The Mandalorian Episode 1 Review - 6 Ups And 1 Down

Bounty hunting is a complicated profession.

by Ewan Paterson
The Mandalorian
Disney+

Even before Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, Star Wars has been trying to swap the silver screen for the small screen for quite some time. Star Wars: Underworld was originally intended to be that series, and while it seemed as though a live action Star Wars series would be impossible to make given budgetary constraints, Disney have at long last finally delivered one that looks the real deal.

The company's ambitious new streaming service, Disney+, is looking to boast a wide selection of premium TV shows within the next few years, and right now, Star Wars and Marvel are its two biggest draws. Multiple shows based on both properties have been mooted, but the first to land alongside the service itself is The Mandalorian, a Jon Favreau-helmed Star Wars series set between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

Pedro Pascal plays the title character, the eponymous 'Mando' whose name commands so much intrigue amongst the Star Wars faithful, and while Lucasfilm have managed to keep much of the plot a secret, the first episode has finally peeled back the curtain, and revealed something that could potentially be very special indeed.

Directed by Clone Wars and Rebels alum Dave Filoni, The Mandalorian's debut episode packs a wallop and serves as a strong statement of intent from Disney. It's not quite perfect, but if the first episode is anything to go by, it's going to be something Star Wars fans can't afford to miss.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.