A very good day to all my readers all around the world!

Right off the bat, let me say that The Mandalorian is an excellent watch, even if you aren't a fan of Star Wars or haven't even heard of the mega-franchise - but in all seriousness, that's a long shot considering you've navigated your way here, of all the places on the World Wide Web.

As with anything related to the Star Wars universe, there are many, many actors who might even be called fanboys and fan girls who would give up their right hand for cameos in George Lucas' ongoing saga, a veritable juggernaut that shows no signs of slowing down.

So be prepared for spoilers & cameos galore as we dive right into the first episode of this highly enjoyable series, helmed by Jon Favreau, who also kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man, starring the (then) volatile Robert Downey Jr.

The self titled first episode takes us through a regular Western opening, which is great because it is, after all, a 'space Western'. Our hero walks into a bar, and no, this is not the opening line of a joke. He overcomes some seemingly stiff opposition with ease and captures his target - an alien upon whom hangs a bounty. On the way back to his ship, which is called Razor Crest, we encounter the first of a long list of cameos: Brian Posehn, the mountainous rocking geologist from The Big Bang Theory. I love puns.

This opening establishes the character really well, in that the Mandalorian is not a talker - he’s a cool customer and he's not to be trifled with. Even when facing a gargantuan alien gnawing at his spaceship's underbelly, he simply pokes it off with an electric rod and is on his way after freezing his target in carbonite (which is a very welcome call back to the original series in which Han Solo was also encased in carbonite for delivery to the heavy-jowled Jabba the Hutt, courtesy another bounty hunter, Boba Fett).

When he delivers the targets that he has captured to the leader of the Guild of bounty hunters, Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), he is offered payment in money which is named after foods: calamari flan. Looking for better prospects, he is directed by Greef to an ex-Imperial client who has some shady offer in his shady digs.

This Client is played by none other than Werner Herzog. Much has been written and spoken about him and his artistic work, which is highly influential on cinema. A brief aside on him is worth it for those of you who appreciate great cinema, else you can skip this short para. :)

Werner Herzog is a self taught auteur. He is celebrated for pursuing his passion to an extreme degree sometimes. His vision translates onto the silver screen in ways that are sometimes incomprehensible but mostly amazing. I find myself at a loss to explain how deep he goes into the film-making process as well as the mind of his central characters, so here is a handy link that will throw some light on his long and illustrious career. Perhaps I will dedicate another post in detail to go into the nitty-gritty of Mr. Herzog‘s artistic pursuits. Here is his Master Class link as well. 

Coming back to the first episode of the Mandalorian, our hero accepts the bounty and rockets off to the bounty's location. Leaving out the action packed spoilers about how he gets to his target, I will end this introductory post by saying that the introductory episode ends with a recreation of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam between the Mandalorian and the Child, which the fandom has christened (pardon the pun) Baby Yoda (Yody? Kind of a reverse portmanteau, and it won't stick).

Ready for Chapter 2, enticingly titled The Child? May the Force be with you as you click this link!