Tag Star Wars

A Star Wars #33 Micro-Review – The Broken Saber

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Star Wars 33, cover, April 2023, Stephen SegoviaTITLE: Star Wars #33
AUTHOR: Charles Soule
ARTISTS: Madibek Musabekov, Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo.
RELEASED: April 5, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Luke’s gold lightsaber gets destroyed in this issue…kind of? It’s honestly a little confusing. Hopefully the damn thing is gone. I’ve never liked it.

Something else I don’t like? When Star Wars harps on too much about hope. There’s a big line in this issue about hope, and it’s an eye-roller.

We get more with Lando and Amilyn Holdo in this issue. I won’t lie, now that the initial shock of them hooking up has subsided, Soule is doing a decent job selling us on them being together. Or at least that there’s a quasi-romantic dynamic between the two.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 21: The Pirate” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Carson Teva poster, The Mandalorian, season 3, Paul Sun-Hyung LeeSERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S3:E5 – “Chapter 21: The Pirate”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, Carl Weathers, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
WRITERS: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR: Peter Ramsey
PREMIERE DATE: March 29, 2023
SYNOPSIS: Din Djarin and his tribe come to the aid of Greef Karga on Nevarro.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We’re five episodes into season three of The Mandalorian, and I’m starting to worry that the bloom is off the rose. Not that the show isn’t good anymore, or that I’m not enjoying it. I’m just wondering if this season isn’t a step down from seasons one and two. I maintain that they should have saved what they did with Mando and Grogu on The Book of Boba Fett for this season. Because this show is ultimately about them. Right now it feels like we’re watching a show about Bo-Katan Kryze. Or at the very least, this tribe of Mandalorians. Maybe that’s what the show should be called now. The Mandalorians, plural.

How bad is it that when I see Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who reprises his role as Carson Teva in this episode, I keep waiting for him to break into the accent he used for all those years. on Kim’s Convenience? Still, it’s nice to see them bring that character back again. In terms of people we have to check in with every season (Greef Karga, Migs Mayfeld, etc.), his name is definitely on the list.

Gorian Shard, or “the swamp monster” as Mrs. Primary Ignition calls him, is voiced by Nonzo Anosie. I thought he sounded familiar, though I couldn’t quite place his voice. He’s probably best known for playing Thomas Jepperd in Sweet Tooth.

The moment from this episode that got a lot of online buzz was when Zeb, the big purple guy from Star Wars: Rebels, briefly cameos (shown below). This isn’t as big a deal to me as it is to other people, as I haven’t seen much of Rebels. But it’s cool to see Zeb in live action, and Steve Blum rightfully returns to do his voice.

Zeb, The Mandalorian, Chapter 21 the Pirate

Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows pops up in this episode as Colonel Tuttle. Much like me waiting for Lee to do the Kim’s Convenience accent, I kept waiting for Meadows to do the accent he did in the “Ladies Man” skits.

The tree full of Kowakian monkey-lizards was a cool visual. Reminiscent of classic Star Wars, as we obviously saw a monkey-lizard in Salacious B. Crumb back in Return of the Jedi.

Mrs. Primary Ignition brought up an interesting point: Do all Mandalorians have the nickname Mando? Obviously it was used for Din Djarin because he never told people his given name. But if someone were to casually know say, Paz Vizsla, would he also get the Mando nickname? It’s possible, I suppose. It’s not like Mando is a huge leap from Mandalorian.

Wait…the New Republic uses Lambda shuttles too? I thought those were an Imperial thing? Palpatine and Vader rode around in those things, for cryin’ out loud! I realize that in-universe it’s probably the equivalent of a car brand. But from a viewer’s perspective, those things are identified with the Empire. Not what I would have done, per se.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace #1 Micro-Review – “…Disintegrated?”

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Star Wars Return of the Jedi Jabba's Palace 1, cover, March 2023, Ryan BrownTITLE: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Jabba’s Palace #1
AUTHOR: Marc Guggenheim
ARTISTS:  Alessandro Miracolo, Dee Cunniffe (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Ryan Brown.
RELEASED: March 29, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

It’s always fun to come back to Jabba’s palace. It’s one of those classic Star Wars locations that rarely disappoints. This issue delivers in that respect, with a story about the protocol droid in Jabba’s palace who we see being tortured in Return of the Jedi.

I always get a kick out of how writers are able to mine story ideas from extras in these now 40-year-old movies. Case in point, this robot that was only on screen for a few seconds.

Tremendous cover by Ryan Brown. The best I’ve seen on a Star Wars book recently.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 20: The Foundling” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S3:E4 – “Chapter 20: The Foundling”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, Ahmed Best, Wesley Kimmel
WRITERS: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni
DIRECTOR: Carl Weathers
PREMIERE DATE: March 22, 2023
SYNOPSIS: The tribe works to save a taken child.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is the second episode of The Mandalorian to be directed by Carl Weathers, who also plays Greef Karga. His first episode was “Chapter 12: The Siege.”

Great shot of the ship and the dragon flying into the sun. One of the more memorable moments in the entire episode.

I’ve always felt for Ahmed Best, the actor who did the voice and motion-capture for Jar Jar Binks in the prequels. He must have thought he was getting the role of a lifetime. And then, after all the backlash, it became an albatross. So to see him in this episode as Jedi Knight Kelleran Beq is really cool.

I actually had no idea Kelleran Beq wasn’t a new character. Apparently Best played him in the 2020 YouTube show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. It’s really nice that they found a way to incorporate him into The Mandalorian. I imagine Star Wars guru and Mandalorian executive producer Dave Filoni had a hand in that.

Two questions coming out of Grogu’s flashback to the siege of the Jedi Temple…

1. Why were there so many Jedi protecting Grogu? Is it the obvious answer, i.e. that he was a young and defenseless child? Or had he been designated special in some way?

2. During the attack, the Jedi were bound and determined to get Grogu to Kelleran. Why? Is he a designated caretaker for young initiates?

It’s not necessarily evident to non-Star Wars geeks, but those were Naboo pilots that helped Kelleran, and a Naboo ship he flew away in. That’s a nice touch.

Very convenient that Bo-Katan didn’t have helmet hair when she took hers off to eat. Come to think of it, has anyone on this show ever had helmet hair? Maybe Mando in his unmasking scene with IG-11. But that’s about it.

When Mando, Bo, and the team return with the rescued Ragnar, the other Mandalorians clap. Or rather they…kind of clap? They clang their gauntlets together repeatedly. Same effect, I suppose.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 19: The Convert” Review

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

SERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S3:E3 – “Chapter 19: The Convert”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Omid Abtahi, Katy M. O’Brian, Emily Swallow
WRITERS: Jon Favreau, Noah Kloor
DIRECTOR: Lee Isaac Chung
PREMIERE DATE: March 15, 2023
SYNOPSIS: Now in an amnesty program, Dr. Pershing seeks to do more for the New Republic.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I recently stumbled across an article from ComicBook.com in which Jon Favreau briefly discusses all the Mando/Grogu stuff that took place on The Book of Boba Fett. As I’ve talked about that in this space, it’s worth looking at now.

Favreau said: “I knew that I didn’t want to dedicate a lot of screen time within The Mandalorian to a period of time where there wasn’t a lot of character progression. Both [Din Djarin and Grogu] were kind of stuck, as far as character progression goes, until they were reunited. So, my feeling was that it would allow me to do both of those things and freed me up now two years later to have a whole new context for these two characters to have a relationship and move forward.”

While I acknowledge and respect on Jon Favreau for having led the creation possibly the best Star Wars content since the original trilogy, I don’t buy his reasoning there. Having Mando in The Book of Boba Fett was fine. Heck, him acquiring the N-1 during Boba Fett was fine with me. But the reunion between Mando and Grogu should have taken place on The Mandalorian. They could, and should, have led off this season with it. You talk about character progression? Grogu abandoning his training with Luke is a hell of a progression in my book…

This might be the only episode of The Mandalorian we’ve seen thus far that won’t hold up well to repeated viewings. Not because it isn’t a good episode, per se. But because it’s a fairly quiet episode. We spend most of  it in one place, in settings that are mostly pretty mundane. We get a lot of what I call the “domestic” side of Star Wars. What a bedroom looks like, for instance. What food is like in the Star Wars universe, and how some of it is different. What a large assemblage of wealthy people looks like. Stuff that’s all fine, but doesn’t always make for thrilling television.

As a Star Wars geek, this episode held my attention. But Mrs. Primary Ignition was not impressed. She actually fell asleep during the last 15 minutes or so.

On the subject of me being a Star Wars geek, I knew immediately what the TIE Interceptors and TIE Bombers were when they attacked Mando and Bo. They’ve been part of Star Wars lore for decades, dating back to the original trilogy.

Noah Kloor is listed as a writer for this episode, alongside Jon Favreau. His previous credits include working as as a staff writer on The Book of Boba Fett, and as a co-writer TV movie called Alien Xmas. I’m curious as to what his specific contributions to this episode were. Did he write  the Pershing/Elia Kane stuff, while Favreau did the Mando/Bo stuff?

It’s interesting to me that they had a character talk about getting the Empire, the Rebels, and the New Republic all confused. As if these wars barely effected some of the wealthy on Coruscant. I like that idea. It feels very true to the real world.

We get a little more info in this episode about Pershing’s research, his work for the Empire, etc. We knew he was a cloner, a geneticist, etc. But having some of that stated plainly is nice.

It’s also worth noting that in The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine was a clone. I assume that’s what at least part of Pershing’s research will lead to.

Those yellow biscuits, complete with the Imperial logo on the packaging, served as a nice little temptation metaphor. Well done.

Having Pershing and Elia Kane explore the abandoned Star Destroyer is obviously reminiscent of what Rey did in The Force Awakens. But they made this one look different enough that, as a set, it stands well on its own.

Two questions:  Firstly, was Pershing’s mind, in fact, wiped at the end of the episode?

Secondly, is Elia Kane about to become our big villain for the season? Or is she simply one of the main villains? I assume one of her priorities is going to be to free Moff Gideon…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Star Wars: Sana Starros #2 Micro-Review – Family Connections

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TITLE: Star Wars: Sana Starros #2
AUTHOR: Justina Ireland
ARTISTS: Pere Perez,  Dono Sanchez-Almara (Colorist), Travis Lanham (Letterer). Cover by Ken Lashley & Juan Fernandez.
RELEASED: March 8, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue ties Sana to her ancestor Avon Starros, who we’ve seen in some of the High Republic books. That’s not a coincidence, as Justina Ireland has written her.

I appreciate that Thea Starros, Sana’s grandmother, is in this story. It feels like we don’t see a lot of characters like her in Star Wars. Meaning in terms of both her age and her general look.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Star Wars: Yoda #5 Micro-Review – A Planet of the Apes Vibe

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Star Wars Yoda 5, cover, March 2023, Phil NotoTITLE: Star Wars: Yoda #5
AUTHOR: Jody Houser
ARTISTS: Luke Ross, Nolan Woodard (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Phil Noto.
RELEASED: March 15, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Luke Ross is a tremendous Star Wars artist at large, beyond simply drawing an amazing Yoda. There are a lot of wookiees in this issue, and Ross does a fine job making them distinct from Chewbacca. I get a little bit of a Planet of the Apes vibe, which works for me.

As a longtime Star Wars geek, I appreciate Houser incorporating the feud between wookiees and Trandoshans into this story. That’s been a part of Star Wars lore for a long time, dating back to a feud between Chewbacca and Bossk.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore” Review

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

The Mandalorian, season 3, Bo-Katan poster, Katee SackhoffSERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S3:E2 – “Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Amy Sedaris
WRITER: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR:  Rachel Morrison
PREMIERE DATE: March 8, 2023
SYNOPSIS: The Mandalorian and Grogu journey to Mandalore for the first time.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I haven’t yet seen the majority of Star Wars: Rebels. But my understanding is that during the events of that show, Mandalore is mercilessly bombed by the Empire, to the point that the planet’s desert sands crystalize. Thus, the green crystal we saw Mando with last time. The Mandalorian has explained this to us before. But it bears repeating heading into this episode.

The episode kicks off on Tatooine, as we go back to Peli Motto’s hangar. We learn that it’s Boonta Eve. The only place I can recall hearing this term before is in The Phantom Menace, when Anakin entered the Boonta Eve podrace. It never occurred to me to look into what the holiday was about. Apparently it honors the rise of the hutt Boonta Hestilic Shad’ruu to godhood… Okay, sure.

Peli sells the droid R5-D4 to Mando, so that he can test the air on Mandalore before he breathes it. I was a little unclear on this, but I checked: R5 is in fact the droid from A New Hope that Owen Lars nearly purchases before it breaks down. It’s a small galaxy, after all.

I miss the Razor Crest. The repurposed starfighter is sleek and cool. But it’s also small, and feels kind of cramped. Especially now that they’re traveling with a droid.

I love the look of post-purge Mandalore. Especially the city portion beneath the surface. Very creepy. Very memorable. The bit of action between Mando and the cave aliens was great too. Mando came off legitimately threatened, overwhelmed, and outmatched.

I always thought Mando was controlling Grogu’s little pod thing via magnetization. But as Grogu is able to float away from the big alien robot crab thing, apparently there’s also a mode where he can control it himself. Good to know.

After he’s captured, Mando sends Grogu back to Bo-Katan Kryze on Kalevala. This thought occurred to me last time, and then again this time: What does Bo-Katan do all day in that castle? Is it just her and the droid? It looks like she just sits in that big chair and broods…

Grogu guides Bo back to the caves where Mando is being held. She starts to tell him that she knew Jedi back in the days before the purge. She doesn’t actually drop any names, though. There they go, teasing Clone Wars fans with references.

Incidentally, how old is Bo-Katan supposed to be? Katee Sackhoff is in her early forties. But. I think Bo might be older than that. Late forties? Early fifties, maybe?

As she’s talking to Grogu, Bo refers to Mando as “your dad.” I think that’s the first time we’ve heard Mando formally referred to as Grogu’s father. As he’s not with Luke anymore, I suppose it’s official now, isn’t it?

This episode is also the first time we hear someone refer to Mando simply as “Din.” That might take some getting used to.

And now for another timeline question: How long did Grogu train with Luke Skywalker? It seemed like it was only a short time. But Jon Favreau has indicated they were together for, get this…two years. I don’t know that I buy that, quite frankly. It was two years before Mando tried to visit Grogu? It was two years bef0re Luke brought Yoda up to him? It just doesn’t add up to me.

It would, however, explain how Grogu’s Force abilities are more advanced now, i.e. the big leaping somersault we see him do in this episode.

Am I detecting a hint of something romantic between Mando and Bo-Katan? Not sure how I feel about that…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Catching Up With The Mandalorian – “Chapter 15: The Believer”

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

The Mandalorian, Season 2, posterSERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S2:E7 – “Chapter 15: The Believer”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Bill Burr, Richard Brake, Gina Carano, Temuera Morrison
WRITER: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR:  Rick Famuyiwa
PREMIERE DATE:  December 11, 2020
SYNOPSIS: The Mandalorian and his allies recruit Migs Mayfeld in their quest to save Grogu.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We’ve got Bill Burr back as Migs Mayfeld. I was thrilled to see his image at the end of last episode, as “The Prisoner” might very well be my favorite season one episode. I’m hopeful this is an indicator we’ll be checking in with this character every season. Why the hell not? Bill Burr is awesome. Having the Mayfeld character see Mando’s face, as he does in this episode, is a great way to bond them together for such purposes.

You know who else from “The Prisoner” I’d like to check in on? X’ian, the purple twi’lek from that episode. She made it seem like she and Mando had a romantic history. I’d like to know more about that.

It feels a little weird in this episode and the next one that a character as important as Boba Fett is essentially relegated to being the driver. I mean, I guess somebody’s got to do it. But still.

I’m still not used to seeing vehicles on wheels in Star Wars. I wonder why they didn’t make those tanks into hovercraft…

Mayfeld’s skeptical dialogue about the New Republic vs. the Empire, the Mandalorians, etc., seems tailor-made for Bill Burr. It’s not funny, but it’s on brand for his type of humor.

The music during the chase sequence was really good, as most of the music on this show is. As always, my hat’s off to Ludwig Göransson.

I’ve always wondered to what extent, if any, the toymakers are involved in the creative process for Star Wars projects. These new Imperial trooper costumes feel like they were created with new toys in mind.

Mayfeld and Valin Hess talk about “Operation Cinder.” That’s a nice reference to the events of the Star Wars: Battlefront II video game.

Richard Brake makes a great Imperial officer. Tremendous casting.

Mando calling back to Moff Gideon’s dialogue from “Redemption” about how “He means more to me than you will ever know.” was a nice touch. Nice continuity.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Catching Up With The Mandalorian – “Chapter 8: Redemption”

Rob Siebert 3 Comments

The Mandalorian, season 1 posterSERIES: Star Wars:  The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S1:E8 – “Chapter 8:  Redemption”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Giancarlo Esposito, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Taika Waititi (Voice)
WRITER: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR:  Taika Waititi
PREMIERE DATE: December 27, 2019
SYNOPSIS: Trapped, the Mandalorian and his allies struggle to keep the child out of Moff Gideon’s hands.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Taika Waititi, who directs this episode, and is also widely known for directing Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder, serves as the voice of IG-11. Fitting, as this episode is a big one for the repurposed droid.

That scout troopers punching the child in the bag is one of those things that makes you hate the bad guy, but where you also can’t help but laugh a little. What can I say? It was funny. As was the target practice bit moment later.

This episode is the first time we hear the Mandalorian’s given name: Din Djarin. Not the worst name, by Star Wars standards. “The Mandalorian” has more mystique, of course.

The appearance of the super battle droids in the flashback sequence was a nice touch. It set the period.

It was pretty bad-ass to see IG-11 riding through that town on a speeder bike, twin guns blazing. Question: If his new base function is to nurse and protect, why does he bring the child into a town occupied by Imperial troops? Granted, none of them can shoot…

It’s funny to me how none of the stormtroopers can hit a target, as this episode makes light of. But when the episode needs him to be, Moff Gideon is a crack shot.

Din Djarin, The Mandalorian, Redemption, Pedro Pascal

I’d never seen or heard of Pedro Pascal prior to The Mandalorian. So what he looked like was news to me. He didn’t necessarily look how his voice suggested he looked. But that’s not a good or a bad thing, per se.

The armorer tasking Mando with reuniting the child with its own kind was a great hook for season two. As the last of the Jedi, the obvious implication was Luke Skywalker. Or perhaps Ahsoka Tano. But we couldn’t have realistically expected to see either of them…could we?

The big moment in this episode is when IG-11 sacrifices itself to save the rest of the group. I’ll say this much: The episode does a great job making us care about the repurposed robot, which we didn’t see again until the previous episode. It feels genuinely sad as he walks through the lava.

Something I appreciated about this group mission as opposed to some others we see in Star Wars is that there were consequences and casualties. Kuiil and IG-11 didn’t make it, and Mando was wounded to the point that he wouldn’t have survived if left to his own devices. The bad guys come off threatening and dangerous even in defeat.

Mando taking on Moff Gideon in the TIE fighter was a cool climax for the season. Suitably suspenseful, as you’d expect a man in a jetpack trying to take down a plane to be.

Din Djarin, The Mandalorian, Redemption

The one thing I didn’t like about this episode was how rushed everything was after said climax. Mando literally lands from taking down the TIE fighter, and everyone announces what they’re going to do going forward. Felt uncharacteristically clumsy.

The revelation of Moff Gideon with the Darksaber at the end was a fun little moment. Star Wars geeks knew what it was, obviously. And those who didn’t know would come to know as the series progressed.

Disney bet a lot on this first season of The Mandalorian. The first episode premiered with the launch of Disney+, so it was a great added incentive to give the service a try. But beyond that, it set the standard for all live action Star Wars TV projects to come. And thankfully for the fans, that standard wound up being pretty high. The Mandalorian season one isn’t just great Star Wars television. It’s great television, period. It’s compelling, intriguing, gorgeous to look at, and perhaps most importantly, very accessible to those not well-versed in Star Wars. (I’m trying to get my parents to watch it to this day.)

All in all? It was a home run for everybody involved.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.