The Mandalorian Discussion Thread (spoilers and such)

[LadyTevar]

That said I think my only complaint is: Tatooine is the backwater planet that can't seem to die in importance. There has to be thousands if not millions of planets in this galaxy, but we're always going back to Tatooine.

Backwater compared to what? I mean, it was the center of Jabba's crime syndicate. Thus, it was probably a Sector Center, at minimum, especially since it had at least ONE spaceport. You don't get a spaceport if you're really a backwater -- look at the Other Planets Mando went to and they didn't have Spaceports.

Is it NYC? No. This is more like Charleston WV, just a small metro that's got mining and other resources that a Crime Syndicate can control. (In Charleston's cause, it'd be cheap guns, easily bought to be shipped to Chicago, NYC, and Atlanta. That's the ONLY REASON we have gun purchase laws here!)

[chimericoncogene]

I'm gonna go with Broomstick on this one.

It could be better, but it's not bad either. More than anything I am glad to finally have a live-action series that explores the SW universe. It's long past due.

That said I think my only complaint is: Tatooine is the backwater planet that can't seem to die in importance. There has to be thousands if not millions of planets in this galaxy, but we're always going back to Tatooine.

Easy access to major hyperlanes, such as the ones used by Han to rapidly get to places like Alderaan. Tatooine's a nuked-out hellhole, but it's a nuked out hellhole of what was once prime real estate (old Sector capital probably) on major highway interchanges that are still heavily trafficked - with no cops! Perfect for crime syndicates and Boonta Eve Classic organizers who need wide, open, unregulated spaces.

[Patroklos]

That said I think my only complaint is: Tatooine is the backwater planet that can't seem to die in importance. There has to be thousands if not millions of planets in this galaxy, but we're always going back to Tatooine.

Backwater compared to what? I mean, it was the center of Jabba's crime syndicate. Thus, it was probably a Sector Center, at minimum, especially since it had at least ONE spaceport. You don't get a spaceport if you're really a backwater -- look at the Other Planets Mando went to and they didn't have Spaceports.

Is it NYC? No. This is more like Charleston WV, just a small metro that's got mining and other resources that a Crime Syndicate can control. (In Charleston's cause, it'd be cheap guns, easily bought to be shipped to Chicago, NYC, and Atlanta. That's the ONLY REASON we have gun purchase laws here!)

That's like saying you are not a backwater if you have a commercial airfield. Or an interstate runs through your town. In fact, if that is your most notable feature, the one you bring up over anything else as a point of pride, you definitely ARE a backwater.

And depending on how Jabbas organization works he might be there because it's a backwater. Out of sight, out of mind. Or it's such a backwater he can corrupt dominate its authorities overtly without anyone else caring. Or it just has no authorities in the first place. Other Hutts operate out of ecumenopolis moons, so there isn't much to be gleaned either way.

[chimericoncogene]

That's like saying you are not a backwater if you have a commercial airfield. Or an interstate runs through your town. In fact, if that is your most notable feature, the one you bring up over anything else as a point of pride, you definitely ARE a backwater.

And depending on how Jabbas organization works he might be there because it's a backwater. Out of sight, out of mind. Or it's such a backwater he can corrupt dominate its authorities overtly without anyone else caring. Or it just has no authorities in the first place. Other Hutts operate out of ecumenopolis moons, so there isn't much to be gleaned either way.

Ummm... so it's a backwater for the white market but a boomtown for the black market? Different businesses define "backwater" differently. That's the point. In most Star Wars films and TV, we follow adventurers and rogues around the galaxy, not businessmen and engineers. The only time we meet "normal" people - Naboo - Captain Panaka says that you can't bring Queen Amidala to Tatooine because it's a shitty hellhole.

Case in point: Louisville is the fourth largest cargo airport on the planet. It's a backwater for the rest of the populace.

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (IATA: SDF, ICAO: KSDF, FAA LID: SDF) is a civil-military airport in Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The airport covers 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) and has three runways. Its IATA airport code, SDF, is based on the airport's former name, Standiford Field. It has no regularly-scheduled international passenger flights, but it is a port of entry, as it handles numerous international cargo flights.

[Patroklos]

The idea that Louisville is a backwater is ridiculous. Walterboro, SC, is a backwater. The first proof of this is that you have heard about the first, you have not heard about the second.

The second is people don't know about Louisville because of its airport. If it's the 7th largest cargo port in the country and that's NOT what people know about that city, you proved my point.

Everyone, behold the "backwater" of Louisville:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville,_Kentucky

Thats a city on a planetary civilization scale.

Behold the largest settlement on Tatooine



https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starw ... 1208215412

That is the largest "city" on a planet of a galactic scale civilization. Relative, Tatooine is less than the equivalent of one stop-light town on Earth.

[chimericoncogene]

The idea that Louisville is a backwater is ridiculous. Walterboro, SC, is a backwater. The first proof of this is that you have heard about the first, you have not heard about the second.

The second is people don't know about Louisville because of its airport. If it's the 7th largest cargo port in the country and that's NOT what people know about that city, you proved my point.

Everyone, behold the "backwater" of Louisville:

Thats a city on a planetary civilization scale.

Behold the largest settlement on Tatooine

That is the largest "city" on a planet of a galactic scale civilization. Relative, Tatooine is less than the equivalent of one stop-light town on Earth.

Yes, but I've never heard of Louisville at all. I'm not from North America, or Kentucky, and Louisville is friggin' tiny by East Asian standards (half a million people is like one district, man). As a person who likes infrastructure, I know of it through its cargo airport, and I know zilch about it otherwise.

The average galactic inhabitant is unlikely to know of Tatooine. The security officer from nearby Naboo Sector, the well-read Jedi Outer Rim Specialist, and the Outer Rim Bounty Hunter, the Smuggler, and the Mercenary operating in and around the end of the Correlian Run are likely to know of Tatooine, and the latter three are likely to frequent it as a place of work. Jabba's network alone would have sucked in traffic to Tatooine.

Afghanistan is a backwater. But lots of American troops have been to Afghanistan, and lots of terrorists and people in the mercenary business were in A-stan in the 1990s. Ditto Syria in this decade. Helmand Province is a backwater... unless you're in the opium smuggling business or the US DEA.

[Patroklos]

Just because you don't know anything else about Louisville doesn't mean nobody does. It also doesn't mean people from Louisville are going to be bragging about their airport if you asked them what makes their city great or notable. The point is Louisville has much to offer besides the existence of an airport. When someone asked why Tatooine was not a backwater, the answer was it had a spaceport (which is meaningless in SWs, the equivalent is a parking lot, not an airport). Nobody would say the same about Louisville if you asked them.

You seem to think that because a small niche of people visits someplace a lot it defines something as or as not a backwater. The US military and the DEA still think Afghanistan is a backwater. Trust me.

Your line of reasoning is even more bizarre because the reason those in-universe people you mention know and or use Tatooine is because of its backwater status. If it somehow stopped being a backwater, through their use or otherwise, it would no longer serve a purpose for them and they would move on.

And Naboo is nowhere near Tatooine. Naboo is in the Mid-rim, Tatooine is in the Outer-rim.

[chimericoncogene]

Just because you don't know anything else about Louisville doesn't mean nobody does. It also doesn't mean people from Louisville are going to be bragging about their airport if you asked them what makes their city great or notable. The point is Louisville has much to offer besides the existence of an airport. When someone asked why Tatooine was not a backwater, the answer was it had a spaceport (which is meaningless in SWs, the equivalent is a parking lot, not an airport). Nobody would say the same about Louisville if you asked them.

You seem to think that because a small niche of people visits someplace a lot it defines something as or as not a backwater. The US military and the DEA still think Afghanistan is a backwater. Trust me.

Your line of reasoning is even more bizarre because the reason those in-universe people you mention know and or use Tatooine is because of its backwater status. If it somehow stopped being a backwater, through their use or otherwise, it would no longer serve a purpose for them and they would move on.

And Naboo is nowhere near Tatooine. Naboo is in the Mid-rim, Tatooine is in the Outer-rim.

Just because most people don't know about Tatooine doesn't mean nobody does. Louisville is a an unknown as far as an East Asian is concerned, just as Anshun (700k people) or Dongguan (8 million) draw blanks for many North Americans.

Naboo is outer mid-rim, right on the edge of the Outer Rim. There was a bit of lore about Naboo being an outer world with Core sensibilities, culturally out-of-place. Tatooine is relatively close by (30k light years hah!), which is why Amidala and Co fled there in Ep1.

You've gotten it backwards. Tatooine is a backwater (it does not change my argument whether it is a backwater or not, so I'll concede the point). But it has Jabba the Hutt (and his successors), and is the capital of his not insubstantial chunk of the Hutt criminal empire. That alone makes it a well-frequented place by bounty hunters, smugglers, and soldiers of fortune. Helmand is a backwater, but many US troops go there because of the Taliban stronghold there. Syria is a backwater, but it was the center of the global jihad movement once upon a time.

[Soontir C'boath]

Holy shit, people. Tatooine is one of countless stupid planets in the desolate and poor Outer Rim made ridiculously important by writers who wish to tie everything there. End of story and Happy New Year.

[Galvatron]

As I've said before:

I tend to credit Jabba the Hutt as being the one who put Tatooine on the map. The planet itself would therefore be completely unknown if it wasn't for the fact that it's home to one of the most powerful gangsters in the galaxy.

[Soontir C'boath]

As I've said before:

I tend to credit Jabba the Hutt as being the one who put Tatooine on the map. The planet itself would therefore be completely unknown if it wasn't for the fact that it's home to one of the most powerful gangsters in the galaxy.

Let's be real. Jabba's dead and elevating him as someone special in a galaxy that is very likely full of gangsters like him is ludicrous. The only reason they came back was to tie Boba Fett in so they can give him the launching pad for the new series.

[Solauren]

Actually, everyone is forgetting about Tatooine -

At one time, it was a major part of the podracing culture. It might even still be.
That's alot of tourism.

Those Sandcrawlers? Result of a corporations attempt at setting up mining.

It was important enough to rate an Imperial garrison, despite Jabba being there and allied with the Empire.

It was important enough that a beat up old freighter blasting it's way off planet was immediately reported, and by the time the Falcon reached Aldeeran, that report had reached the Death Star. (Mind you, the last might be related to the hunt for the Death Star plans, that anything at all about the planet was immediately being reported to Vader/Tarkin)

My guess - Tatooine is probably on a major hyperspace route. Possibly at the junction of several systems with resources or large populations. It makes sense that there would be attempts to colonize it, use it, and it would be a junction point for anything happening in that region of space.

[Galvatron]

It was important enough that a beat up old freighter blasting it's way off planet was immediately reported, and by the time the Falcon reached Aldeeran, that report had reached the Death Star. (Mind you, the last might be related to the hunt for the Death Star plans, that anything at all about the planet was immediately being reported to Vader/Tarkin)

In addition to that, when Tarkin was informed that the freighter they'd just captured had the markings of a ship that blasted its way out of Mos Eisley, he didn't respond with "What the fuck is Mos Eisley and why should I care?"

If an Imperial Grand Moff can be expected to immediately recognize Tatooine's spaceport by name alone, I think we can safely assume that the planet itself was already somewhat notorious throughout the galaxy. Or at least among Imperial authorities who were familiar with the sector.

[Soontir C'boath]

Didn't forget anything and you guys are missing the point. It's simply being stuck on minimalist thinking and who cares whether Tatooine is important or not at the end of the day. The matter at hand is it doesn't have to be part of the story when there's so many others. How many untold planets in this galaxy don't you think they could've set their story on that can be far more important or just as desolate as Tatooine that Mando could've landed on and repaired his ship? How many other planets could've had the Mandalorians he was searching for, but we happen to go back to the one Boba Fett is on? C'mon.

We got a whole galaxy as a playground and we're constantly going back to the same rinky dinky swing set in the corner.

[Galvatron]

I can agree with that. I wish they'd simply made Mando's visit to Tatooine a two-parter instead of having him go there twice.

At least then we wouldn't be continually subjected to Amy Sedaris and her goofy sitcom-level performance as a ship mechanic.

[GuppyShark]

Actually, everyone is forgetting about Tatooine -

At one time, it was a major part of the podracing culture. It might even still be.
That's alot of tourism.

There's plenty of weird racing sports. IE American figure-eight bus races (yes, just as crazy as it sounds) and Australian dry river boats (safer, still crazy).

I think we saw people gambling on them on Coruscant, right? If so, they're not even exotic.

Those Sandcrawlers? Result of a corporations attempt at setting up mining.

Failed mining town? Pretty much the definition of a backwater right there.

It was important enough to rate an Imperial garrison, despite Jabba being there and allied with the Empire.

It was important enough that a beat up old freighter blasting it's way off planet was immediately reported, and by the time the Falcon reached Aldeeran, that report had reached the Death Star. (Mind you, the last might be related to the hunt for the Death Star plans, that anything at all about the planet was immediately being reported to Vader/Tarkin)

The Imps were probably only there because they were chasing the droids.

My guess - Tatooine is probably on a major hyperspace route. Possibly at the junction of several systems with resources or large populations. It makes sense that there would be attempts to colonize it, use it, and it would be a junction point for anything happening in that region of space.

"If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."

[Galvatron]

I wonder if the Empire actually garrisoned any systems in Hutt Space. Per the Wookieepedia:

Hutt Space was an autonomous region of the galaxy on the border between the Mid Rim and the Outer Rim Territories that was located to the galactic east of the Core Worlds, and was under the control of the Hutt Clan. Largely noted as being a haven to the disreputable denizens of the galaxy, it managed to avoid outright Imperial control owing to its cooperation with Imperial Coruscant, however following the Battle of Yavin, it saw increasing attempts by the Empire to cut into its trade in an effort to decrease its independence.

Also worth noting is that Jabba wasn't just a small-time operator. He had the power to either allow or deny the Republic and the CIS passage through Hutt Space during The Clone Wars (as depicted in TCW the movie).

Of course, none of that probably make a bit of difference from Luke's perspective.

[GuppyShark]

I retract my point about the Imps on Tattooine. They must have been locals - they were riding animals, either native or adapted to the climate. I doubt the Imps carry a menagerie of riding beasts on board destroyers just in case they need to check in on a planet.

[Batman]

Just because the 'beasts' were local doesn't mean the 'Imperials' were. They could've just availed themselves to local transportation, which in this case meant riding animals.
Back in Imperial India there were Englishmen riding elephants. Doesn't mean they brought'em with them. Arabia and camels. Just because people avail themselves of local animal transportation doesn't mean they're natives.

[Batman]

Just because the 'beasts' were local doesn't mean the 'Imperials' were. They could've just availed themselves of local transportation, which in this case meant riding animals.
Back in Imperial India there were Englishmen riding elephants. Doesn't mean they brought'em with them. Arabia and camels. Just because people avail themselves of local animal transportation doesn't mean they're natives.

[Galvatron]

Yeah, they could have been commandeered or rented by a local dewback rancher for all we know. Moreover, the Wookieepedia entry implies that the garrison on Tatooine was a Legends-only thing.

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mos_Ei ... litia_base

[Batman]

Not sure how that double post happened. Sorry.

[chimericoncogene]

Jabba may be dead, but his palace stands, and his contacts are still on Tatooine. Institutional inertia is a thing. Si Bibble has no reason to uproot his new empire for giggles.

There is only one Jabba Cartel in a galaxy of 400 billion stars, trillions of planets, and billions of settled worlds, and that cartel is centered on Tatooine.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=170376

[TrekkieJeff2000]

Just because the 'beasts' were local doesn't mean the 'Imperials' were. They could've just availed themselves to local transportation, which in this case meant riding animals.
Back in Imperial India there were Englishmen riding elephants. Doesn't mean they brought'em with them. Arabia and camels. Just because people avail themselves of local animal transportation doesn't mean they're natives.

Local animals have been used throughout history by armies. Perhaps there’s a group of storm troopers who specialize in this area like how many local police departments have mounted units?

[GuppyShark]

Were the dewbacks in that scene in the original cut, or added in the Special Edition?

(in case anyone is having trouble recalling, this is the 'look sir, droids' scene where the stormtroopers are investigating the escape pod, and I guess R2 or 3PO lost a component in the crash and it's never brought up ever again)

Yeah, animals are used by police forces, but typically for crowd control purposes or to use their senses. Maybe I need to rewatch those Mando episodes, as I can't remember why you wouldn't just use a speeder like Luke did.