The Mandalorian Variation, Essay Example

One of the best themes explored in the Mandalorian is the theme of loyalty and the family. This loyalty is born out of love for the people who took him after the death of his parents in the clone wars. The Mandalorian loyalty is born of purpose, which is to see his family’s survival to the point of sacrificing himself for the sake of the same family. His loyalty to Glogu is the foundation of the novel. Beyond the clan, the other thing he cares more about is his loyalty to Glogu. He goes beyond keeping him safe from the intrigue of the imperial remnant and turns into a quest to give him the best life by reconnecting him with the Jedi. Long the way, Din connects with the people he closes paths with, though the stakes are high, no one of them is safe. To help glogu and others, Kieli and IG-11 sacrifice themselves. Aligning their goals with Din’s, Dune and Carga work very hard to build a new life. By this, they are helping friends and trying to nurture a home they can always return to as a family.

The theme of the Mandalorian culture is also well explored in the chapters. Since the first season of the show, we can learn the rules of the Mandalorians. Especially the rule that they can not take of their helmets in public. This practice of not removing the helmet goes a long way in determining what makes a Mandalorian . in various scenes where some of the characters removed the helmets, the act has been received in coldness and seen as an act of disloyalty to the Mandalorian ways. The Mandalorian culture of war is also explored. The Mandalorian warriors’ rule of conduct during the war and their preference for a one-on-one battle instead of tactical wars. And though other races can join the Mandalore, those not linked to their traditions are criticized, especially if they appropriate the Mandalorian armor. The Mandalorian culture is centered on armor, weapons, and war. It is a warrior culture in which the code is broken into strength, honor, and death facets.

The Mandalorian, the protagonist, was orphaned as a young child and adopted into the Mandalorian ways. This is a caring theme. He was trained in their warrior culture and took up the name of the race as a nickname. Having been around to use the name of his people as his own, yet he was not one of them is a true picture of how the Mandalorians as people accept those raised in their traditions and accept themselves as Mandalore even though they may not have blood ties. Once he becomes a bounty killer, he is hired to capture Glogu, and instead, he protects him. This is how much the values of Mandalorian culture have effects on those who are raised in them. Having accepted to raise the orphaned as a Mandalore means that the Mandalorian culture view of a Mandalore is not necessarily one who has blood ties with them but one who has accepted their ways. The theme of the Mandalorian culture and that of care are seen in this action.

Being a warrior culture could explain their reasons for the adoption of the orphaned. This is why they trained him as a warrior. This is a theme of war. Since they are in constant wars as a race, trying to conquer more and more lands, the Mandalorians need warriors. To the Mandalorians, blood ties do not matter; what matters most is the code that binds them together as Mandalorians and war people. When the armorer decrees to the Mandalorian and the child that they are a clan of two, they know that the Mandalorian is not a Mandalore himself but belongs to another line. However, since he has accepted the code and become a warrior, he automatically became a member of the Mandalorian clan. The blood ties in this context are overlooked as the code is much stronger than blood ties in the war culture. When they allow the Mandalorian to raise Glogu in their midst, knowing that he is not one of them is because they believed in the code. As much as it is customary for them to collect children orphaned by war, as it happened to Din, when druids attacked his village, how they treat the children matters. In this culture, the only determinant for being a true Mandalorian is to accept the creed. For the Mandalorian born and for those who are adopted. Therefore, their war culture forbids them to assume that these rescued orphans would turn against them in the end. The war culture in their blood confines them into thinking that the code settles their scores with them. The importance of the code compared to blood ties in defining a Mandalorian is further seen in the chapter the tragedy when Boba tracks down Din and asks that he gives back his armor that was tailored and belonged to his father. Din, who is not a Mandalorian himself, asks Boba whether he has even taken the creed to signify that he is a true Mandalorian to claim the armor. Which he would give if Boba proved he had taken the code.

The theme of love in the Mandalorian concept cannot be ignored. This is not romantic love, however. The Mandalorians take it upon themselves to pick up children left as orphans by war. This shows the loving nature of the Mandalorians. Being a war culture, we may be blinded to assume them as violent people whose interest is only in conquering lands and kingdoms. However, as we can see in the case of Din, he was rescued by Mandalorian warriors as it is their culture to do. Once he is raised in the ways of the Mandalorians, Din later takes up the role of the guardian of Glogu, whom he was sent to capture in his capacity as a bounty hunter. This is a clear sign of love. This culture has taken it upon itself to take care of the innocent children and creatures left behind by the devastating effect of war. Din’s act of protecting this little creature he was hired to capture sets the story’s plan. Different from just an entertaining account, but a story with a lesson and a call for us to take care of what the world tells us that we have no business in taking care of. Throughout the chapters, people have sacrificed their lives for the survival of the race. For them, as a warrior culture, love is not an easy decision but a heroic one.

The parenting theme is also explored in the novel. Since Mando found baby Yoda, this parenting theme is observed throughout the story. The concerns of this creature keep delaying the day of the Mandalorian just like the concern of babies in the normal way of life affects parents schedules. From being an orphan to a community, Warrier is a result of parenting done by the Mandalorian community on Din. If Din had not been raised well by a person with parents qualities, perhaps he would not have turned out to be a great warrior and a foster parent. In the conversation between Din and Boba, Boba asks Din to return his armor. Boba says that it was his father’s and, therefore, deserves it. This indicates that Boba is proud of his parents and wants to have a legacy similar to theirs.

The concept of a family in the Mandalorian culture is very complex. First, the culture values the unison by the creed more than by blood ties. As a war culture, this is a great way to define a family, as those who have the same beliefs and are bound together by a belief they hold so dear. The Mandalorian conception of a family is the father revealed by taking care of orphans left behind after the death of their parents in the war. Therefore the Mandalorians view the family as a unit comprising of parents and children also. If they only took family as people who accept the creed, they would have no point in taking care of orphans, especially if they were not of the Mandalorian heritage. Family traditions are valued amongst the Mandalorians. That is why Boba wants his father’s armor from Din. He believes he should have it as it originated from his family linage. When Mando adopts the creature, he takes care of it like it’s a child. This further makes the two inseparable. As a person raised in the mays of the Mandalorians, it is wise to believe that those they take care of, even if they are not related to by blood or even the same species, are family. Therefore the Mandalorian concept of a family is complex and wide and not bound to blood ties and other issues that define good relationships.

Works cited

Richter, Lena. “Of War, Peace, and Art: Mandalorian Culture in Star Wars Television.” The Transmedia Franchise of Star Wars TV. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2020. 153-173.

Garner, Ross. “The Mandalorian Variation.” Disney’s Star Wars: Forces of Production, Promotion, and Reception (2019): 109.

Bluff, Richard, et al. “ILM presents” This is the Way “—the making of Mandalorian.” ACM SIGGRAPH 2020 Production Sessions. 2020. 1-1.