SPOILERS AHEAD
Chapter 4 (“The Sanctuary”) of “The Mandalorian” sees the Mando and Baby Yoda on the run, and gives fans a much-needed change of scenery.
Don’t get me wrong, I like desert planets in “Star Wars” stories as much as the next fan, but the environment seems a tad bit overused.
The Mando — looking for a place to lay low after shooting his way off the “smugglers’ planet” (for lack of a better name) — finds a sparsely populated planet called Sorgan with lush grasslands and forests.
As the episode begins, we see a community of farmers who harvest krill (little blue aquatic creatures raised in pools) thrown in disarray by an attack from orc-like Klatooinian Raiders.
YODA MEMES
As the Mando and Baby Yoda are traveling through space in the Razor Crest (on their hunt for a safe haven planet), there is a moment of Baby Yoda cuteness involving the toddler pushing buttons on the ship’s console.
A lot of people have re-edited this scene to have all sorts of things happen when Baby Yoda presses the buttons — from music popping on to various alerts and warnings going off. Here is an example of a fan edit of this scene:
A BOUNTY HUNTER WALKS INTO A BAR...
The Mando and Baby Yoda land near a local bar/restaurant on Sorgan (destined to become a future attraction at DisneyParks). The two enter in search of food (grinjer bone broth for “the little one”) and information. The Mando is curious about a tough-looking woman sitting in a corner.
The Mando pays the proprietor to keep an eye on Baby Yoda, then heads outside, where he confronts the woman, resulting in a fist fight between the two.
The woman’s name is Cara Dune (Gina Carano). She is a former shock trooper for the Alliance to Restore the Republic who saw most of her action after the Battle of Endor — going after ex-Imperial Warlords.
Dune became disenchanted with the role after it evolved into peacekeeping duty.
She’s trying to lay low on Sorgan (she refers to her situation as “retirement”). Her initial concerns were that the Mando had a fob on her.
“SHANE, COME BACK!”
The Mando decides to move onto another planet, but is approached by a couple of the krill farmers. They are offering payment if the Mando will help them fight off the Klatooinian Raiders.
The Mando employs the assistance of Cara Dune. He likes the idea of spending time in the middle of nowhere.
The setup is like “The Magnificent Seven” or “Shane” or even “Three Amigos” (if you want to deep dive that much).
It’s definitely a western trope. I don’t mind that at all.
FAMILY FRIENDLY
One of the things I like about ”The Mandalorian” is that Jon Favreau has managed to create a compelling drama which is inherently family-oriented. Compared to other “edgy” contemporary dramas, its nice to have something I can recommend to anyone.
“The Sanctuary” was directed by Bryce Dallas Howard (I love her in the role of Clare in the “Jurassic World” movies). She does a yeoman’s job with the episode, and I hope to see more of her directing in the “Star Wars” universe.
The Klatooinians have a used AT-ST at their disposal — presenting a real threat to the villagers. I liked how the transport was portrayed in the episode, with a red glow emanating from the viewports, and demeanor like a metal dinosaur.
A widow named Omera (Julia Jones) and her daughter Winta (Isla Farris) sort of adopt the Mando and Baby Yoda into the fabric of the farming community.
When the Mando and Cara train the villagers to help in the fight, Omera proves herself to be an accurate shot with a blaster.
I figure Omera and Winta will reappear in a future episode.
A CHRISTMAS STORY?
There are a number of interesting commentaries on the first four episodes of “The Mandalorian” floating around the web.
One of the more interesting pieces of analysis comes from self-proclaimed “geek priest” Father Roderick Vönhogen. Bridget and I are Patreon supporters of Father Roderick, and I enjoy his commentary regarding various “Star Wars” properties.
In his analysis of the fourth chapter of “The Mandalorian” series, Roderick suggests the narrative (so far) mirrors the story of Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus in the Bible:
It’s a really insightful analysis — it definitely got me thinking in a different direction. As he points out, the term “sanctuary” (the name of the episode) comes from the Latin word “sanctus,” which means “holy.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed the change of pace for the fourth episode of “The Mandalorian.” Cara Dune, Omera, and Winta will likely show up again as the series rolls along.
I also like the notion that this season of the show serves as an allegory for the story of Christmas. I’m curious to see how things develop.
Stay tuned for my review of “The Mandalorian” Season 1, Episode 5!
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