To throw in my own two cents...
I agree that the Mandalorian is flawed at points and is rather mediocre. I also agree with
@f1onagher that the main reason the show is being so welcomed is that its still more 'Star Wars' then anything else Disney has shat out. As for Filoni, I think he's highly overrated and I'm
not a fan of his various retcons in the Clone Wars era or his obnoxious tendency to insert Ashoka into everything.
As for some of the criticism people have brought up:
The Fobs:
I'm not the greatest fan of them, but I sort of accept them as a work around to avoid having most of the episode spend on the main character having to go around and investigate or have to question people. Which would soak up a lot of (already limited) screen time, actors and budget that would be better spent elsewhere. That said, I would like if they were a bit better explained or had more limitations.
The Mandolrian's badassery or lack there of:
While I
would like to see him be more of a badass, I don't mind him screwing up. As it helps the character feel flawed and human. Which not only makes his victories more rewarding, but keeps the story more interesting to watch. Plus, it allows for potential character and skill growth. Which makes the viewers more invested to see where the character goes.
The Mandalorian Code:
From what we see in the show, I'd argue that it's heavily implied that the Mandalorian's Tribe is some sort of cultural splinter group that's 'gone back to the basics'. Sort of the Mandalorian equivalent to the Puritans.
As for us seeing Mando's face, I don't mind seeing it as it helps reinforce the more down-to-earth treatment of the character and the story in question. As when we first see his face, he's not some immaculate uber-badass. Instead, he's injured, bloodied and has a bad case of hat hair.
Plus, at least we have confirmation that he's a guy which should help avoid any fan-stupidity that he was actually a woman or something else.
The Empire, the Moffs and their treatment in the show:
I completely agree that we could have done without the stupid 'I wasn't a stormtrooper!' joke.
On the other hand, I didn't mind the bit with the Scout troopers and their shit accuracy in the final, as its heavily hinted in that scene as the fault doesn't lie with them, but in their
weapons being shit. Though I would have liked to ram that point home further a bit by having one of the Scout troopers groan something like 'Not
again. I just fixed this thing!'.
As for
why I didn't mind it, I found it to be a genuinely funny moment and a nice bit of world-building that could be used to give insight into Gideon's faction. And how despite being in better shape then the Client's (Herzog's character) faction, they still aren't the old Empire.
As for Moff Gideon, I have mixed feelings. I'd argue that he's intentionally supposed to be acting like the cliche Imperial Moff/Bad guy even within universe. He's
supposed to be something of a Tarkin/Vader wannabe as a way of rallying his faction together. On the other hand, I would have liked if his survival at the end of the episode was done better. As
@Battlegrinder said, the fact that no one bothered to check up on his crashed TIE to see if he survived is pretty inexcusable.
Episode 6:
Ultimately forgettable, besides getting to see some of the New Republic and the classic X-wings. Which was nice, but doesn't make up for the rest of the episode.
Continuing to build upon the Clone Wars retcons:
Not a fan, but it makes sens within the confines of the Disney 'canon'. At the very least, we can use this to shove TCW into the Disney canon and restore the old Clone Wars Multi-media project to its rightful place, even if its just within the fandom.
) but it seems more like a greedy and inattentive games company as opposed to excessive social justicing in this case.
