Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

The Mandalorian – Chapter 9: The Marshal

At first I wasn’t going to write about this. Then I began waffling about it. Now I can’t seem to help myself because “OMG It was so good!”. Will I do this for the remaining 7 episodes? I don’t know. It depends on how inspired I am. Leave a comment if you would like to chime in. Regardless, I can’t help it, I need to talk about Chapter 9: The Marshal. If you have not seen the new episode, I advise you to stop right now.

spoiler alert!!!

The following content contains spoilers for The Mandalorian S2 E1.


Chapter 9: The MarshalThere are a couple of guest stars in this episode. I should say “new” guest stars as Amy Sedaris reprises her role as Peli Motto. The other guest stars is John Leguizamo (albeit rather brief) and Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth (aka “The Marshal”). I don’t always spend a lot of time reading fan reactions to anything regarding the Star Wars universe because fans love to whine when things don’t coincide with their narrative. Be that as it may one of the interesting comparisons is Timothy Olyphant’s character. There is a series called “Justified” which also stars Timothy Olyphant as a U.S. Marshal. I’ve never actually seen, or heard of it. Fans were drawing parallels between the two characters. Perhaps an intentional easter egg?

Do I Detect Some Easter Eggs?

Actually, Cobb Vanth is kind of an easter egg if you’ve read Aftermath. It’s really cool to see him brought to life. While we are talking about Timothy Olyphant’s character, does the engine of his speeder look familiar? Perhaps Anakin’s podracer engine, with a different paint job? Also, I feel like I saw a depiction of Maz Kanata (it’s not Maz) a protocol droid (perhaps C-3PO?) in the graffiti as Mando is making his way to Gor Koresh (John Leguizamo’s character).

I want to backtrack to Peli Motto real quick. The droid that she asks to pull up a map of Tattooine, doesn’t he seem familiar? Maybe you remember him as having a “bad motivator“.

Krayt dragon skeleton in A New Hope

Of course one obvious easter egg is the Krayt dragon. The Krayt dragon essentially gives homage to Star Wars A New Hope, the skeleton we see behind C-3PO is that of a smaller Krayt dragon, perhaps a juvenile or child.

I’m not going to mention the armor Cobb is wearing because that’s part of the episode’s story and not really an easter egg. However, I love the depiction when we first see him in it. It’s almost as if he’s a fan that found the armor and put it on, even though it doesn’t fit. I think all of us suddenly channeled our inner 10 year old.

Finally, we learn the fate of the sarlacc from Return of the Jedi. The fearsome creature that is Jabba’s favorite form of torture and execution. We learn that the Krayt dragon ate the sarlacc which, perhaps, alludes to how you-know-who escaped (aka the figure we see at the end).

Leave a comment if you noticed anything or have any thoughts what I saw.

This is the way.

 

Some Thoughts on Star Wars Rebels

I haven’t written a Star Wars post in a while (other than a HMDYK post). I have one or two in draft but they are not fully thought out enough. Lately I’ve been watching Star Wars Rebels because I’ve heard so many good things about it. The final episode aired in 2018, so after 2 years, I’ve finally finished watching it. In all fairness, I haven’t had cable in five years so I didn’t have Disney XD which is the only place you could watch it (at the time, legally anyway). Thank you Disney+!

Be that as it may, I really focused on finishing Star Wars Rebels in time for Season 2 of The Mandalorian. There are rumors of characters from Rebels showing up and I wanted to be caught up. Suffice it to say, if you haven’t watch Rebels yet, you need to! The series is amazing! Its another series with Dave Filoni at the helm, so it shouldn’t be anything less than amazing. Also it gives you such a nostalgic feel of the original trilogy while also incorporating so much from the prequels and The Clone Wars.

It Has All the Feels

S4E10 — S4E11,13 — S4E15

It will make you laugh and it will make you cry (especially the second half of Season 4). I love The Clone Wars but Rebels is by far my favorite. Dave Filoni (et al.) did a fantastic job of creating a wonderful story while maintaining great continuity. I’m more inclined to go back and binge-watch Rebels again before The Clone Wars (although 4 seasons vs 7 seasons is less daunting).

I think the relationship between Kanan and Ezra and the Force is the best part of this series. Kanan and Ezra are now, easily, in my top 10 favorite Jedi. Honestly, the whole series feels like it’s more about the Force and being a Jedi than it is about the formation of the Rebellion. It’s kind of the Jedi/Padawan story we all wanted to see with Luke or Rey.

While I rank this series much higher than The Clone Wars, I think you need to have watched all of that series before starting this one. It continues and closes many storylines from TCW and perhaps even a couple of the movies. It brings in several of my favorite characters from The Clone Wars and even a couple from some fan-favorite novels. I could keep going but I don’t want to spoil it for those that haven’t seen it. Besides, you should be subscribing to Disney+ right now to go watch it.

Now, go forth and enjoy!

/MTFBWY

Confronting fear is the destiny of the Jedi.

HMDYK About Keira Knightley

Until Rey came along women were really underrepresented in Star Wars. Be that as it may, the female characters it does have are strong, fierce, and amazing characters. I could have picked one of those women like Leia, Amidala, or Jyn Erso but I like focusing on the underdogs. Those actors and actresses who are in smaller roles deserve some attention. This is why we are going to look at an underrated female character. How much do you know about Keira Knightley?

So not only is she the first female but, at 35, she’s also the youngest actor I’ve written about. While she has a minor role in Star Wars, her repertoire is far from obscure. She’s most frequently known as Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. However, before we get too far into her filmography let’s talk about her role in Star Wars; specifically The Phantom Menace.

“This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard”

Keira Knightley played Sabé, the handmaiden who was also the Queen’s decoy. I remember feeling confused when I first saw the movie; I went in knowing that Natalie Portman was playing the queen. Then you see Padme for the first time and you know that is Natalie Portman so either she’s playing two characters or the rumors lied and she’s the handmaiden. Coincidentally that is exactly what George Lucas was hoping to accomplish.

Keira Knightley was selected to play the decoy because of her striking resemblance to Natalie Portman. In fact, there were times during filming when even their mothers couldn’t tell them apart. I have watched the movie dozens of times now and sometimes I still play the “Is that Natalie or Is that Keira” game. While the past 20 years have been kind to both of them, I don’t think they look as much alike anymore. Either way, we thank you Sabé for protecting our queen and I’m glad it was Cordé instead of you at the beginning of Attack of the Clones.

More Than Decoys and Pirates

Throughout her career, she has been ranked in at least 14 sexist/hottest/glamourous women lists, and rightfully so as she is very attractive. In 2006 she said she plans to live exclusively in London and won’t move to L.A. to further her career in American films. She is married (in 2013) with two kids.

She has nearly 60 acting credits to her name and has been in some fairly iconic roles (other than Pirates of the Caribbean). She’s been in The Nutcracker and she is an excellent Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice. I also really enjoyed her role as Guinevere in King Arthur; in which she endured a seven-month training session in preparation for the film. She is also brilliant in The Imitation Game.

She’s also done a couple of TV-series you might recognize. She was Lara in Doctor Zhivago, Rose in Oliver Twist and Tinkerbell in a series entitled Neverland. Despite having been in Star Wars and TV-series like Oliver Twist, it wasn’t until 2002 that she made her breakthrough in Bend It Like Beckham.

Is there anything about Keira Knightley that you find interesting that I didn’t mention?

/MTFBWY

Confronting fear is the destiny of the Jedi.

Mount Farming Guide: Raid Mounts (Part 1)

farming raid mountsThere are so many raids that drop mounts and any raid that isn’t current content typically has a 1% chance, or less, of dropping a mount. So you should settle in for many attempts and become accustomed to disappointment. This is my current, weekly farming route for raid mounts. The route is subject to change as I acquire said mounts; thus the potential for multiple parts.

There are a few addons and weakauras you can use for mount farming. Rarity seems to be the most popular mount/pet/toy farming addon. It’s highly recommended by my guild mates. I’ve just started using it myself so I cannot provide too much feedback, or support (at the time of this post).

You will also need your Hearthstone (which you should always have) and I would also keep your Dalaran Hearthstone handy. Also, make sure you have lots of space in your bags and a vendor mount is super handy (such as the Traveler’s Tundra Mammoth). Since some mounts only drop from specific difficulties I suggest to always have your Raid Difficulty set to 25-Man Heroic.

Biggs’ Top 5 Halloween Movies

Since its the October Top 5 it only makes sense that we choose the Top 5 Halloween Movies. I’m not talking about the Michael Myers Halloween franchise films but Halloween themed movies. In fact, there won’t be any horror or slasher movies on this list; I’m not really into the that genre of movies. I’ll be honest, I’m not really into Halloween. I don’t do the Haunted House thing. I barely decorate. We hand out candy and go trick-or-treating and that’s enough for me. Be that as it may, these movies are films I enjoy watching around this time either because they are fun and/or iconic; and here they are (in no particular order).

Honorable Mentions

The honorable mentions are probably two of the most iconic Halloween characters. While there are many variations of these movies, these are my favorite versions. Bram Stroker’s Dracula with Gary Oldman as the iconic vampire is a great movie with a killer cast (no pun intended) and an awesome director. The second honorable mention is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh and Rober De Niro as “The Creature”. In fact this is probably one of my favorite Rober De Niro roles.

One more quick note about another movie that really isn’t even in my top ten but has been getting a lot of social media buzz lately. Hocus Pocus is a quirky fun film. In fact I do have fond Halloween memories of watching this movie on broadcast television as a kid. However its not really a “go to” Halloween film for me.

(See last month’s Top 5)

I Have Spoken!

 

RTotD: This Will Make You Vote Differently

Rest assured this is not a political post. I always say that I will not discuss politics on this blog and I stand by that. This post will, in no way, shape or form, allude to my political leanings or even discuss political hot topics. This topic stems from my recent Facebook post:

In all fairness, I can’t take credit for it. When I was out for a jog I saw a sign in my neighbor’s yard that said “This Sign Will Totally Make You Vote Differently“. I was laughing out loud for the rest of the block. The satirical context of the sign is funny because it perfectly expresses the futility of political signs. The same can be said for Facebook posts. I think it’s absolutely futile to post any kind of meme or article in hopes of convincing someone to vote (or think) differently.

Can you guess how many articles I’ve read that are from something shared on Facebook? Zero! Why? Because my mind is already made up. I hate to break it to you but chances are others have already made up their minds as well and nothing you share can change that. This goes beyond politics too. It can be anything really. Which Star Wars trilogy is better? Which Star Trek movie is better? What is the correct direction for the toilet paper roll?

It’s all moot and irrelevant because, at the end of the day, nothing changes. I know its probably cynical of me to think that but it’s like Dr. Greg House used to say:

/cheers

The things that go through my mind when I’m alone with nothing but my thoughts for entertainment is dangerous. Some might even say eccentric. Consider this your warning about today’s Random Thought of the Day

 

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