SWBC: Space whales, sad girls, and more in 'The Mandalorian' season 3 premiere
SWBC: Space whales, sad girls, and more in 'The Mandalorian' season 3 premiere
Plus: Excerpts from "Battle Scars" and "Cataclysm," and a review of "Hyperspace Stories #4."
The Mandalorian season 3 premiere — a review
Happy Mandalorian Day to all who celebrate — a.k.a. all of us Star Wars fans every Wednesday for the next eight weeks.
There are a lot of reviews and coverage out there, and I’m happy to be one of those writers setting their alarm for way too early to watch new episodes. And for the next eight weeks, I’ll be reviewing The Mandalorian season 3 for Winter Is Coming — the sci-fi and fantasy site part of the FanSided network. (Check out my reviews of Andor and The Book of Boba Fett here)
My pals over at Dork Side of the Force are also reviewing, recapping, and generally geeking out every week.
I’ll also be sharing my weekly reviews here, in the Space Wizards Book Club newsletter. And, the Maker-willing, there will be some juicy bookish content to talk about as well.
Review: The Mandalorian season 3 premiere: Din and Grogu go on a redemption tour
Snippets from my review:
Space whales! Space pirates! A group of tiny Babu Friks! Grogu using the Force to spin around in a chair! All that and more happened in The Mandalorian season 3 premiere, “The Apostate.”
Bo-Katan has been fighting to lead her home planet since her sister’s death and the loss of the Darksaber to Gideon. In the premiere, Din finds her holed up in a cold stone castle on another planet in the Mandalore sector, moping over her defeat. Din wants her help, but Bo-Katan is clearly uninterested in hearing about his obsession with redemption and being reinstated into a cult. This scene sets up lots of tension between the two Mandalorians that will surely play out over the rest of the season.
While the season 3 premiere doesn’t do anything groundbreaking, it’s an easy-to-digest story that hit all the classic notes that have become standard in the series: heart, humor, and a dash of blaster-filled action to keep things exciting.
Oh, and those space whales Grogu sees while he and Din are in hyperspace? Those are Purrgil. They were last seen in the final episode of Rebels when Jedi Ezra Bridger used the Force to get the whales to wrap their tentacles around Grand Admiral Thrawn’s ship and drag them both into hyperspace. Neither has been seen since.
The Mandalorian season 2 getting the comic treatment
We may not yet have books featuring characters from The Mandalorian (please, Star Wars?), but the Disney Plus series’ first season has recently recieved a comic book adaptation. And the second season is up next for the comic treatment.
Marvel’s The Mandalorian comic series kicked off last year and concludes with issue 8, arriving today, March 1. Each issue retells the story of one episode, and the upcoming season 2 adaptation will begin with “Chapter 9: The Marshal.”
StarWars.com recently shared some of the variant covers for the The Mandalorian Season 2 #1 (above), and said a release date for the issue will be announced soon.
You can also get The Mandalorian Season 1 in trade paperback.
Part Two (issues 5-8) — preorder; releases on May 2
Comic review: Hyperspace Stories #4
Dark Horse Comics is back with another short and sweet tale from its Hyperspace Stories anthology series, which has been running since August 2022. The issue out today, March 1, is the fourth of the series and tells a wholesome Life Day story starring Rey and Chewbacca.
Landing the Millennium Falcon on Kashyyyk, Chewie introduces Rey to his son, Lumpawaroo — last seen in Aftermath: Life Debt. While Rey and Chewie are having fun decorating for the Life Day celebrations, we learn that Kylo Ren has sent a bounty hunter after them. This sets the story between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, though these tales are somewhat canon-adjacent.
The bounty hunter sews a bit of chaos into the calm Life Day celebrations by shooting blaster bolts into a sacred tree. While there is decent action sequences, the heart of this Christmasy tale is redemption and remembrance of those we have lost. The rythmis narration of Hyperspace Stories #4 is also to the tune of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
The whole series is written for younger readers, but this fourth issue leans most heavily on appealing to an audience of children. It’s a touching holiday story that would be perfect for Star Wars-loving kiddos during Christmas time. Which is why it’s confusing why this issue is only releasing just now — three months after Christmas and 11 months before the next holiday.
Still, it’s great to get more stories set during the sequel era, especially with Rey. Hyperspace Stories #3 also featured sequel era characters Finn and Poe on a space western-style adventure.
Hyperspace Stories #4 is available now at your local comic book store or digitally.
Previous reviews:
In other HoloNet news…
One last Jedi: Battle Scars excerpt
Less than a week before the release, there’s still one last excerpt from Jedi: Battle Scars to gush over. And this one is all about Merrin.
IGN has the excerpt, which shows Merrin wielding her green fire magick and coming face-to-face with a stormtrooper who will be integral to the overall story of Battle Scars.
Coming next week: Full review of Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs
Initial thoughts: I cried reading the entirety of the last chapter. I love all of these characters so much it hurts.
Gella and Axel reunite in an excerpt from Cataclysm
Have you been desperate to know what happens next with The High Republic phase two — specifically what’s next for Jedi Wayseeker Gella Nattai and disgraced and imprisoned space rake Axel Greylark? Same.
These two star-crossed (friends? something more?) have a tense reunion in a new excerpt from the upcoming adult novel Cataclysm, which releases on April 4.
Entertainment Weekly has the excerpt, which follows Gella as she ventures to a remote, high-security prison to talk to Axel, who has hit rock bottom.
The quote I can’t stop thinking about: “He had eyes for nothing but her.”
Coming soon: Full review of Cataclysm by Lydia Kang
Star Wars books and comics out this week
March 1
Hyperspace Stories #4
The High Republic: The Blade #3
The Mandalorian #8
Star Wars #32
Hidden Empire #4
Han Solo & Chewbacca #10