Echoes from the Satellite

 The penultimate episode of season two of The Mandalorian just gave us the big turning point for Mando. Before we go any further, I'll plant a big SPOILER WARNING here -if you haven't seen episode 15, go no further. Episode 15: The Believer gave us that bit of character growth I had been craving (see my post  Run, Shoot, Repeat: Mando Keeps on Kicking ). We see the extent of Din Djarin's resolve and the depth of his feelings for Grogu, as he breaks with his Mandalorian creed in order to get the information he needs to track down Moff Gideon.  It was a huge step for Mando, and shows what he will do to get Grogu back. I don't think he's ready to step away from his creed yet, but he certainly has placed his connection to the child above all else, and that tells us a lot about him as a person. I don't think the man we see in episode 15 is the same man we met in episode 1, and that's a good thing. Of course, it was telegraphed by the speech by Mayfeld, played by

 Like everyone else, I am still reeling from the latest episode of The Mandalorian ! So... SPOILERS .... Boba Fett!! Jedi temple!! Force energy fields!! Death Troopers!! Moff Gideon!! Bye bye Razorcrest!! By the Maker, can we take any more shocks? Well, we have two more episodes to go to the end of season two, and one of the big questions is, did Grogu make contact with any Jedi when he was on the seeing stone? And if so, who? There are a number of candidates being tossed around: Mace Windu, Ezra Bridger, Cal Kestis. But the one possibility that I am truly excited about is Luke Skywalker.  As someone who was there at the beginning, who remembers a film called  Star Wars and not A New Hope , I've been a big fan of Luke for a long time, and without getting too much into the new trilogy, I was among the many who were less than thrilled with his fate in The Last Jedi.  Bringing a young Luke who is still optimistic into The Mandalorian , even in a cameo role, would do a lot to soothe t

  In my last post, I discussed how the two major science fiction franchises, Star Trek and Star Wars, now had live action TV series  that were carrying on their legacies. I dissected Star Trek Discovery in that post. In this one, I turn my eye to the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian . When I heard the initial premise for The Mandalorian , I was not particularly enthused. A bounty hunter? In the Outer Rim, dealing with low-life criminal types? This was an aspect of the Star Wars universe that didn't feel compelling to me. But the first season was a revelation. It had the feel of the original trilogy, but it took us to new places and expanded upon existing concepts. And of course, there was Baby Yoda. The second season began airing on October 30, 2020, and as of this writing, there have been five episodes released. This season is so far notable for giving viewers a look at the larger Star Wars universe, providing greater insight into how things are shaping up since the death of the