Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Mandalorian – Disney+
Breeze rating from 1 to 4 palm trees, 4 being best.
Mandalorians were known across the universe for their bounty hunting skills, were never allowed to take off their helmets, and took on their life’s mission with the simple statement “This is the way.” Mando (Pedro Pascal) was respected among the Mandalorian tribe and taken in as a child after his parents were killed as part of a special group known as the “foundlings”.
Mando took a bounty from a special client referred to him by Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), head of the Guild of bounty hunters. Mando met the client, an Imperial leader, who gave him the tracking fob for the quarry and promised him a huge bounty if successful. Mando followed the fob to a desert planet where he met an Agnaught named Kuiil (Nick Nolte) who agreed to take him to the location of his bounty. Upon arriving Mando teamed up with a bounty droid to take out a small army of bounty hunters and eventually found his quarry, which was just a childlike Baby Yoda.
Some jawas had dismantled his ship and Mando had to barter for the parts, agreeing to fight a giant Mudhorn to get its prized egg. The Mudhorn was winning, but just as Mando was ready to collapse it appeared that Baby Yoda lifted the Mudhorn from the ground with his mind until Mando could stab it. Baby Yoda passed out and slept for several days on the way to be delivered to the Imperial leader, where Mando received a large bounty of precious metal bars.
Mando took the bars to the Mandalorian leader for a new suit of armor, and while thinking about his time with Baby Yoda, seemed to feel somewhat guilty. Mando went back and fought the Imperial troopers to retrieve Baby Yoda with the support of all the other Mandalorians appearing on jetpacks with guns. Mando escaped to Sorgan, where he met a Rebel Shock Trooper named Cara Dune (Gina Corano) and teamed up to take out raiders terrorizing the village.
Mando got a message from Greef asking him to help reclaim Nevarro, using Baby Yoda as bait to kill the Imperial leader and offering to let Mando keep the child and clear his name. Mando picked up Cara to help fight, along with Kuiil to look after Baby Yoda. While Cara and Mando were on the ship arm wrestling Baby Yoda thought Cara was hurting Mando and used his special powers to choke Cara without touching her, which triggered Kuiil’s memory about having heard of such special beings in the past while he was serving the Imperial force.
Greef met Mando in the desert where they were attacked by dragons, seriously injuring Greef. Baby Yoda came over, put his hand on Greef’s arm and healed him instantly, causing Greef to kill the other bounty hunters and reveal his original plan to betray Mando. They all went to town but were pinned down by Imp forces lead by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) who was thought to be dead. Kuiil was killed and Imp soldiers retrieved Baby Yoda, but the nurse droid rescued Baby Yoda from troopers in the desert and came back on a speeder to help Mando and Cara fight.
Pinned down with no escape, Baby Yoda formed a force field to protect them against the trooper attack, then collapse in exhaustion. Cara and Greef escaped with Baby Yoda and the droid stayed behind to help Mando, who needed to remove his helmet to get the medical attention needed to save his life. They joined Cara and Greef and headed for the ship, but came upon a pile of Mandalorian armor which Mando knew had been killed to support his mission. The Mandalorian leader appeared and upon seeing Baby Yoda explained it too is a foundling and was now in Mando’s care as its father until he could return it to its own kind.
Season 1 – 8 Episodes
