WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 1, "Chapter Nine: The Marshal," available now on Disney+.
It is no secret that Star Wars creator George Lucas was inspired by the films of the Old West — which were, in turn, influenced by the cinema of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Harrison Ford’s Han Solo is reminiscent of the gunslingers from John Ford's Stagecoach, while A New Hope's cantina scene plays off the bustling saloons of the Old West.
As the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian is no different. Throughout Season 1, lone gunman Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) protected Baby Yoda from the bounty hunters and warlords of the lawless Outer Rim. A man with a dark and conflicted past, he's basically John Wayne's Ethan Edwards from The Searchers, only Wayne's cowboy hat has been swapped for Djarin's Mandalorian helmet.
But it is the Season 2 premiere, which is directed by the series creator Jon Favreau — who dipped his toe into the Western sci-fi genre with the financially disappointing and critically panned Cowboys & Aliens — that fully embraces Star Wars' Western roots, shying away from the mystics of the Force and delivering a gritty standalone tale that entertains even the most casual Star Wars viewer.
The title of the episode, "The Marshal," sets the tone, evoking the archetype of the sheriff and lawman who kept order in the chaotic deserts of the American frontier. In The Mandalorian's case, the marshal is Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant donning Boba Fett's armor). Olyphant is no stranger to the role of a marshal, having played one for six seasons on FX's Justified, and it works wonders here. His swagger and drawl even seem to Westernize those around him. Pascal's Mando goes extra gunslinger when sharing the screen with Olyphant, especially in their near-quick draw duel. That subtle nod Mando gives Vanth as he tells him that the Child "has seen worse" would put Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on high alert.
But it is not just Olyphant who gives "The Marshal" its Western edge. The episode takes place on the desert planet Tatooine in a poor mining town that is just begging for a tumbleweed to bounce across its barren walkways. Terrorized by a krayt dragon, the miners, led by Mando and Vanth, are forced to team up with the local Tusken Raiders to kill the sand beast once and for all. It adapts a classic Western narrative where the townsfolk — the space miners — must unite with the Native Americans — in this case the Tuskens, who are indigenous to Tatooine — to defeat a larger threat. One could even compare it to a cattle drive plotline. Except instead of getting the sand dragon to the market, the crew is leading it to a bomb.
Yet, it is also what the show leaves out that makes "The Marshal" feel like a real Western. Baby Yoda is present but has a limited role. Those who were expecting him to break out the Force against the krayt dragon like he did with the mudhorn back in Season 1 were left sorely disappointed. As were those who were hoping for more than a cameo from Temuera Morrison. But there will be time for all that. With seven episodes left in the season, Favreau has plenty of room to expand the lore of The Mandalorian and its greater Star Wars universe. But for now, I will settle for my lone gunman just trying to survive the elements, one planet at a time.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito. New episodes arrive Fridays on Disney+.