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Like many installments in theStar Warsfranchise,The Mandalorianis a story about parenting.
ButThe Mandalorianis about a much earlier stage of parenting.
and What does it eat?
and Whoisthis toddler Im carting around the universe all of a sudden?
The wayThe Mandaloriantells this parenting story is undeniably appealing that baby isso cute!
but I was also consistently frustrated by the parts of the story that are left unseen.
The Mandalorianis a beautifully detailed show.
Theres a tactile solidness to its parameters.
Mandos ship clunks and pings in a convincingly physical way.
Minor characters carry wicker baskets full of bright-blue shrimp.
Dust from the alien desert gets everywhere, and dusty aliens look like they really evolved in those places.
Aside from that?The Mandalorianoffers us a shrug.
Does Baby Yoda wear diapers?
How will Mando get Baby Yoda to sleep?
How fast will Baby Yoda develop?
Will Baby Yoda learn to speak the Mandalorians language?
But his life as a parent is unsullied by any of the details that make parenting hard.
That stuff, I guess, is too boring to be in aStar Warsstory.
But its absence means that the central relationship of the show feels threadbare.
But that doesnt square with the way the story has unfolded up until this point.
The one who was actually carrying the baby around?
Ultimately not that important, apparently.
After he comes back from an excursion, Mando charges into her garage, waking Baby Yoda abruptly.
You woke it up!
the mechanic chides Mando.
Do you have any idea how long it took me to get it to sleep!?
As a gesture toward all the stuff thats missing, how could this jokey line ever be sufficient?
The sense of mystery as the child comes into its power.
The threats to their safety.
The bond between them.
Maybe in season two hell stop off at a planet with a daddy playgroup.
