The Mandalorian borrows from a lot of different classic tales.
In the Mandalorian season 1 we were watching an old Spaghetti Western play out.
I mean John Wayne’s grandson even wears the armor on set in all three seasons.
In the Mandalorian Season 2 it was the old Samurai tales of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Then we come to the Mandalorian season 3 and the style has completely changed.
Where the classic spaghetti westerns were drawn from the Samurai stories of yore, the
Mandalorian Season 3 seems disconnected from the storytelling that was the old serial styles
that the Mandalorian was built on.
For another example, the 1978 television series, The Incredible Hulk was made in the same fashion
as the aforementioned westerns and Samurai tales.
Another notable show was the original Star Trek, and even Star Trek The Next Generation.
Shows that had a weekly adventure that ended up in a larger story.
But the Mandalorian Season 3 has become different.
A lot of Star Wars fans are having a difficult time with the new chapters in the Mandalorian
series.
Why?
Because it’s different.
Where a lot of Star Wars fans had a problem with the first two seasons of the Mandalorian,
because it seemed to have filler episodes, fans now are concerned that the focus of the
show has shifted from that of Din Djarin, to one of Bo-Katan Kryze.
Understandable.
But what if I told you that the Mandalorian was always about something else?
Not that it ISN’T about Din Djarin and Baby Flavor Flav…Grogu…but it’s also about
someone else.
And the shift in storytelling in the Mandalorian season 3 seemed to drop the serial styles
and has moved into a new format that is unrelated to its Samurai and Western beginnings.
How could they do this?
Classic storytelling works!
It’s proven!
Well, they haven’t dropped classic ideas that worked altogether.
And I’ve been saying this could happen since around the middle of the Mandalorian season
2.
I then discussed it again during the Book of Luke Skywalker…I mean the Book of Din
Djarin…ugh!
The Book of Boba Fett!
The Mandalorian is now the Legend of King Arthur.
And it isn’t going to end how we once thought…as long as this style of storytelling continues.
And that isn’t a bad thing.
Don’t run away screaming yet.
There’s a lot to get through.
So, stick around for the whole video to understand how the shift in the Mandalorian can be a
good thing for Star Wars fans.
But before I get into it, a quick word from our sponsor…yeah…me!
Hit the subscribe button and give the video a big stupid thumbs up.
I am on a voyage to hit 50 thousand subscribers, and I’d like you all to be a part of that
journey.
I know every freaking YouTube channel asks for your subscription, but mine is special.
Why?
Because it’s freaking Star Wars, baby!
And I absolutely promise to deliver on my word.
With me, you’ll get the best Star Wars content YouTube has to offer, and I’ll deliver it
in a way that’s fun and engaging.
And All original content!
No rehashes of what other channels talk about, and I don’t read from Wookiepedia.
So, if you’re looking for someone to bore you to sleep, I’m not that guy.
But if you want to have fun in the Star Wars universe again, you’re in the right place.
With that said, let’s get back to the Mandalorian.
There is no story that hasn’t been told.
At least that’s how the saying goes.
The settings may change, the character names may be different and there may be subtle nuances
that make modern stories original, but the themes remain.
From Westside Story being a rehash of Romeo and Juliet, to the Lion King being another
retelling of Hamlet.
Although a fresh coat of paint is something that makes themes of other stories original,
and perhaps even more interesting, there is no denying that the Mandalorian is now a part
of classic storytelling shown through a different lens.
The Mandalorian is an epic, without the poetic verse.
The telling of the history of a people and how it came to be, against all odds opposing
those people and their leaders.
By the way, I will only ever use the word epic to describe space, the oceans, or storytelling
tropes.
Why?
Because the word epic is often overused to describe something that really isn’t epic.
Sorry, I got sidetracked.
I just don’t like someone claiming a modern song is epic, when that song is replaced by
another “epic” song a few days later.
Honestly, the main meaning of the word “epic” is what I described above.
The secondary use means vast.
Okay, shutting up about it now.
Let’s get back to the Mandalorian and King Arthur.
Now, a lot of people will agree.
The Mandalorian is absolutely setup as the Legend of King Arthur.
We have the orphan, reluctant king.
Arthur and Din Djarin.
The sword as a symbol of a right to lead.
Excalibur and the Darksaber.
The wise mystic guide.
Merlin and the Armorer.
And the loyal knights.
Lancelot and Galahad as Paz Vizsla and Bo-Katan Kryze.
It makes sense.
Din Djarin carries Excalibur.
He’s Arthur.
But something seems off.
The darksaber is rejecting its owner.
Excalibur is rejecting King Arthur.
That doesn’t make sense.
I mean, this isn’t the Elder Wand.
It shouldn’t be choosing its wielder.
But wait…in the Clone Wars animated series we saw that Jedi younglings would be taken
to Illum to retrieve their Kyber crystals in a type of quest.
It wasn’t until the younglings would prove themselves that the crystal would reveal itself
to the would be Padawan.
And every crystal in the caves wouldn’t become visible to the younglings once they
were deemed worthy.
No, it was only one crystal per student.
Thus picking their wielder.
In essence, the lightsabers that contained their crystals picked their owners.
In a round about way.
Poppy Cock!
Nope…just think about it for a moment.
So, maybe the Elder Wand is also another iteration of Excalibur, just as the darksaber is.
Okay, yeah…I’m a bit of a Harry Potter nerd, as well.
But Star Wars is my love…yeah…Star Wars!
ANYWAYS, the darksaber seems to be rejecting Din Djarin.
Does that mean he can’t wield it?
No, Sabine was trained how to tame it.
But she wasn’t Arthur…I mean Mand’alor.
In fact, one could argue that since Tarre Vizsla’s death, it has been searching for
its true master.
Just as Excalibur was waiting for it’s true owner after the death of Uther Pendragon.
Only the rightful king could pull the sword from the stone.
And only the rightful Mand’alor can wield the darksaber properly.
Yes!
I’m saying Din Djarin may not be the rightful owner.
Hold on!
Where are you going?
It’s actually much more interesting than it’s coming off and it’ll make more sense
when I’m done.
YES!
Din Djarin is the main character in the story of the Mandalorian.
There’s no disputing that.
And he will continue to be that.
But every main character doesn’t have to be a king.
We can still like a character that is more of…say…Lancelot.
The Knight in Shining Armor.
Let’s face it, King Arthur wasn’t the most interesting character anyway.
There wasn’t much depth to him once he became king.
What became interesting about those tales are the characters around Arthur.
The most interesting being Lancelot and Galahad.
Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze.
If we go by the story of King Arthur that’s most widely accepted in modern times.
The movie is called Excalibur.
Yes, in that movie Lancelot betrayed Arthur and became shunned.
So, in order for Din Djarin to be Lancelot some things had to be changed.
But Galahad was the sole surviving knight on the quest for the holy grail…to restore
the kingdom and King Arthur’s health.
Bo-Katan has now been sent on a quest to restore the Mandalorians and their kingdom.
Din Djarin is Lancelot, the Knight in Shining Armor.
The one to rush in and rescue innocents from wrong doing.
Remember how many side quests Din Djarin had in the first two seasons of the Mandalorian?
He saved how many villagers?
Lancelot wasn’t as pure as Galahad, though.
Din Djarin accepted money or information as payment for helping those in need.
Sure, he was a bounty hunter.
But accepting payment for good deeds kind of takes away from the pureness of it.
His best deed being that of his relationship with Grogu.
But there is another good deed he didn’t accept payment for.
And I’ll get into that.
So, if Din Djarin isn’t the Mand’alor…or King Arthur, then who is?
I mean, Din Djarin fits some of the tropes.
He’s an orphan and reluctant leader.
He seeks the advice of the mystic.
But his father was never the Uther Pendragon of the Arthur Legends…legends…funny word.
Especially when it comes to Star Wars.
Yes, Din Djarin was orphaned at a young age.
But he was adopted into the Mandalorian culture.
From all we know, his parents could have been Guardians of the Whills.
But if they continue telling the story of Arthur, Lancelot, and Galahad…then who is
Arthur?
Let’s see…who else fits the trope?
Who else is an orphan?
Not just any orphan.
The orphan of a leader of the Mandalorian people.
Bo-Katan?
Nah, can’t be.
The Darksaber/Excalibur only brought her pain, suffering, and loss.
It didn’t choose her; it was given to her.
So, it can’t be her.
Another orphan…who could that be?
I got it!
Let’s go back to the Mandalorian season 2.
Legends…I said that was a funny word in the Star Wars Universe.
Especially since darn near all of us prefer the term “Expanded Universe.”
But the word Legend is meaningful here.
The Legend of King Arthur.
Legends in the Star Wars continuity.
Which legend has recently been brought back to canon, where Mandalorians are concerned?
Jaster Mereel, the True Mandalorians, and Jango Fett’s lineage!
It was made canon in the Mandalorian season 2.
If you didn’t know, in “Legends” Jango Fett became Mand’alor.
He didn’t carry the Darksaber, but that is because the darksaber had not been written
into continuity yet.
The Jango Fett Open Seasons comic began releasing in 2003.
The Darksaber didn’t show up until 2010 in the Clone Wars animated series.
Jango Fett had a son…who was orphaned as a child.
He wasn’t adopted by anyone, and he was on his own from 10 years old.
If they stick to the Legend of King Arthur, that makes Jango Fett a very good candidate
for the Uther Pendragon role.
So, that leaves Boba Fett as Arthur.
An orphan and reluctant leader of his people.
Hang ON!
Stop trying to run away.
Jeez!
Think about it for a second.
Why did they bother making the Book of Boba Fett?
Why did they revive Boba Fett from the Sarlacc?
Fan service?
Because there are a lot of Boba Fett fans out there?
So what?
There are a lot of fans of General Grievous, too.
They haven’t made a Book of General Grievous.
They didn’t go back and tell his story as a young warrior.
Maybe they should, but that’s irrelevant for this.
No, they brought back Boba Fett because he is an important piece to this Mandalorian
puzzle.
Sure, there were some misgivings in the Book of Boba Fett but the theme is there.
An orphan learning to lead.
An unlikely hero.
And in Legends, Boba Fett did just that.
He became Mand’alor.
Now, all this hinges on whether or not Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni stick to the legends
of King Arthur.
But I don’t see why they won’t.
If they were going to deviate from it, Din Djarin would have painted his armor by now.
But he hasn’t.
He’s still wearing the shiny silver armor of Sir Lancelot.
Bo-Katan Kryze’s story has just elevated into one of Galahad and on a quest to heal
the people from a traumatic event.
And Boba Fett was brought back for this very reason.
They could have continued another story about Din Djarin becoming Mand’alor without Boba
Fett.
He’s there for a reason.
Boba Fett is King Arthur.
Like it or not, that’s where I see the story going.
But that doesn’t mean he will be the main character of the Mandalorian.
That honor belongs to Lancelot…Din Djarin.
I’ve mentioned this idea in passing for a couple of years.
I wasn’t really ready to go into detail about it until I was really sure of it.
Now…yeah…it’s time.
And this story may take years to play out.
It probably won’t be some instant satisfaction.
The Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett are setup in chapters for a reason.
Each chapter, or even act, highlights the next phase of the Mandalorian story.
Right now we are focused on Galahad…or rather were focused on Galahad.
If they do a spinoff, it will be about Bo-Katan bringing all manner of Britains together.
Sorry…Mandalorians.
And who is an unlikely Mandalorian?
Boba Fett.
It was important that we saw Din Djarin allow Boba Fett to walk away with his Beskar armor.
Especially during a time when Beskar was only for Mandalorians.
That fact was drilled into our heads several times over the first two seasons of the Mandalorian
for a reason.
Well, that’s my thought on this whole thing.
Don’t worry, the story of Din Djarin and Grogu will continue.
And they will be the main focus.
I know a lot of people want Din Djarin to be the Mand’alor.
But he’s had the darksaber for more than two years and it still isn’t cooperating
with him.
Other people think it will be Grogu.
For those of you who do, are there clues to that?
Or is it because that’s what you WANT to happen?
Grogu is a toddler.
But it could happen.
Any of it could.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
I know a lot of people will be irate over this.
And probably even more irate if it actually happens.
But that’s how it looks from my perspective.
And we all know Star Wars is interpreted from our own point of view.
That’s all I have for today.
But before I go, another quick word from this channel’s sponsor…me!
Hit the subscribe button and give the video a like.
I’m really trying to hit 50 thousand subscribers and I’d like you ALL to be a part of that
next phase of this channel.
the YouTube algorithm is more difficult than trying to understand why Yoda talks backwards,
but together we can conquer this YouTube algorithm.
Thank you all for hanging out with me today.
Until the next video, this is Gerald, a Star Wars Fanatic wishing you all great health,
happiness, and peace.
Thank you all for watching and remember, this is the way…and positivity in the Star Wars
community should be the only way!