I remember watching the Holiday Special live and while I kind of enjoyed seeing the Wookiees and definitely was excited about Boba Fett, pretty sure even my young eyes felt it left a lot to be desired. It fit right in during the "variety show" era of TV, with the bands and skits and so on, and fairly cheap sets. Let's just say that George putting it in the vault was not a bad idea.
I did think the Stormtroopers were mean though.
It's weird because I have slight memory of watching the Holiday Special as a child, but I wasn't even two when it aired and we definitely didn't have a VCR yet. I know we had a bootleg tape of Empire that I literally watched until it broke, maybe we had one of the Holiday Special as well? And I've seen it fairly recently, so maybe I'm transferring memories or something. No way they aired again later, right? But that cartoon definitely would help explain my obsession with Fett for as long as I can remember.
It never aired again. There were bootleg VHS tapes available at fan conventions in the 1980's to be sure, mostly bought by people who hadn't see it I assume, so maybe you saw that at some point.
For those interested, you can find the cartoon on D+ - The Story of the Faithful Wookiee - only officially released piece of it.
And probably the only part worth watching, unless you love dialogue-heavy scenes entirely in the Wookiee language.
But yeah I remember Harvey Korman's contributions the most, and cringing even at that age.
@ru1977, personal taste, but the Lone Wolf and Cub episodic western premise is what hooked me on the show. I never watched Rebels and mostly checked out when it started continuing those stories with Ahsoka, Thrawn and dark sabre stuff.
Then The Mandalorian became A Mandalorian, Grogu left, came back in that awful Fett show, went from "too young to take the Creed" to "I can take the Creed for him" in, like, 30 minutes, eventually getting a mechsuit... it all just went off the rails from what had attracted me in the first place.
That may be why I'm the only person who liked the Jack Black/Lizzo episode. It was such a throwback.
There was a brief moment where I thought Bo Katan's conversion would mark that this is the Way Mandalorians would be presented going forward, but they backpedaled on that really quickly.
I'm with Bro, that Season 1 crew was top-notch: Mando and Baby Yoda, IG-11, Cara Dune. Just mowing through Storm Troopers.
I don't think the show got any better than that.
For me personally, the show, and Disney Star Wars, never did get better than that. I loved that S1 cast (don't you dare forget Carl Weathers!). I think the only thing I'd change about it would have been to make IG-11 just be IG-88 and give some personality to that set decoration-posing-as-a-character we've all known for so long. I have no interest in getting into my misgivings about subsequent seasons, so I'll leave it there. Yeah, it was a fun ride for that little bit.
@ru1977, personal taste, but the Lone Wolf and Cub episodic western premise is what hooked me on the show.
And I totally get that. I also won't argue it. The first season was extremely simple, and I don't mean that as an insult. I didn't think it had outstanding writing, but it really didn't need to. The premise was simple but effective, the effects were exactly what they needed to be, and it was FUN. I'm not really putting that season down at all, I just felt like it managed to get better than that, and that's even aside from Boba Fett. I still enjoyed the first half of season 2 about as much as I enjoyed season 1, though I think the four ladies storming the imperial cruiser was more exciting than the finale for season 1. And that's not even taking into account the big finish.
I never watched Rebels and mostly checked out when it started continuing those stories with Ahsoka, Thrawn and dark sabre stuff.
I watched Rebels until Ahsoka, Maul, and Vader all appeared together. And this isn't a commentary on THAT, but I just fell off it around that point despite enjoying the show. I will say Gideon, for me, wasn't a really interesting villain, and cutting his way out of the TIE with the dark saber did absolutely nothing for me. I thought Ahsoka appearing on The Mandalorian was cool but it didn't get me tight in the pants like Boba did, obviously. But I also am watching The Believer trying to see all the details on his costume as well as the interior of Slave One. I watched that single episode more than any Star War since 1981.
Then The Mandalorian became A Mandalorian, Grogu left, came back in that awful Fett show, went from "too young to take the Creed" to "I can take the Creed for him" in, like, 30 minutes, eventually getting a mechsuit... it all just went off the rails from what had attracted me in the first place.
Knowing what they had planned, they never should have done Book of Boba Fett, and just change the show to The Mandalorians, and now it's about Din, Boba, and Bo Katan.
But I admit I STILL haven't finished season 3. I have tried a handful of times and just can't muster the enthusiasm.
That may be why I'm the only person who liked the Jack Black/Lizzo episode. It was such a throwback.
On its face, I don't dislike the idea. See above, as I haven't seen that episode, but knowing what happens and with who, I really don't care. But I also had no feeling whatsoever about N Sync being Jedi in AOTC. But your take on it is pretty fun.
I think the four ladies storming the imperial cruiser was more exciting than the finale for season 1.
No argument from me, that was pretty great. Season 2 was sincerely a great season as well. It got a little too Jedi there for a bit, but I confess I was really excited about the promise of a duel between Din and Ahsoka. I wish it'd lasted longer, though. I even "Hell Yeah'd" Luke's deus ex machina arrival (I'm not made of stone!). When it comes down to it, I guess it was Season 3 that really lost me.
In a perfect (for me) version, Grogu just decides to stay with Din at the end of season 2 and we don't have to spend any time on getting him *back* to where he was for season 3.
Then we stick with the idea that Grogu's too young to take the creed and just occasionally uses mysterious and exhausting force powers during Din's bounty hunter missions. And Bo Katan is convinced and takes the creed, making the helmet-always-on version of Mandalorians the new standard going forward.
Oh, and Din gets something bigger than a guess-he's-not-a-bounty-hunter-any-more sized 2-seater, used starfighter.
From there if you want to do dark sabre/reclaim Mandalore stories, go for it.
Personal whining aside, I love the current setting for Star Wars content. The post Return of the Jedi setting with some Imperial remnants and an unprepared New Republic is a pretty exciting time. I like the idea of bringing in the Dathomir witches as the evil force users.
How there isn't a Carson Teva figure yet is a mystery to me. I've been fighting to not start collecting Black Series figures, but releasing Teva would break that dam immediately.
@fletch I come at the Grogu thing the other way, where I feel they should have spent an entire season apart. And the way Favreau loves to stretch things out, I'm really surprised we didn't get eight episodes of Din realizing his life doesn't work on his own any more. but allllllllll the Boba and Mandalore stuff could have happened there, and for all I know that was their original plan. But, as you pointed out, there has been a lot of "this is how things are...okay nevermind" plotting. They set something up only to undo it or negate it an episode or two later. And I think that's what got me to not be as invested anymore. And I will count BOBF's constant walking across town to question the guy who says "it wasn't me, it was THAT guy" meandering. It's just a boring version of the same issue. Side quests, stutter steps, and red herrings are fine, but you've gotta have a lot more forward progression. I still laugh about Favreau claiming the Godfather was an inspiration, and wonder what bizarre 'edited for tv' version he's used to watching. It's Godfather is Michael was stripped of all cunning and sense I guess.
And I'd be more excited about the post ROTJ stuff if they kept away from the ST things. I don't even REALLY hate the ST, it's just, at best, uninteresting. I'm not excited for any table setting for the ST at all. I'd be FAR more interested in an Aftermath trilogy or series, and seeing the Battle of Jakku in live action. But the imperial remnant has been pretty bland to me so far. Which... makes sense in a way, but not something I'm into watching. And I was never into Thrawn at all, so that didn't help me... even though Enoch and his guys are very cool visually.
This post got way more negative than I originally set out to be.
Speaking of Book of Boba, is it just me or did it seem like it was filmed on a really small set?
Like, they didn't want to use the video wall and used real sets for authenticity, but only had a 2-bedroom apartment to build them in. Or maybe the camera had a strange focal length or something.
I can't put my finger on it, but a lot of it looked like a stage production. Just really shallow and compacted.
Don't forget, Skeleton Crew premieres tonight. Hoping it surpasses my low expectations.
Also, I agree with RU, Season 3 of Mando should have concluded with Grogu and Din reuniting. I am failing to think of any way that Grogu was vital to the plots or arc of Mando S3. If S3 was just focusing on Mandalore and Din becoming a leader in a way he never expected, with some cutaways here and there to Grogu being trained, it would have worked just as well.
I know this a spoiler thread but since it just aired...
I found the "homage" to some shots and dialog from the boarding of the Tantive IV in the pirates attacking the ship a little distracting, like the way the crew were positioned like the Rebel Fleet Troopers waiting to be boarded (and looked around at the sounds), and the "Captain" of the pirates interrogating and choking the captain of the ship.* Seems obvious the "Captain" of the pirates is Jude Law's character, who I doubt is or ever was a Jedi.
I was a little baffled by the kids knowing about the Jedi given you got the sense that be Rey's time, people thought that was all myth and I assumed that the Empire had more or less squashed/erased knowledge of the Jedi as much as possible. But if their planet has in fact been out of the loop for who knows how long - maybe through all of the Imperial period or longer given the old Republic credits - it makes some sense. So somewhat intrigued by the mystery of what is the story of Atatten...(sp?)
I know we are probably supposed to find Wim and his plucky desire for adventure endearing, but that character trope of the kid that pushes the button you are just told not to annoys me to no end. I kind of liked Fern - even if she is the silver spoon kid with attitude (due to high expectation from establishment Mom) trope that is also generally annoying.
I enjoyed the metal key on the hook while in the dungeon to be funny in a "this is absurdly over the top enough to be amusing" way even if it made no sense, and I did like the rat getting the key not working because it was, after all, a rat.
*I will not be upset if this ends with some kid on Earth waking up from this crazy dream after a slumber party where they watched Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean back-to-back...
Speaking of the Holiday Special, amIright?
Skeleton Crew was pretty great. I quite enjoyed seeing the mundane daily life of a Star Wars citizen, although I could've done with a *bit* more alien. Like, garage doors that slide down instead of fold up, or cars with one headlight instead of two. It was a little too on the nose suburbia.
I bet KB's actor did not expect to be the coolest character in the show. Amidst space pirates and first mate droids, she was consistently my favorite.
I'm also really in board with the idea that the kids came *from* Treasure Planet. What a great hook and one I've never seen before.
Only other thought is that I got tired a while back of droids with cute names spelled from their numbers. Like C1-10P, L337, and B2EMO. Here we've got SM33 and I eyerolled into oblivion.
Speaking of the Holiday Special, amIright?
I thought the hologram that Neel's family was watching was possibly a call back to the Holiday Special, and there is an article at Den of Geek indicating it was totally a callback/recreation/update of Lumpy watching the circus, and how they dug stuff out the depths of the Lucasfilm archives...
Only other thought is that I got tired a while back of droids with cute names spelled from their numbers. Like C1-10P, L337, and B2EMO. Here we've got SM33 and I eyerolled into oblivion.
I did not put SM-33 and Smee together until you mentioned that. A little too cute by half.
The suburbia was more Star Wars-esque than it appeared in the trailer but still, as you say, a bit too on the nose.
I hope they leave this as its own "thing" - no tie-in to the bigger SW plot, keep it on the fringes like the old Young Adult books like Galaxy of Fear or the "Jedi Prince" series (which was terrible) from the 90's.
Supposedly a lot of Captain Eo references as well...interesting. That's mashed-up Star Wars with Pirates of the Carribean, Captain Eo, and Peter Pan references so far...changing my "dream after a slumber party" to "dream after a long day at Disney World" theory to about 1% possible...
Latest Post: GI Joe Classified Series Our newest member: aajs Recent Posts Unread Posts
