The Mandalorian (TV series)

[harrisonp]

Having never watched The Clone Wars or Rebels, did the lightsabers in those shows have a different sound, like these did in The Mandalorian? I really liked that they didn't use the same old saber sound FX - they actually sounded kinda' scary.

Ahsoka’s sabers have crystals that used to belong to dark force users and were red. In the Disney canon red crystals are created by pouring hatred into a normal Kyber crystal which makes them “bleed” red. Ahsoka captured these two crystals and purified them with the Force, so hers have an atypical sound.

 

[The 48th Ronin]

Ahsoka’s sabers have crystals that used to belong to dark force users and were red. In the Disney canon red crystals are created by pouring hatred into a normal Kyber crystal which makes them “bleed” red. Ahsoka captured these two crystals and purified them with the Force, so hers have an atypical sound.

Huh... interesting! Thanks for the info.

I really dig the atypical sound.

 

[harrisonp]

Huh... interesting! Thanks for the info.

I really dig the atypical sound.

It’s really unique! I have her font an a saber I built and it really sounds exactly like the show.

 

[Strikerkc]

That's so funny to me.

As a fun aside, the original EU explanation for sith having red sabers, was that the better, naturally occurring, blue, green, etc, crystals, were only found places within the control of the Jedi.

The sith were off at the edge of the galaxy on koriban, or wherever they were sulking that century, and could only make ****** synthetic lab grown crystals that were red. lol

Then after a while it became a statement of intent the sith chose to make by only using the red ones.

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

Huh... interesting! Thanks for the info.

I really dig the atypical sound.

To add to that, when Kylo 'bled' his crystal, he cracked it. That's why it flickers & needed the exhaust ports on the side.

 

[nwjedidave]

Does anyone know why Asoka's single saber's (after the magistrate knocks one in the water) hum seems to take a higher pitch?
That threw me for a loop.

 

[harrisonp]

Does anyone know why Asoka's single saber's (after the magistrate knocks one in the water) hum seems to take a higher pitch?
That threw me for a loop.

That I didn’t notice, but I think it was the shorter offhand saber so maybe they gave it a slight pitch shift that we only hear when it’s alone

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

That's so funny to me.

As a fun aside, the original EU explanation for sith having red sabers, was that the better, naturally occurring, blue, green, etc, crystals, were only found places within the control of the Jedi.

The sith were off at the edge of the galaxy on koriban, or wherever they were sulking that century, and could only make ****** synthetic lab grown crystals that were red. lol

Then after a while it became a statement of intent the sith chose to make by only using the red ones.

I'd take that version over the bleeding the crystal or WTH Disney came up with. That's idiotic.

 

[harrisonp]

I honestly don’t have a problem with the Disney version. I personally like it a little more than the synth crystal thing because it opens the door for a fallen Jedi to corrupt their old one and turn it red which is cool to me.

 

[Strikerkc]

Eh, six of one, half dozen of the other.

I enjoy when the rationale behind some things are pedestrian; like not being able to purify your crystal mix well enough to keep it from turning red, centuries later turning into a badge of office.

Luke's saber has a synthetic green crystal in it.

One of the comics also says a sith's crystal had to be taken from a jedi, then corupted; which is clearly just some rule of 2 nonsense palpatine may have made up. You couldn't have done that when there were thousands of sith off in their own empire for centuries at a time.

Just different versions of fiction.

 

[harrisonp]

Yeah it’s really something I don’t think about much anyway, because like you said it’s just two versions of similar ideas

 

[nwjedidave]

That I didn’t notice, but I think it was the shorter offhand saber so maybe they gave it a slight pitch shift that we only hear when it’s alone

I believe it was the shorter of the two, but the pitch seemed to change while fighting. Maybe it was because it was being pushed up the beskar staff?

 

[squirk]

I enjoyed the ep. I especially enjoyed Filoni large and in charge.

I thought Rosario Dawson did a fine job, but it was really weird seeing (hearing) Ahsoka portrayed by someone besides Ashley Eckstein.

I wonder if Filoni just didn’t have enough “swing” to get Eckstein cast, or is it possible (and I’m not saying this is my belief; I’m just wondering) that Ashley, while a very fine voice actress, maybe isn't the best physical/visual performer, or maybe just doesn't care for that kind of work anymore? I mean, she hasn't done much (if any?) live-action work since TCW started 12 years ago.

I find it hard to believe that after casting Sackhoff as Bo-Katan, Disney wouldn’t deliver an even bigger nerdgasm by casting Eckstein as Ahsoka unless they had a reason not to. Dawson was great, but again, it was odd to hear her huskier voice vs. Eckstein’s higher lilt.

I agree with others that Ahsoka should have been able to carve through every bad guy in that town without needing stealth and without breaking a sweat. And maybe she could have, and that’s why she smiled when Din said “even your laser swords couldn’t beat all of that” (or whatever). Still, I feel like her attacks should have been sped up a little and edited to look a little more “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” quick.

As for the Magistrate, two things:

1.) Even though I agree that Ahsoka was toying with her to some extent, I wonder if Elsbeth presenting even a nominal challenge was a subtle reference to her possibly being a master of Teräs Käsi?

2.) She has to be aligned with either Sienar or Kuat, right? I know the HK droids had the Seventh Fleet insignia on them, but how could she procure Thrawn's fleet without connections to either company?

(Also, who else was extremely disappointed that the HK droids looked nothing like HK-47/51/55, not even a little? I mean, how do you bring that designation up and not give us something?)

 

[Psab keel]

See this is exactly what I've been talking about. The second they name dropped Ashoka it was all the fans could talk about. Great for hype, but distracting to fans like me who don't care about the reference. Then she showed up and it wasn't Ashley Eckstein, but Rosario Dawson.

THIS is the danger of bringing in known characters because there will be expectations, whether good or bad and why I fear this show could turn into cameo of the week. If the Mandalorian is going to actually accomplish anything it needs to try it's best to steer clear of this trap and not become a means to revisit characters we already know just to see what they've been up to since ROTJ. This isn't Lord of the Rings and we don't need 20 appendices because even in Tolkien's world I found that kind of thing extremely boring.

 

[sztriki]

It's kind of funny though. We're in this weird circular story telling situation now.

Boba fett is the core inspiration and guide for all the eu and cannon material on mandalorians.
His own father is based on being another version of what he is as an adult.
His own comics are extrapolations of his short time on screen.
The mandos in other comics, going all the way back to Revan's time are inspired and guided by fett's eu legacy in books and comics, and his short time on screen.
the mandalorian is inspires by all of those things.
and now we're trying to figure out how fett fits into the world of lore that's all driven by him in the first place. lol. it's a weird story telling experiment.

Well, that's Star Wars for you...this is why I found the EU and wookiepedia and whatnot so damn dumb. There's a mlrsel of something in the films, that's being extrapolated and overexplained, because everything NEEDS to be explained in detail and everything NEEDS a backstory, then the whole thing is channeled back to where it came from. It's a very limited sandbox that runs in lots of circles.

I don't think it will ever reach a point of being truly spectacular though I hope I'm wrong.

I don't think either and I don't think it had so far but I find it good enough to keep me interested. It's a pretty decent and enjoyable show and as someone said before feels like a breath of fresh air not just in SW but in series. I dislike series in general, most of them are bloated, overdone extremely long movies. The series I like are short and to the point ones, like Spaced, Band of Brothers or the first (maybe the first two) Stranger Things. But Stranger Things is a great example of how easy it is to screw something up just by carrying on with it.
Mandalorian has the advantage of being episodic and god knows when was the last time I saw something like it
ST had an attempt at that here n there but that show had plenty othet issues.
I'm a bit worried that the Mandolin is going to go down that route if the makers lose their restraint and try to churn out a couple of more seasons just to keep it going.

View attachment 1373105

Never knew Daniel Radcliffw was kn Star Trek...

 

[squirk]

See this is exactly what I've been talking about. The second they name dropped Ashoka it was all the fans could talk about. Great for hype, but distracting to fans like me who don't care about the reference. Then she showed up and it wasn't Ashley Eckstein, but Rosario Dawson.

THIS is the danger of bringing in known characters because there will be expectations, whether good or bad and why I fear this show could turn into cameo of the week. If the Mandalorian is going to actually accomplish anything it needs to try it's best to steer clear of this trap and not become a means to revisit characters we already know just to see what they've been up to since ROTJ. This isn't Lord of the Rings and we don't need 20 appendices because even in Tolkien's world I found that kind of thing extremely boring.

Your point is well-taken that Bo-Katan and Ahsoka both showing up in short order is pushing it. But let’s be honest - Disney wants hype. They want press and buzz and - ultimately - viewers. They are not going for “high art” here.

And to be fair, they needed a Jedi to move the plot along. If Grogu is to get to Tython, they needed to introduce a Jedi who would point the way, because Din has absolutely no clue where to take this kid.

Sure, they could have introduced some heretofore-unseen Jedi-in-hiding to be that guide (and you can hear the bitching now: “How many Jedi are still running around? Order 66 was a pretty ****** purge!”), but why not use a Jedi we already know is active, and will attract attention for the show?

Honestly, this episode smelled less like “cameo of the week” than it did “back-door pilot” for an Ahsoka series.

 

[Psab keel]

Those are fair points and thus far the show has done well by showing restraint. I just feel they could do the story a disservice if it does become cameo of the week.

 

[squirk]

Those are fair points and thus far the show has done well by showing restraint. I just feel they could do the story a disservice if it does become cameo of the week.

Agree wholeheartedly. "Less is more" with such things.

Although it probably makes the most sense that Luke or Leia will be the Jedi that "hears" Gorgu's call on Tython, I really hope that's not the way Favreau & Co. decide to go.

 

[Riceball]

(Also, who else was extremely disappointed that the HK droids looked nothing like HK-47/51/55, not even a little? I mean, how do you bring that designation up and not give us something?)

I had no problem with that, there's no reason for these droids to look anything like HK-47 just because the come from the same manufacturer. Do all Toyotas look the same just because they come from Toyota? This is especially true when you think of just how long ago HK-47 was made, we're talking hundreds of years and in that time design aesthetics are going to change.

 

[squirk]

I had no problem with that, there's no reason for these droids to look anything like HK-47 just because the come from the same manufacturer. Do all Toyotas look the same just because they come from Toyota? This is especially true when you think of just how long ago HK-47 was made, we're talking hundreds of years and in that time design aesthetics are going to change.

As we've seen in this universe (at least in the old EU, which the new canon clearly feels free to cherry-pick at its leisure), some droids retain a similarity of form over thousands of years, like astromechs.

Also, the CIS produced HK-77s, which bore some resemblance to HK-47. Again, it's an old EU source (SW Galaxies, and some pre-Disney books), but if adopted, the aesthetic survived up to and through the Battle of Yavin.

As slavish as this series has been to fanboy minutiae, I just find it odd that they would specifically cite "HK-87," clearly aware of the chronology of the model numbers, and do absolutely nothing with the reference.