Jon Favreau is the saviour Star Wars deserves

The recent launch of the Disney+ streaming service has proven to be a game changer for fans of all of Disneys diverse properties.  Having instant streaming access to what is effectively the entire Disney back catalogue has brought great joy to our household.  But without a doubt, the crown jewel of the new streaming service is The Mandalorian.  The very first episodic live action show set in the Star Wars universe has blown audiences away with the quality of the storytelling that it brings to the table.  Helmed by show runner Jon Favreau, (who has a proven track record of world building, ala a little movie you may have heard of called Iron Man) the Mandalorian has suceeded on many levels,  delivering a new, fun, fast paced story to a galaxy far far away, that has had its share of troubles in recent years.

The simple fact that The Mandalorian delivered not one, but two HUGE surprises in its first season is incredible.  In today's world of reddit leaks and spoilers, the fact that Favereau and his team managed to keep a lid on the two items that we will discuss below os nothing short of remarkable.  It goes without saying that there will be spoilers for Season 1 of The Mandalorian below.  If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it and then come back.  I'll wait...

Surprise #1: The Child.  

I have read reports that state that Disney lost out on upwards of $1.2 million dollars of revenue by not having a slew of merchendise ready to go the moment "the child" debuted on screen at the end of episode #1 of The Mandalorian.  There is no doubt in my mind that that number is conservatively low.  Baby Yoda fever has been sweeping the internet for weeks now, and the wow factor is huge.  The world was is in awe of the tsunami of cuteness radiating from the tiny green puppet.  The fact that the child remains shrouded in mystery, even after season 1 has ended, is a huge draw.  George Lucas has never even given Yoda's race a name, 40+ years later after he was introduced in Return of the Jedi, and the ravenous fanbase is clamerouring for any and all information that The Mandalorian is willing to offer.  Everytime The Child is on screen, he steals every scene he is in with his adorable big black eyes, and tiny legged shuffle.   He is so damn cute, a clip of him drinking soup praticially broke the internet.  While the introduction of the child has some far reaching implications for the future of the franchise, it is actually the second reveal that holds bigger ramifications for the future of this particular series.

Surprise #2: The final moments of Episode 8

If you don't immedietly understand what you are seeing when Moth Gideon cuts his way out of his crashed Tie-Fighter, then drop everything and go watch Season 3 Episode 15 of Star Wars Rebels.  Again, I'll wait...

So the final moments of Season 1 reveal the live action debut of the darksaber.  This one of a kind weapon was forged thousands of years ago, by the very first Mandalorian Jedi, Tar Visla, and has grown to become a symbol of the might of Mandalorian leadership.  It has been used as a symbol of power and leadership of the Mandalorian people for generations.  The simple fact that Moff Gideon is in posession of this unique blade speaks volumes about his involvment in the fall of the Mandalorian people, that this series has alluded to over the course of season 1.  It also points very strongly towards tje direction the series is heading in the future.  This is suddenly not only a story of re-uniting The Child with other members of its own race, it is potentially a story of the rebirth and reunification of the Mandalorian people, under the leadership of Padro Pascall's Djinn Daren.  The epic potential unleashed in that final clip will have huge ramifications for the future of Star Wars as a franchise moving forward, all thanks to Jon Favreau and his creative vision.  This is the way.