Review: ‘The Mandalorian Collection’ – A Bounty of Features on Mandalorians of All Eras
Whether you’ve been a Mandalorian fan since Boba Fett’s 1978 appearance in The Star Wars Holiday Special or are considering taking your first step into that larger world when The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theatres you can get an in-depth and insightful look into the rich backstory of the beskar-wearing supercommandos with The Mandalorian Collection, which releases on 5th March worldwide.
Curating interviews, features and short fiction from Star Wars: Insider, the collection takes a behind the scenes look at the creation of Boba Fett, the original Mandalorian, in the Original Trilogy and how the world expanded into animation with The Clone Wars and on into today with The Mandalorian.
Disney Plus series companions
Included in the collection are concise but detailed overviews of the adventures of Din Djarin, Grogu and Boba Fett in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Featuring full episode recaps accompanied by insights from the performers and creators accompanied by stills and concept art from the series, this is the perfect way to get caught up quickly on the series or look back over your favorite adventures for a hit of nostalgia.
The Art of Mandalore
This article digs into the genesis of how Mandalorians became part of The Clone Wars, with insights from Dave Filoni on how they drew from the original concepts for Boba Fett, as well as pre-existing Expanded Universe material, to expand into a world of Mandalorian soldiers. Dave talks about how George Lucas directly influenced the look of the prequel-era Mandalorians, such as going back to an unused Padme concept for Duchess Satine’s outfit and how he came up with the concept of the Darksaber. Concept art and sketches show how the
Mandalorian Mayhem
One thing The Mandalorian is never lacking in is great action scenes! This article ranks 10 of the best of Din’s fight scenes from his temporary alliance with IG-11 in the opening episode all the way to tangling with Moff Gideon and the Dark Troopers in the season two finale. The article includes some honorable mentions, highlighting times Din found a satisfying alternative to fighting, such as his alliance with Cobb Vanth.
Mando Mania
One of a number of character-focused articles, this one digs deep into the magic ingredients that went together to bring Grogu to life as the pop-culture icon he is today. Insights from Jon Favreau and the creative team take us through the various iterations that led to the final result of our little green friend. Other features include interviews with Pedro Pascal, Emily Swallow and Katee Sakhoff as well as profiles on their iconic Mandalorian characters.
Sabine Wren recap
Perfect for viewers of Ahsoka who may not be familiar with the animated material, this gives an insight into the creative process behind the character of Sabine Wren and her character’s journey and development in Star Wars: Rebels. Voice actress Tiya Sircar talks about how Sabine is an important role model, not only as a strong female character but also representing young women in STEAM as she demonstrated not only her technical skills but her love of art, both of which translated into her live-action portrayal.
Introducing Boba Fett
In possibly my favorite article, animator Clive Smith looks back at how he created Boba Fett’s first ever appearance in the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. While the special itself is famously derided, even prompting a new documentary on the cringeworthy variety show, ‘The Faithful Wookiee’, an animated short, has a more positive place in the fandom memory and even influenced The Mandalorian with Din Djarin’s rifle based on Boba Fett’s weapon in the short (see above image).
Smith talks about the excitement of getting the opportunity to work on Star Wars coupled with the stressful experience of having to complete the storyboards in just two weeks to get Lucas’ approval for the project. He and his team had to recreate the now-iconic characters of Han, Luke, Leia and Chewie but the biggest challenge was Boba himself with only an image of the costume concept to go on before the color scheme had been decided, resulting in a slightly more colorful bounty hunter. While The Holiday Special was received negatively, Smith is proud of the short, which received personal approval from Lucas, and he and his company continued to have a positive relationship with Lucasfilm, producing the Droids and Ewoks cartoons.
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The Fett Family’s Finest
Another top ten article, this time focusing on Jango Fett and his clone son Boba and their greatest moments. It looks at how the father and son duo have had a lasting impact on the saga going from Boba’s first animated appearance before capturing all our imaginations in The Empire Strikes Back. The stoic character’s world got bigger in Attack of the Clones as we were introduced to a young Boba and his father. The top 10 list also includes Boba’s appearances in The Clone Wars before returning in The Mandalorian and getting his own series in The Book of Boba Fett.
The article is followed by interviews with Daniel Logan (young Boba) and Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett)
He’s worth a lot to me
The final interview is a poignant one with the late Jeremy Bulloch who portrayed Boba Fett in the Original Trilogy. Bulloch talked about the experience of putting on the iconic helmet for the first time, which constantly steamed up (‘I can’t see a thing in this helmet!’) but was a joy to wear and an exciting moment for him and the cast. Bulloch also recalled his experiences of getting to know the fandom through conventions such as Star Wars: Celebration and how was able to use his character’s status to raise thousands of pounds for charity.
The Wessel Run – Exclusive Short Fiction
A short story about bounty hunting with Jango Fett told from the perspective of his one-time partner Zam Wessel.
If you’re a fan of Boba Fett or any of the Mandalorians who have come after him, you’ll want to put The Mandalorian Collection in your cargo hold when it releases on Feb 20th.
You can order the book from the links below. We are not affiliated with these shops.
A teacher from Wales in the UK, Aled has loved Star Wars ever since that Star Destroyer flew over his head and blew his mind.
