In case you have been living under a rock or a galaxy far away, The Mandalorian is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+.
The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. The series follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
There’s probably a lot that you didn’t know about this TV show (which is the reason for all the Baby Yoda memes on the internet), but today my aim is to change that.
Here are 20 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know About The Mandalorian
1. The series premiered on Disney+ on the 12th of November 2019 (the day that the streaming service launched in the USA and a few other countries).
2. The critics were unable to view the initial episode until its release on Disney+. This delay is often interpreted as a signal of the studio’s lack of confidence. However, it is important to clarify that this precautionary measure was solely taken to safeguard the surprise twist in the first episode, rather than due to any doubts about its quality. The pilot received widespread acclaim upon its launch.
3. Donald Glover’s influence convinced Jon Favreau to maintain secrecy around Baby Yoda (also known as Grogu) until the premiere of the pilot episode on Disney+. Glover, known for his role as Simba in The Lion King live-action film, emphasized the appeal of surprises to audiences.
Drawing a parallel to Beyoncé’s album releases, Glover highlighted how the act of simply releasing content without prior marketing could generate organic buzz and genuine attention. Favreau was convinced by this perspective.
4. The Mandalorian‘s phase-pulse blaster is based on Boba Fett’s rifle from The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978).
5. The Mandalorian draws inspiration from early Japanese cinema in several episodes, particularly referencing renowned works like the Lone Wolf and Cub series, which portrays a samurai journeying through feudal Japan accompanied by a child. Additionally, the show pays homage to Seven Samurai (1954), where a destitute village enlists the aid of skilled swordsmen to defend themselves against marauding attackers.
6. Initially, Gina Carano held the belief that she would portray a female Wookiee character and was taken aback when she discovered that her face would actually be visible in the series.
7. The titular character in The Mandalorian draws partial inspiration from Clint Eastwood and his iconic “Man with No Name” portrayal in Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western films.
8. Disney went to great lengths to maintain secrecy around Baby Yoda until the premiere of the show, even refraining from producing merchandise in advance. However, there was a potential risk of leaks on set, particularly from children. Bryce Dallas Howard, who directed an episode called ‘Sanctuary,’ expressed concerns about children encountering Baby Yoda on set.
To safeguard the secret, Howard personally spoke with each child, including her own son and daughter, emphasizing the importance of keeping Baby Yoda under wraps. She even implemented a daily routine with her kids, reminding them not to talk about Baby Yoda at school. Witnessing her children enjoying themselves on the Star Wars set was an incredible experience for Howard.
9. Due to the limited availability of Disney+ in select countries, there was no legitimate means to access The Mandalorian outside of those regions. Consequently, the series became one of the most heavily pirated productions of 2019, comparable to the level of illegal downloads seen with Game of Thrones.
10. Practical models are used in multiple shots of the main character’s vehicle, the Razor Crest. This is an obvious callback to the method used in the original Star Wars trilogy.
11. According to Katee Sackhoff, Bo-Katan Kryze is the polar opposite of her own personality. Sackhoff refers to herself as a “crazy person” while Bo-Katan is a fearsome warrior with a no-nonsense approach.
12. The Mandalorian features the first appearance of graffiti in a live-action Star Wars show or film.
13. The term “Baby Yoda” isn’t accurate as the child (aka Grogu) isn’t an infant version of the Jedi Master Yoda. He’s actually +/- 50 years old. The name of Yoda’s species remains unknown in the Star Wars universe though.
14. The Mandalorian costs an average of $13 million per episode. The first season of the show had a budget of $100 million alone.
15. Star Wars fans played Stormtroopers in the first season of the show. The show’s production team actually ran out of Stormtrooper costumes during the final two episodes of that season in 2019. They had miscalculated the requirement for them during the first season’s filming.
Jon Favreau and producer/director Dave Filoni made the decision to enlist the assistance of the 501st Legion, a nearby fan organization. The fans appeared in the sequences that were filmed with Moff Gideon.
16. “Baby Yoda” (aka Grogu) is actually an animatronic creation operated by a team of puppeteers. Favreau has said that this “puppet” cost around $5 million.
17. The Mandalorian brought Luke Skywalker into the series finale to collect Grogu for more training. More impressive was the fact that Luke (Mark Hamill) was back to the looks of his youth. The A.I. facelift was the work of Industrial Light and Magic’s digital de-aging technology.
18. The show’s fourth season has already been written, but no release date has been confirmed yet. It’s also not clear if this season will be the show’s last season. Only time will tell I guess.
19. In March 2020, it was revealed that Rosario Dawson would be taking on the role of Ahsoka Tano for the second season of the show, a character she had shown interest in playing back in April 2017.
20. Utilizing StageCraft, a technology developed by Industrial Light & Magic this series originally employed it in the recent Star Wars films to enhance the realism of lighting in cockpit scenes during hyperspace sequences. Over time, the technology has been adapted to create immersive virtual environments around the actors.
Kathleen Kennedy revealed that during a visit to the set, a Disney executive was surprised, turning to Jon Favreau and remarking, “Jon, I thought you weren’t going to build anything.” Unbeknownst to the executive, she was actually standing within a virtual set.
Well, there you have it, 20 Interesting Facts About The Mandalorian TV Show. If I’ve left out something important, feel free to comment below.
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