The Mandalorian The Mandalorian 2.03 - Chapter 11 - Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

I also felt differently about this one because it was a trapped animal/ pet, rather than a wild monster threat. So it didn't register in the "monster" category for me.

 

What does that have to do with anything? No one said anything about Death Troopers being clones.
Replacing clones with regular recruits doesn't in any way mean that there aren't elite troops. For one, the clones aren't somehow genetically superior to everyone else in the galaxy. There is no reason to assume that being a clone of Jango Fett somehow made you a superior soldier compared to basically every other human available in the galaxy. If anything, having (almost) the whole galaxy available to draw from, you are likely to acquire a larger and more capable group of people who are more capable than Jango was. Just like you are likely to acquire a far larger group of elite troops than the small numbers of Mandalorians ever could. It's not like being raised by Mandalorians automatically guarantees that you will become a great soldier either.

Why would specific examples be needed?
It's not like Mandalorians had much of a background of anything. Nor did the clones. It was just randomly stated that they were great warriors and that was it.

Training all your life doesn't somehow make you automatically superior. Nor do we know how much Mandalorians actually train "all their life". If you use the "we haven't seen something therefore we have to discount it" argument, you also have to apply it to Mandalorians as well.
Also, the "best" soldiers in WW2 weren't necessarily some life-long soldiers, most of them were in fact the exact opposite. There is only so much you can gain from training and combat experience. Your physical stature has its limits, and your mental state isn't entirely linked to training either.

The Mandalorians, at least those who carry an entire armor out of beskar, do have better armor, but beyond that there isn't really much reason to think that they are superior to everyone else. Their armor is an advantage, but it doesn't make you a better or more elite warrior. Certainly not to the level that they just walk over everyone else.

I didn't really consider that to be a dangerous monster either. Certainly not on a level compared to the two prior episodes, which were to a large extend about dealing with the monster. Now if this had been another monster of the week episode instead, it might have been a bit repetitive.

 

Stormtroopers are to Death Troopers as regular army is to Delta Force.

 

By that rationale, the Jedi could be considered a bunch of "brainwashed cult members". Mando has been raised to follow a very strict code, not unlike the Jedi. Refusing to remove his helmet is hardly that extreme. Now, Bo-Katan and her cohorts seem to consider The Watch to be a cult, but given Bo-Katan's own history, her opinion is very subjective.

 

I know Titus from Deadwood and Lost. He’s great and it was cool to him though I wish he had a bigger part.

 

I think I confused it with something else. My bad. I see someone else has it at 5 years after

What world building has really taken place though? Thats part of my issue. Where is everyone else? Where's the cities, people, stuff? Unless thats not really what you mean. Its an OK show thus far, IMO. I feel like its ready to take the next step and Im glad for that.

Yeah, in general it sometimes has that video-game feel as in: go to an area, fight a boss/guys, dispose of them, next level, etc. seem to be the recurring theme & plots. I also dont feel the Manalorian himself has really developed much. He doesnt have a personality at this point. Very terse & monotone. I felt like early on in the SW films with like Solo, Luke and others that we got more upfront development/behavioral cues about them which sets up their arcs. The Mando hasnt got much yet that i can sink my teeth into. I dont know anything about him. Maybe thats on purpose.

But, we'll see. I know there are plenty of shows to go yet. Not panicking, just stating my opinions here.

 

I don’t don’t disagree Mando is very bare bones. I don’t know why. But this show is more about the journey and side characters than it is about Din himself. Sure we know stuff about him, but other than his past and that he doesn’t kill children that’s pretty much it.

 

ROTS did it before Rebels, and with a ship that was much more compromised.

 

I recognised him straight away from the show but I've never seen it.

 

Well I for once can say I did not recognize him

 

So does that make three from the Deadwood series so far? Titus Welliver, Timothy Olyphant and W. Earl Brown.

I wish Powers Boothe was alive. He would fit right in somewhere in this show.

 

Uh, yes it is? The show clearly portrays it as such. The idea is that it limits him from normal human connection.

I think many organizations engage in something close to cultish behavior. Even corporations. I've met real cult members before, and I didn't find them much different from some unhealthily dedicated to their company's ideals.

However, I don't mean to suggest all cultish values are necessarily unhealthy. But they tend to be extreme and highly ideological.

 

This is why I hate birthdays in the workplace. Feels forced and I usually ghost or find busy work which I get makes me anti-social in those settings, even though I'm totally not.

I also hate wearing lanyards for whatever reason. I won't do it, even at conferences or amusement parks for fast pass. I think the only time I was okay with it is when I once went as Nerd Herd Chuck for Halloween.

 

Lanyards are disgusting and I won’t wear one no matter what the consequences.

 

I was more talking about Din than the actual show

 

No, his belief in keeping his face hidden is not extremist. There are real world examples of such beliefs. The extremist religious zealot behavior is Mando preparing to take by force, if necessary, the Mandalorian armor from those he feels are not following the code he adheres to.

 

Yea, I agree & it's not a bad thing. He's kinda like the mysterious stranger in a western. He has a goal this season and on that journey we see him meet all these different people, for us huge fans to say they're Easter Eggs is putting it lightly lol. Whether he achieves his goal or gets involved w/Bo-Katan again is anyone's guess.

 

I don't follow your logic here. You seem to be arguing that if something takes place in the real world, it's not extreme. But obviously that's not so.

Never showing your face to others is an extreme practice. It's a perfect example of extremism. Now, we can debate whether or not that behavior is good, bad, or somewhere in between, but it certainly is an extreme behavior in comparison to how most act, in the real world and also in the GFFA.

Perhaps the key thing to takeaway from this is that extremity itself isn't always bad. The word has that connotation, for sure, but sometimes extreme measures or behavior are appropriate.

However, what's maybe most important here is to understand how the show thinks about the helmet wearing -- it shows us that it blocks the Mando from human connection, and that's bad because he seems to desire it.

 

As I understand, his Mandalorian creed mandates that he is a Mandalorian above his individuality, therefore the reason of never taking off the mask. His new face shall be the mask which is the symbol of the Mandalorians (at least for the Mandalorians that follow the same creed as he does).

It is extreme for those that do not belive in his creed, but for him it is "the way". An interesting debate on possible similarities in real life, I am sure one can find similar behaviour in human history.