The Mandalorian

[Teleku]

And for #3

[DevilsAdvocate25]

Thank you for the responses, Teleku and Haemish. Good answers.

[Threash]

And for #3

Pretty sure he wanted the armor too.

[HaemishM]

Considering the armor may be worth more than both the bounties on the assassin and Mando combined, yeah, he definitely wanted that sweet, sweet armor.

[Khaldun]

Though I get the sense that a person not connected to The Way wearing it would have an even bigger target painted on them than the Mandalorian does at present.

[MournelitheCalix]

Though I get the sense that a person not connected to The Way wearing it would have an even bigger target painted on them than the Mandalorian does at present.

I got that same sense as well.  I am not sure why they aren't exploring this angle yet.  Its almost like no one cares about him gunning down their agents/the guild.

[HaemishM]

I don't think they'd wear the armor, just sell it for the materials.

[eldaec]

My head canon on this has always been that the armour is just really valuable as a trophy.

I can't square the idea that mandalorian culture is capable of retaining secret knowledge of how to make and manufacture any form of weapons or materials technology. Mandalorians are continually being splintered and subsumed into other factions to such a degree that neither keeping cultural secrets nor maintaining a complex industrial base could reasonably be within their capability.

But genuine hierloom mandolorian armour can reasonably be rare for exactly the same reason.

[Teleku]

Err, then why are bars of Beskar being used as the highest form of payment?  Carl Weathers showed that he had been given 2, and considered himself rich now.  All those ingots came from metal the empire looted and melted down during 'the great purge', they even said.

I mean, what your are saying is totally logical.  But this is also a universe with giant star ships that pull upside each other and shoot laser beams (that can be tracked moving by the human eye) in giant broadsides against each other like 17th century warships.  And the most feared warriors in the Galaxy use swords in a universe full of guns.

It's a reskinned fantasy setting, so anything goes.  Beskar is Mithril and only the remains of this fallen civilization of space dwarves knows how to make it.

Edit:  If this is something they actually decide to address (I doubt they will) my prediction is that only the upper tier smiths (who also basically seem to be major leaders and/or the equivalent of clergy) had the knowledge, and only passed it on to their replacements.  It would be more realistic that this this small group never gave in or gave up the clan secrets, and instead led whats left of them into exile/hiding.

[Sky]

For some reason this conversation sparked a realization for me: I don't want things explained. The explanation is always dumber than the initial 'magic handwaving' (see: midichlorians).

[lamaros]

For some reason this conversation sparked a realization for me: I don't want things explained. The explanation is always dumber than the initial 'magic handwaving' (see: midichlorians).

But aren't you one of the ones who hates Lindelof?

[Teleku]

That is two different things.  Lindelof creates a "mystery" that is the central plot of his stories, of which he has no god damned idea what the actual resolution is, and it plays out that way.

What he's talking about is over explaining minor things that just work as is, in world.  "Where Beskar comes from" is not the premise of this entire story.  If Lindelof was writing it, it would be.

[Sky]

For some reason this conversation sparked a realization for me: I don't want things explained. The explanation is always dumber than the initial 'magic handwaving' (see: midichlorians).

But aren't you one of the ones who hates Lindelof?

Nope. Had to look him up, actually. I've only seen the 2 Star Treks and WWZ from his work, and I liked them ok.

But I agree with what Teleku said. I can just accept that Beskar is rare, valuable, and workable by Mandalorians. I don't care why.

edited to add: actually, when actors start to explain the hibbity-jibbity and just chew on pseudo-scientific fantasy nonsense, it takes me completely out of the moment because it's so obviously cheap exposition to satisfy people who need to be given some reason for things being as they are. It's almost always cheesy and stupid.

[Khaldun]

One thing I kind of hate about a certain variety of nerdery is that it expects that futuristic and fantasy cultures are more relentlessly rational than our own and complains if they aren't. I think that usually just reveals that the nerd in question doesn't understand his/her own society very well either.

Why do people pay a huge premium for "organic" food? For brand-name fashions? etc. It's not merely end-point consumers--companies sometimes pay premium prices because they perceive the supplier to have a higher quality of material (rightfully or wrongly) or simply because the supplier has an established or prestige name in a particular line of production.

Beskar could either not have actual intrinsic value but be valued because it's the hot-shit rare thing that actual Mandalorians and Mandalorian wanna-bes will pay more for or because it's actually better. (Sometimes organic/heirloom stuff is actually better!) Or both! Doesn't matter.

[Abagadro]

Yay, I got my three-way Mexican Standoff!

[Riggswolfe]

My head canon on this has always been that the armour is just really valuable as a trophy.

I can't square the idea that mandalorian culture is capable of retaining secret knowledge of how to make and manufacture any form of weapons or materials technology. Mandalorians are continually being splintered and subsumed into other factions to such a degree that neither keeping cultural secrets nor maintaining a complex industrial base could reasonably be within their capability.

But genuine hierloom mandolorian armour can reasonably be rare for exactly the same reason.

To me the easiest explanation is that Beskar is basically Star Wars Vibranium. Which makes the Mandalorian homeworld basically Wakanda. Except instead of using it to make themselves technologically superior, they just made armor out of it because they're space Mongolians or whatever.

[Abagadro]

I'm more inclined to think that they are more like the blade-smiths who know how to use the steel (like multi-folding japanese smiths who did it centuries before anyone else) better than anyone else. For others it is just currency (a bar of gold compared to a jeweler), but to them it is a vital tool as they have armorers who know how to turn it into plate male that can deflect blaster bolts.

[Teleku]

Ok, I may have actually laughed out loud longer than almost anything on screen at the scene where the big angry red guy is lifting the door to the control room, showing Mando's trick didn't work.  And then Mando presses the other button.  Another great episode!

And I really don't want to tangent things away on this Beskar stuff, but hey, dumb discussions are what Star Wars threads are for.  What Khaldun and others have said is very true, they could come up with non-logical reason why people might want Beskar (and I think they HAVE done a good job of things likes that.  Remember the Jawa's and their Egg?).  It's just that they seem to be giving a very straight forward explanation in this.  It's the strongest/best alloy in the galaxy.  It's the only thing you can make armor out of that can deflect blaster bullets, which is a big reasons WHY Mandalorians are great warriors.  I had the exact same thought as Riggswolfe did.  Mandalor is Wakanda and Beskar is Vibranium.  Everybody wants Beskar for the same reasons everybody on Marvel Earth wants Vibranium (or Unobtainium, if you want to discuss THAT movie).  You can make the greatest weapons of war out of it.  Mandalor, like Wakanda, is probably one of the only sources of it in the Galaxy, thus why their civilization developed the way it did (and why the empire decided to wipe out the planet and take all their metal, also just like THAT movie).

[Khaldun]

Certainly it has to be better than Stormtrooper armor, which actually attracts blaster bolts and amplifies the kinetic damage of rocks and sticks that hit it.

Read a critical review of the show that was way too harsh but which made the point I was mulling over earlier--that the format of the show may need to switch up at some point, that having the Mandalorian just wander around trying to stay one step ahead of the people hunting him and baby Yoda is fine for a while but not forever.

[Teleku]

Well, yeah.  I guess we'll see, but I assumed the baby yoda thing was mainly just a "this season thing".  Since it's 8 episodes, I expect we are going to get into an end game here in the next 2 episodes are going to start a story that brings all the previous plot threads to a head.  Then next season it will be something different.  Though Baby Yoda is so popular now, not sure they'll ever give it up now.

[HaemishM]

I can safely predict they will NEVER get rid of Baby Yoda unless they already wrote him off in the next 2 episodes. He is just too goddamn popular not to be absolutely hammered into the ground by Disney now.

This episode was great - we got Twileks, including hearing the derogatory slang for them, Moss from IT Crowd as a killer criminal droid, the goddamn Kergan, Bill Burr playing Han Solo's balder, dickier cousin, Bobby from Sons of Anarchy - what more could one want? I absolutely fucking loved the dig Mando gave to Mayfield about Stormtroopers and Imperial sharpshooters. Now that's some good fan service.

[Draegan]

The latest episode is probably the best one. It was my favorite.

[Riggswolfe]

I can safely predict they will NEVER get rid of Baby Yoda unless they already wrote him off in the next 2 episodes. He is just too goddamn popular not to be absolutely hammered into the ground by Disney now.

This episode was great - we got Twileks, including hearing the derogatory slang for them, Moss from IT Crowd as a killer criminal droid, the goddamn Kergan, Bill Burr playing Han Solo's balder, dickier cousin, Bobby from Sons of Anarchy - what more could one want? I absolutely fucking loved the dig Mando gave to Mayfield about Stormtroopers and Imperial sharpshooters. Now that's some good fan service.

I can't believe it took me awhile to realize the big tough guy was Clancy Brown. I know that voice anywhere but for some reason it bugged me and I couldn't figure it out while watching the episode. It was only later I was like "wait...was that the Kurgan???" You forgot to mention Oola/Nymphador Tonk. She was the Twi'lekk.

Also, I loved Bill Burr in this. I was worried when I heard he'd be in it because I've never seen him act but he was great. He was also a total dick and I kept waiting for the Mando to give him his comeuppance. One thing I wonder about:

[HaemishM]

He did say that got what they deserved. 

[Johny Cee]

Family/all ages show, and recurring character potential.

In story? 

[Teleku]

[DevilsAdvocate25]

The latest episode is probably the best one. It was my favorite.

I agree. My favorite one as well and I had no complaints about it. Absolutely great show. Next episode is early and comes out tomorrow!

[Threash]

Also, I loved Bill Burr in this. I was worried when I heard he'd be in it because I've never seen him act but he was great. He was also a total dick and I kept waiting for the Mando to give him his comeuppance. One thing I wonder about:

He was pretty good in a small recurring role on Breaking Bad.

[HaemishM]

Talk about a roller coaster of emotions.

[Johny Cee]

Episode 7 is really, really, really good.  So dense, and so much going on.

[Draegan]

Sorry this one was my favorite episode.

Holy shit.

[HaemishM]

Yeah, the amount of awesome in this episode was just great and it really sets up one hell of a mountain for the finale episode to climb. I'm pretty confident this team is going to absolutely stick the landing, though.

[Abagadro]

Grand Moff Fring was boss.

[Hoax]

 This is good. I have spoken. I tried to hold out til I could watch all 8 and now I will suffer for 72 hours for my mistakes.

[Brolan]

Plenty of time to watch them all over again!