The Man Who Unexpectedly Became a Father to an Alien: 'The Mandalorian'

There's a saying that classics are works that everyone knows but no one actually reads or watches anymore. In that sense, Star Wars** is becoming a series that fits the definition of a classic. For Gen Z, Star Wars is an **old movie that their dads or uncles watch**. Disney, which acquired Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise in 2012, released new movies reflecting the zeitgeist of the 2010s, but regardless of commercial success, the image of an 'old movie' remained. Moreover, over 9 films and countless spin-off animations have raised the **barrier to entry** for this 40-year-old franchise.

Conscious of this, the first Star Wars work released as a Disney+ original series completely omitted 'Star Wars' from the title. And the main character also doesn't know much about or isn't even interested in the events that unfolded in the Star Wars series**. He's a bounty hunter who's just trying to make ends meet. This lowered the barrier to entry for the series, and viewers around the world were captivated by this wandering hunter. And the green alien baby who goes on adventures with him became a cultural icon.

The title of this series, which premiered in 2019 and releases a new season every year, is 'The Mandalorian'. The series' protagonist, 'Din Djarin', is a bounty hunter. Din Djarin doesn't have much interest in the politics of the galaxy (The Galaxy) depicted in the Star Wars film series. He even reacts with **“What's that?”** when he hears names like 'Jedi'** or **'Darth Vader'**. Instead, he's the best in his field. He accurately tracks down wanted individuals and, if the client requests it, delivers them frozen alive.

This life of Din Djarin takes a turn when he receives a request to 'capture a 50-year-old man'. The '50-year-old man' turned out to be a green-skinned baby who looks barely 3 years old. Din Djarin's heart softens at the sight of the abandoned baby. Din Djarin was also a war orphan. He was raised by the Mandalorian**, a people with a tradition of adopting war orphans. He decides to adopt the child as a Mandalorian, instead of taking him to the client.

Now, he's fallen from being the most sought-after veteran in the galaxy's back alleys to a fugitive. But this crisis becomes an opportunity for Din Djarin to overcome the trauma of his childhood. He roams the galaxy with this mysterious 50-year-old baby and accepts the baby as family. This mysterious baby also gradually opens up to Din Djarin, and his secrets are slowly revealed.

This original series, which was released with the launch of Disney+ in 2019, has several advantages. First, the episodes of this series are short. The shortest is less than 30 minutes, and even the longest episode doesn't exceed 50 minutes. The Mandalorian was created with the modern viewer's habit of watching SVOD series on their smartphones in mind. Despite the weighty title of 'Star Wars', the Mandalorian is a series that's perfect for watching while eating alone or on the subway**.

And the most lethal advantage is the cute baby and Din Djarin who raises him. The green-skinned, mysterious alien baby appeals to cuteness throughout the series. Din Djarin, who suddenly became a dad from a lone wanderer in space, goes very well with this 'Baby Yoda'. Except for the last couple of episodes, the series mainly focuses on the slapstick adventures of this space dad and cute baby. This series, featuring cute characters adventuring in an unfamiliar world, is perfect for casual viewing in your spare time.