrower and even fists, it looks like we will lose our hero until someone shoots them with taser darts.

It appears our hero is not wounded, but his arm pieces are damaged.

A small man with a piglike face and a kind, wise voice and goggles on his head. An ugnaught. Remember them from the original trilogy? IMDB tells me his name is Kuill, although this is never actually said in the episode, so I will refer to him as the ugnaught.

I suspect anonymity is a running theme in this show, as part of the Western genre. So far we’ve heard almost no character names (which makes writing reviews a little difficult). I’m wondering if there’s any significance to the ones we do know, vs. the ones we don’t.

“You are a bounty hunter. I will help you. I have spoken.” This last part is his trademark line, as we’ll see. I love it.

We go to what looks like a wind or moisture farm. There is, from what I can see, only one sun.

The ugnaught tells the Mandalorian that others have come looking and died. He will show him the way for half of the blurg they caught. Mando will have to learn how to ride them to pass to the compound.

On the first few attempts the blurg throws him. Apparently it’s a female; the males are all eaten during mating. (Thanks for that tidbit, Kuiil.) He gets thrown again and loses patience, asking for a speeder.

The ugnaught challenges him.

“You are a Mandalorian. Your ancestors rode the great mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young blurg.”

Our hero is challenged; the words touched him. He approaches the blurg like a wild horse that needs breaking in, and the Western theme is back, even in the music. Eventually he succeeds, a triumphant moment that impresses the ugnaught, and they’re off across the landscape full of ravines that only the blurg can jump, apparently. The theme music swells until they arrive at a cliff where they can spy on the encampment. This is where the bounty hunter’s quarry is.

Mando tries to pay him off. Ugnaught reveals his motive: it’s been an endless stream of warriors trying to get this quarry, breaking the peace. He’s read the stories about Mandalorians and believes ours can make quick work of it and bring peace back to his land.

Our boy does some recon with a hand telescope and the place is swarming. Then he spots a bounty droid, and groans. The droid is just walking right in, and demands the asset be produced.

The bounty droid looks like IG-88 from The Empire Strikes Back and again, for a moment, I almost eye rolled because really, can’t we see something new? All bounty droids look the same? But whereas IG-88 just stood there, this one moves, and the way he moves is COOL. Although humanoid in appearance like 3PO (head, two arms, two legs), unlike 3PO he appears to operate around a central pole or spine, allowing his parts to rotate 360 degrees. This includes his head, his eyes, his arms and therefore weapons, and his waist/hips. It gives him an amazing advantage as he can just keep spinning and shooting. The way he steps over a body is awesome. He’s also really skinny and thus hard to hit. Whole new respect for the IG series.

This IG unit is also funny, and his repartee with our Mandalorian is instant comedic chemistry. There’s a fantastic shootout, where they team up, and as they are outnumbered, the bounty droid seeing no way out, keeps trying to self-destruct. “Do not self destruct!” our Mando keeps shouting at him, and after a very badass moment with an [ion machine gun], by the end they win, and everyone in the yard lies dead. Mando helps him up, saying “You’re not so bad for a droid,” and the droid replies likewise. I saw a sidekick in the making. They shoot their way inside, kill a few more people until there’s no one left, and determine the quarry is just before them in the corner.

Except there is no one there, just a white ball looking thing with a net over it that the fobs indicate is the target.

They remove the net, and open the ball, which is really more egg-shaped.

And then it opens, it looks more like a bassinet with a blanket inside.

“Wait--” says Mando. “They said 50 years old.”

“Species age differently,” replies the IG unit. And we get our first glimpse over the top of the blanket as he says “Perhaps it could live many centuries. Sadly, we’ll never know.” And as he’s speaking, a little head peeks over the blanket.

Oh. My. God. And in this one moment, I am glued to this show forever.

It’s a baby Yoda.

Except it isn’t Yoda, because Yoda’s dead. But we don’t know Yoda’s species name, and we don’t know the baby’s given name, so we will call it what the internet has dubbed it in the meantime: Baby Yoda.

And this moment, above all, is the biggest reason I am so glad I wasn’t spoiled.

Baby Yoda is the most adorable, most precious, most endearing thing you have ever seen. And in a franchise that has at times been criticized for its more saccharine “cute” creatures that appeal to young children (Ewoks, anyone?), this is one we can all get behind.

Baby Yoda is CUTE. <3

Baby Yoda is everything.

Remember my aversion to anything we’ve seen already? I NO LONGER CARE. Looking at those huge brown eyes and long floppy ears, this doesn’t even cross my mind.

I would give my life for Baby Yoda. I know this all in one second.

And the IG unit is about to kill it.

Apparently our Mando feels something similar.

“Wait,” he says, and reaching out he lowers the IG unit’s weapon. “We’ll bring it in alive.”

“The commission was quite specific. The asset was to be terminated.” The IG unit raises his blaster again, aimed squarely at the crib.

The camera closes in on the Mandalorian’s helmet, fixed on the bassinet, and there is a red blaster flash from his right, reflected in the helmet. The Mando’s head never moves.

But the IG unit falls to the floor, shot in the head. Sizzling. He’s toast.

Our guy shot him without even looking. He’s fixated on Baby Yoda, as we all are. He puts his own blaster away, and tilts his head.

The camera cuts to a gorgeous profile, backlit from a doorway. The Mandalorian stands before the crib, which is now floating in the air at waist height. He raises a finger towards the crib, as a tiny finger comes up from inside it. They don’t quite meet.

End credits.

End credits for this show are a series of beautiful concept drawings and if you know Star Wars at all, these are some stunning art. The whole theme also plays over the end credits and it is hauntingly beautiful. Ludwig Gӧransson’s score is perfect.

Thoughts.

Themes: Space western. Anonymity. (Even the ship still has no name, just a model.) Foundlings. Characters that seem to have no family, but instead bond in other social ways (covert/religion, bounty hunter guild/profession). Remnants. Loss.

I LOVE the concept art at the end. Fans love this concept art, and I have a couple of books of it myself. Nice way to incorporate it into the series. You can see how the original concept and final product differ (very little, in most cases) and a few intriguing pieces that were either filmed but cut from the final edit or never filmed. I love how they add the 3-D effect to some of the drawings, and I still don’t know how Hollywood achieves that.

Concept art round-up:

Mando and Baby Yoda’s ET moment

Some intriguing glow-dice game between two Mandalorians? I need to know more about this.

Mando firing a blaster

Mando entering a cantina

Mando and Kuiil on Blurrback

Mando and IG-11 taking cover during battle

Mando and Kuiil entering Kuiil’s home

Mando walking on the icescape with his back facing the camera

Mando battling the ice creature while hanging out of the Razor Crest

Mando and IG-11 standing shoulder to shoulder

Mando on Blurrgback

Taika Waititi is amazing as the IG unit bounty droid. Never would have guessed it was him.

Werner Herzog is perfect as The Client, I love his voice, and the article/video about him crying over Baby Yoda.

This show is going to get me writing fanfic again, dammit.

*****

The Mandalorian: Chapter 1 recap by K (includes detailed spoilers)

A Mandalorian bounty hunter tracks a target for a well-paying client.

Directed by Dave Filoni

Written by Jon Favreau

Music by Ludwig Gӧransson Airdate: Nov 12, 2019

Run Time: 40m

Greef Karga (Carl Weathers)

The Client (Werner Herzog)

Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi)

Kuiil (Nick Nolte, voice)

IG-11 (Taika Waititi, voice; Rio Hackford, performance artist)

Mythrol (Horatio Sanz)

Alpha Trawler (Tait Fletcher)

Beta Trawler (Ryan Watson)

Quarren Trawler (Dmitrious Bistrevsky)

Armorer (Emily Swallow)

#the mandalorian #the mandalorion season 1 recap #disneyplusfan #tha mandalorion s01e01 #star wars

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