Chapter 1: The Mandalorian

"Chapter 1: The Mandalorian" is the premiere episode of the American web television series The Mandalorian. It was written by the series' showrunner Jon Favreau, directed by Dave Filoni, and released on Disney+ on November 12, 2019. The episode stars Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian, a lone bounty hunter who is given a mission by the mysterious Client (co-star Werner Herzog). The episode received two pending Primetime Emmy Awards nominations.

"Chapter 1: The Mandalorian"
The Mandalorian episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byDave Filoni
Written byJon Favreau
Produced byJon Favreau
Cinematography by
  • Greig Fraser
  • Barry Idoine
Editing byJeff Seibenick
Original release dateNovember 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)
Running time39 minutes
Co-starring

Plot

Five years after the fall of the Empire,[lower-alpha 2] a Mandalorian bounty hunter collects a bounty after a scuffle exchange in a bar and returns to a guild hall in his ship, the Razor Crest. He meets with his guild's leader, Greef Karga, who mostly has low-paying bounties which will not cover traveling expenses. Looking to get a big bounty, The Mandalorian accepts a mysterious commission for which Karga can only provide an address to meet the Client, who wants the details of the job to be private.

The Client, who uses Imperial stormtroopers as bodyguards, gives the Mandalorian a vague target to bring back alive. The only information he is allowed to give is an age (50 years old) and last known location. In exchange, The Client promises to reward the bounty hunter with a crate of Beskar, a rare metal used by Mandalorians to forge impenetrable armor. Receiving a single bar of Beskar as a down payment, the Mandalorian meets with the Armorer at an enclave housing fellow Mandalorians. The Armorer, who melts the metal to give the Mandalorian a new pauldron, says the metal was gathered in The Great Purge and the excess will sponsor other foundlings, like The Mandalorian once was.

The Mandalorian travels to the desert planet Arvala-7 and meets a native named Kuiil who wants to help him so that he can be rid of the criminals and mercenaries who now inhabit the area. Kuiil teaches the Mandalorian to ride a Blurrg, as there are no land speed vehicles to traverse the area, and sends him to where his bounty is located. Upon reaching the hideout, the Mandalorian is forced to team up with bounty droid IG-11. They manage to clear the entire facility of its Nikto guards and discover that the bounty is a green, big-eared infant creature. IG-11 plans to kill it, but the Mandalorian blasts the droid to protect the baby and his bounty.

Production

Conception

Disney announced that a new live action Star Wars series would be released on Disney+ on November 12, 2019.[1] The series cost over US$100 million to make[2] averaging at US$15 million per episode.[3] "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian" was directed by Dave Filoni.[4] He is known for his work on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series and Star Wars Rebels. The episode was written by showrunner and executive producer Jon Favreau.[5]

Pedro Pascal portrays the titular Mandalorian in the series.

Casting

In November 2018, it was announced that Pedro Pascal had been cast as The Mandalorian, the protagonist of the series.[6][7] After meeting with Favreau, Pascal initially thought he would be playing Boba Fett.[8] Also in November 2018, it was announced that Nick Nolte had been cast as the voice of Kuiil.[9] On December 12, 2018, it was announced that Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog, and Omid Abtahi had joined the main cast as Greef Karga, The Client, and Dr. Pershing, respectively.[10] In December 2018, Emily Swallow was cast as The Armorer.[11] On March 21, 2019, Taika Waititi was revealed to be recording a voice for the series, speculated to be bounty hunter droid IG-88,[12] but which turned out to be a new character named IG-11.[13]

Additional guest starring actors cast for this episode include John Beasley as a bartender, Horatio Sanz as a Mythrol bounty,[14] Tait Fletcher as Alpha Trawler, Ryan Watson as Beta Trawler, Dmitrious Bistrevsky as Quarren Trawler, Christopher Bartlett as a ferryman, and Brian Posehn as a speeder pilot.[15] Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder are credited as stunt doubles for The Mandalorian. Wayne had worked closely with Pascal to develop the character.[16] Misty Rosas and Rio Hackford are credited as performance artists for Kuiil and IG-11, respectively. "The Child" was performed by various puppeteers.

Filming

Principal photography began in the first week of October 2018 in Southern California.[17]

Music

Ludwig Göransson composed the soundtrack for the episode.[18]

Chapter 1: The Mandalorian
No.TitleLength
1."Hey Mando!"2:13
2."Face to Face"5:13
3."Back for Beskar"2:25
4."HammerTime"2:17
5."Blurg Attack"1:25
6."You Are a Mandalorian"3:55
7."Bounty Droid"3:02
8."The Asset"1:35
9."The Mandalorian"3:18
Total length:25:23

Reception

"Chapter 1: The Mandalorian" received generally positive reviews. The episode currently holds an 90% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.76/10, based on 78 reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "Though its character building leaves something to be desired, Chapter 1 is a visual feast with enough sense of adventure to inspire hope that the force may be strong with The Mandalorian".[19] On Metacritic, the episode received an average score of 69/100 among 27 reviews.[20] Lorraine Ali of the Los Angeles Times described the first episode as "a safe, entertaining blockbuster".[21] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com said the premiere was "like the character at the show's center, this guy knows the job. Hook the viewer, and keep them hooked as the monthly subscription cost renews. 'The Mandalorian' feels likely to do exactly that".[22] Keith Phipps of Vulture stated "The Mandalorian rises, [...] digging into the seedy underbelly glimpsed in Episode IV's cantina scene and throughout Rogue One".[23] Melanie McFarland of Salon said the "Force is strong with The Mandalorian debut".[24]

Emily VanDerWerff of Vox Media had a more lukewarm reception, stating "The Mandalorian blends Star Wars, Spaghetti Westerns, and prestige TV. It's fine. But shouldn’t Disney+ want more than fine?" She additionally described the first five minutes as "stretched out".[25]

The episode was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less) and Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour).[26]

Notes
  1. Credited as guest starring.
  2. As depicted in Return of the Jedi.

References
  1. Keane, Sean (November 8, 2019). "The Mandalorian: Everything we know about the new Star Wars show on Disney Plus". Cnet. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. Travis, Clark (October 22, 2019). "Disney's 'Star Wars' TV series, 'The Mandalorian,' cost $100 million to make — but its Marvel shows cost even more". Business Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  3. Matt, Kim (July 15, 2019). "'The Mandalorian': Here's How Much Each Episode Costs to Make". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  4. Tyler, Jacob (October 18, 2019). "Star Wars: The Mandalorian: Season 1 Writers Comprise of Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, & Chris Yost". GeeksWorldWide. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  5. "The Mandalorian – Episodes". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  6. Kroll, Justin; Otterson, Joe (November 13, 2018). "Star Wars: Pedro Pascal to Lead The Mandalorian Series". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  7. Boucher, Geoff (November 13, 2018). "The Mandalorian Targets Pedro Pascal For Title Role In Disney+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  8. Schmidt, JK (September 14, 2019). "'Star Wars': Pedro Pascal Thought He Was Playing Boba Fett in 'The Mandalorian'". comicbook.com. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  9. Kit, Borys (November 30, 2018). "'Star Wars': Nick Nolte Joins Pedro Pascal in 'The Mandalorian' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  10. Boucher, Geoff (December 12, 2018). "Star Wars: The Mandalorian Casting: Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog Join Disney+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  11. Boucher, Geoff (December 12, 2018). "Star Wars: The Mandalorian Casting: Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog Join Disney+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  12. Stevens, Colin (March 21, 2019). "Star Wars: It Looks Like Taika Waititi Is IG-88 in The Mandalorian". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  13. Breznican, Anthony (April 14, 2019). "The Mandalorian is described as Clint Eastwood in Star Wars". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  14. Romano, Evan (November 13, 2019). "Comedians Horatio Sanz and Brian Posehn Made Sneaky Cameos in the First Episode of The Mandalorian". Men's Health. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  15. Franciscov, Eric (November 12, 2019). "Yes, that is Brian Posehn from 'Sarah Silverman' in 'The Mandalorian'". Inverse. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  16. Miller, Liz Shannon (December 9, 2019). "So, Who's Really Under the Mandalorian's Helmet?". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  17. Sciretta, Peter (October 4, 2018). "The Mandalorian: Directors, First Photo, Details & More Revealed for Jon Favreau's Star Wars TV Series". /Film. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  18. "The Mandalorian: Chapter 1 (Original Score)". Apple Music. Apple Inc. November 12, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  19. "The Mandalorian: Season 1 Episode 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  20. "The Mandalorian". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  21. Ali, Lorraine (November 12, 2019). "'The Mandalorian' is 'Star Wars' to the core: a safe, entertaining blockbuster". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  22. Tallerico, Brian (November 12, 2019). "Disney Plus Launches with Star Wars Spin-off The Mandalorian". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  23. Phipps, Keith (November 12, 2019). "The Mandalorian Premiere Recap: A Bounty Hunter Walks Into a Bar". Vulture. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  24. McFarland, Melanie (November 12, 2019). "The Force is strong with "The Mandalorian" debut, but not the glitchy Disney+ launch". Salon. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  25. VanDerWerff, Emily Todd (November 12, 2019). "Disney+'s The Mandalorian drags Star Wars to TV. It's a triumph of atmosphere — but that's it". Vox. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  26. "72nd Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
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