Lucasfilm has been obsessively trying to figure out a way to remix the origins of the Star Wars universe. The Original Trilogy brought back the Death Star just to destroy it again, Revenge of the Sith gave us Darth Vader’s origins, Rogue Onere-introduced the Death Star and Vader for a new era, Solo was Han Solo’s origin story, and The Rise of Skywalkerbrought back the original three characters, the never-ending intergalactic space-war, and—somehow, Emperor Palpatine.
At some point during the sequel trilogy, much of the fanbase was disappointed with the constant recycling of old material and advocated for Lucasfilm to focus on new areas of the vast galaxy, showcasing stories of characters we knew existed somewhere on a distant planet. Largely thanks to Disney+, Lucasfilm listened, expanding the Star Wars universe past the Original Trilogy's story, but that doesn't mean they were done recycling their favorite Star Wars tropes.
Den of Geek discovered that Lucasfilm finally found a way to leave the Skywalker saga behind while still relying on what made that original story so appealing to fans in the first place. The Mandalorian embodies the core elements that make a Star Wars story a Star Wars story—someone who wants to make a difference is in the right place at the right time doing the right thing that can bring down an entire system.
This is one of the main themes that influences Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) to become an anti-hero that fans can't help but love due to his ability to remind us of serious heroes while embodying something intoxicatingly new and intense.
'The Mandalorian'Credit: Disney Platform Distribution
The themes
As I noted earlier, The Mandalorian follows one of the central themes of the Original Trilogy that made fans... well, fans. Other films like the prequels and the sequels tried to emulate this theme in an almost play-by-play approach, ultimately finding themselves stuck in the boring political talk that sets up any action sequence or in unnecessary moments that reveal something about our hero that seemingly comes from left field. The Mandalorian, instead, honors the Original Trilogy's theme without fully committing to it and follows a story motivated by the idea of establishing a sense of belonging through loyalty.
Similar to Luke, Anakin (Hayden Christensen), or Rey (Daisy Ridley), Din Djarin is a pseudo-orphan with a complicated relationship with both his actual family and his various found families. The difference is that Din Djarin does not trust anyone and prefers to be a loner, much like the Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) in Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. As much as Din Djarin doesn't want a chosen family, he ultimately finds one.
Unlike Luke, Anakin, and Rey, Din Djarin was already a trained bounty hunter who knew his place in life and was somewhat content with it. It wasn't until Din Djarin became responsible for Grogu that his life was altered, and his desire for care puts into question his ability to live by the Mandalorian Code. Although Din Djarin is more violent and doesn't struggle for long when it comes to deciding on previous heroes, his internal struggle with "the Way" forces him to reflect on what it means to have honor.
The moral gray area makes Din Djarin one of the most complex characters of the Star Wars universe because his motivation is based on tactics, unlike the Jedi or the Sith codes.
'The Mandalorian'Credit: Disney Platform Distribution
The tropes
Besides the show successfully delivering fans a story that strays slightly from the Skywalker saga enough to satisfy our needs, Din Djarin still embodies the various tropes and aesthetics of our favorite Star Wars characters. The truth is, Star Wars is all about the appeal of the characters. While their stories might be excellent and relatable for anyone of any age, the memorability of the characters and their appearance are what make the characters feel believable in the galaxy far, far away. Whether it's an outrageous hairstyle, cool helmets or masks, to easily recognizable starfighters, these characters can be instantly recognized as someone we could be. A child could draw these characters with crayons from memory.
To become a memorable Star Wars character, you have to have a cool ship. Luke has his X-wing. Vader has his custom TIE. Han and Lando fight over the Millennium Falcon. Boba Fett flies his Firespray gunship. Din Djarin has now had two cool ships, and inheriting a style of starfighter once flown by Anakin Skywalker has given him retro points that make the older generation of fans squeal with excitement and nostalgia.
Unlike Rey, who flew the Millennium Falcon as a way of passing on the ship's legacy to a new generation, Din Djarin's callback to a nostalgic ship, Luke's X-wing, is surprising because we are not nostalgia-baited to this moment. Instead, the newer fans do not feel alienated by the appearance of this ship and older fans don't feel like they are being force-fed memories of the older films.
Din Djarin is a far more realized and complicated character that helps build up the lore of the franchise. We, as fans, get to peek behind the curtain of the vast stories that could exist in the world beyond the Skywalker saga. We are ready to move on, and Lucasfilm is trying to figure out how to step away from the storyline that made Star Wars what it is today. As the franchise moves forward, it will be interesting to see how characters, new and old, are examined through a morally gray lens, allowing Lucasfilm to explore what made the philosophies of Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) such an interesting character to watch play out on screen.
Din Djarin checks off a lot of Star Wars character trope boxes, and while he is something contradictory to himself, he is still a very human character who is trying to figure out what he wants out of life in a galaxy far, far away.
Who is your ultimate Star Wars character? Let us know who they are in the comments!
Source: Den of Geek
