Star Wars, Mandalorian, and The Father Who’s Not There
Tags: Psychology, Star Wars, Fatherhood, The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda

Yes, it’s Luke! Yes, the de-aged CGI looks freaking weird. Yes, the lightsaber fight is supeerr coool!

But no, that’s not why The Mandalorian season finale is really good. Here’s why.

The most intimate stares in cinema history after Bella & Edward, and Jack, Rose, & the Iceberg.

At its heart, Star Wars is a soap opera.

George Lucas often said that Star Wars is a family drama, a soap opera if you like. It’s not about spaceship, sword fight, or quasi-religion practiced by fighting monks. Yes, it’s what makes Star Wars really fun to watch. But in its core, Star Wars is about the father and son relationship. A story about an absent father figure and its repercussions to the biggest family saga in the galaxy.

The legendary “I am YOUR father,” spoken by Darth Vader (Vader means Father in Dutch language, see?) to Luke Skywalker perhaps is the famous twist in cinema history. Aside from the shock factor (and countless parodies), it sends a seismic shockwave to the story arc and meaning of the saga.

When this happened, it added a layer to the story dynamic. Now, it’s not only about Luke Skywalker’s monomyth hero’s journey. Coined by Joseph Campbell, the idea became what George Lucas based Star Wars on. But now, “I’m Your Father” adds the greek tragedy flavor about a family separated from birth. A boy who never knew his father, siblings who never see each other, and a father who separated from his children. In sum: It’s a family problem.

The Prequels were often slammed for its bad direction (Lucas always mentioned he was never comfortable as director), stiff acting, and corny love story (and also: Gungan). But here’s the thing, George Lucas said what he wanted to achieve in the prequel is to set the pretext of why a kind hearted boy turned into a person full of hate and anger.

The boy Anakin hardly ever had father’s figure in his life. We never know who or what happened to Anakin Skywalker’s biological father. Early on, he already had a close attachment to his mother. His separation from his mother to become a Jedi made him longing for a woman’s presence. Thus, he developed a clinging attachment to Padme.

Anakin then lost a father’s figure when Darth Maul stabbed his lightsaber through Qui-Gon Jinn’s body. He was then left with Obi-Wan, but the young Obi-Wan was never a father figure. A big brother, perhaps, but not a father. Obi-Wan took care of Anakin not because he deeply cared for him, but because he made a promise to Qui-Gon. Perhaps in guilt, the old Obi-Wan becomes a father figure for Luke, Anakin’s son. Something he should have done long ago.

When Anakin lost both his mother and Padme, everything he dear most is lost. He was gone and turned into the dark side. Who doesn’t? Where eventually he got the attention of a father figure that he always craved? Yep…the dark lord, Emperor Palpatine himself.

On The Return of The Jedi, Luke refused to kill the emperor and grab the ultimate power when he had a chance. He loves his father so much, and there’s nothing that can change that. He wanted to become a Jedi, like his father before him. The same reason why Darth Dad turned into Anakin Skywalker once more, and fulfilled his own prophecy to bring balance to the force: love. He decided that he wanted to become a father that he never had.

If we look at that perspective, George Lucas is a genius. And no, don’t take it from me. Take it from Dave Filoni, the guy behind Clone Wars & Mandalorian.

How The Sequels got it wrong

If Lucas still has his way, the sequel would focus on the children of Skywalker. He envisioned it as a grandfather-father-son story. Instead, Disney and J.J. Abrams wanted to have their own shocking plot twist, therefore:

1) Shows that the main protagonist is Rey, and she’s revealed to be the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine.

2) Ben Solo / Kylo Ren kills his own father, Han Solo.

Now let’s focus on this. It just felt wrong. There is almost no consequence nor justification of this killing. In storytelling there are plants and seeds. You plant a story early, and seed it at the end of it. For every action there is reaction, Newton said.

But now, the message was: Hi, I’m Kylo and I want to be like grandpa, the baddest motherfucker in the galaxy. But…why? Anakin became bad not because he wanted to, it’s because the circumstances regarding his upbringing. In the real world, someone isn’t born bad. What did Han do to Ben when he was a kid? What did Luke do to him at the Jedi Academy? Why is Kylo super into grandad? Who fucked him up?

Perhaps there’s an explanation of Ben upbringing somewhere in Star Wars Legends, terms of storyline that’s not included in the official films/animation series. But why can’t you tell it in three 120-ish minutes films?

And seriously….out of nowhere….Rey is the Emperor’s granddaughter? But then at the last shot of the sequels…booyah! Now I’m a Skywalker, bitch! Ermm excuse me, what the actual fuck? What? How? Why? Who approved this story??

By ignoring the family drama, the sequels abandon the core legacy of the creator of Star Wars.

How The Mandalorian Got it right.

The Mandalorian is a western. A story about a man from nowhere, a stranger doing his own business. Then it slowly revealed Mando’s name, background, and even face. And at its climax, it’s all worth it.

Mando or Din Djarin was portrayed as an orphan. He lost his family when he was young. He grew up with a bunch of ‘extremists’ who raised him with creed, code and honor. Not love. Therefore, Mando barely has any complex emotions. And he should, he is a bounty hunter after all.

Until he met The Child.

In sixteen times we see them, his closeness to Baby Yoda getting closer and closer. At first we see their dynamic as a guardian and protector. Then slowly we realize that throughout the series, Mando is bumbling his way into fatherhood. “Don’t eat that!” Mando said when Baby Yoda ate the frog’s egg. Have you heard that in your own home?

In a way, Mando became a father that he never had. He sympathizes and understands what it means to be alone in the universe.

Like Lucas’ Star Wars, often the best moments in Mandalorian are not necessarily the action piece. It is the emotional connection. It could be when Mando almost lost The Child and got him back at the last minute or the way he held The Child close to his chest.

At heart, Star Wars is about family. Regardless the definition of family is between a Mandalore and a Baby Yoda. Kudos to all the creators behind The Mandalorian. They understood Star Wars. To quote Filoni, “We don’t want only action, we want to feel uplifted, and Star Wars is an adventure that makes you feel good.”

That’s the key reason why Mando farewells Baby Yoda felt really good. There are rumors that Pedro Pascal wanted to have Mando open his helmet more, betraying his character’s creed. Thank god he did.

You can’t trade the most exquisite special effect in cinema with pure human emotion. And Pedro Pascal acting when he sees the CGI creature is just touching. It’s something we always wanted for our soul. We, as humans, fundamentally want to be a good person. We wanted to be selfless and hopeful of things to come. We wanted to be selfless and hopeful with Grogu’s future.

Only real men cry to a green puppet.

I hope Din Djarin’s Mandalorian saga ends there. It should. It’s a perfect way to say goodbye. Losing someone you love is painful, but it makes you grow up. The child has grown, the dream is gone.

That is the way.