Star Wars: The Mandalorian

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Does Star Wars Need a Darth Maul Movie or TV Series?
By KOFI OUTLAW - November 18, 2019 05:03 pm EST

The Star Wars franchise is generating massive hype right now (at the time of writing this), thanks to the one-two-punch of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker almost hitting theaters, and The Mandalorian's premiere on Disney+. However, when The Mandalorian episode 2 dropped just before the weekend, "Baby Yoda" wasn't the only big Star Wars-related topic trending on social media: Darth Maul was a major trending topic, as well. Seeing Maul's name trending convinced a lot of Star Wars fans that the Prequel Trilogy villain was making a(nother) comeback in The Mandalorian - but turns out it was just because fans still love him that much.

Well, all that random online chatter about Darth Maul sparked a very good question: Is a Star Wars: Darth Maul movie or TV series something that needs to happen?

While we're discussing that question, we'll also need to get a few facts about Star Wars canon in order:

Darth Maul didn't die in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

This is probably the most important-yet-aggravating point of Darth Maul's role in the Star Wars franchise, so let's get it out of the way. Those who have watched the official Star Wars animated series (Clone Wars, Rebels) already know that Maul's story continues on in a big way. Maul survived The Battle of Naboo and his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi, but was severely damaged, both physically and mentally. Maul is discovered in hiding on a junk planet by his brother, and restored to health by the witches of his home planet (Dathomir), known as the Nightsisters. With his mind repaired, and his body enhanced of cybernetic parts, Darth Maul joined with his brother Savage Opress and rode out the Clone Wars in the Outer Rim territories, building a massive crime syndicate, eventually finding a base on Mandalore for his Shadow Collective group to rule through a puppet government. That time of greatness falls apart when Maul gets too powerful and has his hold on Mandalore and the Shadow Collective smashed by Darth Sidious.

Maul's story gets a bit murkier after that. Clone Wars never got to finish its storyline for Maul before the show was canceled, so Maul's arc of being Sidious' prisoner, and his escape and battles with General Grievous and Count Dooku were pushed into the Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir comic series. Both Star Wars Rebels and Solo: A Star Wars Story pick up Maul's thread during the era before Star Wars: A New Hope, exploring how he survived in the shadows in the year's since the Republic's fall by building a new crime syndicate called Crimson Dawn, and trying to unlock secret powers of the Sith. In the end, Maul died in a final duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tattooine, when Luke Skywalker was just a little boy.


Darth Maul is One of the Biggest Problems in Star Wars Right Now.

That brings us to the glaring issue hanging over Star Wars. Like so many supporting or bit characters in the series, Maul has become so much more of an icon than was probably intended, originally. However, there's a major divide between those who know the longer and deeper story of the character that's been established, and those who think he was painfully underutilized by being killed off in The Phantom Menace. So how do you do more with the Darth Maul, without upsetting Star Wars' established continuity?

Darth Maul Needs His Own Star Wars Movie or Miniseries.

In the end, the main problem here is that Darth Maul's story got lost in the transitional period where Star Wars went from its old canon under George Lucas, to this new expanding canon under Disney. A Darth Maul movie or miniseries would be a great way to revisit the events of Clone Wars and Rebels without having to fully redo those arcs, while the main focus could be filling in more of Maul's story between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It would once again unify the fanbase in their "official" knowledge of Darth Maul's story, and the publicity potential is clear, since Darth Maul can still rise to the height of a trending topic, on a random day.

For our money, Disney+ and The Mandalorian have made it hard to argue against getting more Star Wars live-action series. A Darth Maul miniseries would give ample time and space to not only bring the villain's story to a close, but also help clean up the unfinished stories that Clone Wars, Son of Dathomir, and Solo started. Clone Wars will get that momentum going when it brings back Ray Park as Darth Maul for its season 7 revival on Disney+, so what better window for a live-action spinoff?

Do you want to see this happen?

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.

So much YES that I'm already splitting this into an indie thread.

Gotta support Ray.



JULY+AUGUST 2016

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The Mandalorian: Deborah Chow Reveals the Inspiration For the Baby Yoda Rescue
The first female director of a live-action Star Wars story brought her father's love of Hong Kong action to the fight.
BY ANTHONY BREZNICAN
NOVEMBER 22, 2019



BY FRANÇOIS DUHAMEL.

“It’s been a very strange day.”

Deborah Chow has directed episodes of Mr. Robot, The Man in the High Castle, Jessica Jones, Reign, and Better Call Saul, so she knows the demands and expectations of devoted fans. But she wasn’t prepared for the, let’s say, force of the reaction to her work on The Mandalorian.

Chow directed episode three — titled “The Sin” — and its explosive finale, which featured a group of hovering Mandalorian protectors in a shoot-out with a gang of bloodthirsty bounty hunters while the hero flees with a newly rescued Baby Yoda. The scene lit up social media—and her phone.

“I woke up to many, many texts and emails about it, and it’s sort of like, ‘How did everyone watch it so early in the morning?’” Chow told Vanity Fair on Friday, in a new interview for our Still Watching podcast on the Star Wars series. “It’s definitely unexpected, and I’m really happy for the show.”

You can hear her full conversation in the show, along with an interview with actor Emily Swallow, who said she based her blacksmith leader The Armorer in part on Chow’s quiet authority on set.

Chow also directs episode seven of the show and is now working on a new Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+. Here's what she had to say about episode three of The Mandalorian:

Father’s Influence

Chow said the episode takes a lot of inspiration from 1961’s Yojimbo — Akira Kurosawa’s classic about a nameless ronin who finds himself in a town plagued by competing crime lords. She also credits her love of Asian cinema to her late father.

“My dad was Chinese, and he was a huge movie fan, when I grew up he was watching Hong Kong action films. So it kind of gets that reference,” she said, citing John Woo’s 1992 cop-and-kid thriller Hard Boiled as another reference. “I tried to bring out a little Hard Boiled with the baby. It was kind of an amazing thing because it was like coming back to classic cinema and filmmaking. So there’s definitely a lot of my dad in that episode.”

“Sadly he didn’t get to see this. But he would be very proud. He would probably also be in shock.”

First Woman in Space

Chow’s work on The Mandalorian makes her the first woman and the first filmmaker of Asian heritage to direct a live-action Star Wars story.

“Even when I first got this job, it didn’t even cross my mind. I don’t know what fairyland I was in, to not think this was significant. But I went through prep and it didn’t occur to me until somebody said it on one of the first days of shooting.”

She noted that Bryce Dallas Howard directs episode four of the show, and the second unit team has several female directors. “It didn’t occur to me that I was the first one to leap.”

“I want it to be about the work. I want to be a good director, not a good female director, not a good Asian director. But by the same token, obviously, my career path and the representation… it is important. It is meaningful. I want to see more women directors and I want to see more directors of color.”

Lifelike Baby Yoda

Making any kind of Star Wars can be a surreal experience. Between puppets, droids, humans hidden behind helmets, and people dressed up as aliens, she said she looked around one day and thought: “Oh my God, does anyone have eyes. Is there a human face anywhere?”

The little green star, known for now as Baby Yoda, was just as enchanting in real life as it is on screen. “I worked with the puppeteers and the visual effects [artists], and just worked with it like it was an actor. It would just be about emotion. I’m not going to try to tell them technically how to do it. But we would talk through it.”

She wasn’t the only one to talk to Baby Yoda as if it was real. For more from Deborah Chow, subscribe to Still Watching: The Mandalorian.

I'm enjoying the series so far (can't wait until Gina's character is introduced) but I felt this ep was more Parabellum than Yojimbo or Hard Boiled (and I'm bummed that we don't have archived threads on either of those two classics).

[GeneChing]

I've watched up to S1E3 and I'm still waiting for Gina to appear on the Mandalorian.

Gina Carano Reveals Why She Hates Her 'Mandalorian' Stuntwoman
Fred Topel | MORE ARTICLES
November 11, 2019

Gina Carano plays a mysterious character on Disney+’s Star Wars series The Mandalorian. Even at an early preview of the series, Disney did not show any scenes involving Carano’s character, Cara Dune. She only appeared in that one brief shot during the trailer.


Gina Carano as Cara Dune in The Mandalorian | Melinda Sue Gordon/Lucasfilm Ltd.

Carano was part of a panel to discuss The Mandalorian though. Although she could not reveal any details about Cara Dune, Carano gave some insight into what it’s like playing her and working on a Star Wars series for Disney’s streaming service. The Mandalorian premiers Tuesday, November 12 when Disney+ launches.

Gina Carano is very possessive of her ‘Mandalorian’ character

Gina Carano wanted to be the only one to play Cara Dune. Even when there were stunts to perform, she didn’t want any stunt doubles putting on her costume. And why should she? Gina Carano is a former MMA fighter who’s done plenty of action movies. She doesn’t need anyone else’s help.


Gina Carano at The Mandalorian press conference | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

“I did not want it to be anybody else in this Cara Dune costume,” Carano said. “Oh, is she running? Okay, I’ll run. That’s fine, no, we don’t need her [the stunt double]. I really hated anybody that was in this costume. I didn’t want to share at all.”

Pedro Pascal disagreed with his ‘Mandalorian’ costar

Pedro Pascal plays The Mandalorian himself. In every image released from the show, he is covered head to toe in armor. Pascal was happy to let the stunt doubles take over.

“Stunt doubles are essential to every large production just so you know,” Pascal said. “Even for the strongest people or agile ones, nothing can get done without the incredible stunt work.”


Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian on Disney+ | Lucasfilm

Gina Carano may be a superstar in the MMA or action world, but Pascal thinks everyone behind the scenes on The Mandalorian is a star.

“You have no idea the amount of star power from every department that goes into making something like this, from the person that is working on the shine of my shoulder to the person building the ship that we’re shooting on or the whole set. I’ve seen some pretty big sh*t and I haven’t seen anything like this. Yeah, there’s stunts, thank God.

Gina Carano describes one ‘Mandalorian’ stunt

Star Wars is full of creatures and ships so Gina Carano could describe one without giving anything away.

“Actually, my first day on set I was on a bird,” Carano said. “So I was up on this big thing and I was just like, ‘Okay, this is it. This is my life now.’”

The ‘Mandalorian’ costumes made Gina Carano feel she was in ‘Star Wars’

Gina Carano may have been possessive of her Cara Dune costume, but it was looking around and seeing all her costars dressed up as Star Wars characters that transported her into the galaxy far, far away.

“It really honestly was one of my favorite unforgettable moments being on set, seeing the other cast members whether it be behind a helmet or a creature,” Carano said.


Gina Carano and Jon Favreau | Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Cara Dune even impressed the people who created her, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.

“Jon and Dave came [to set],” Carano said. “They made such a big deal out of ‘Oh my gosh, look how great you look.’ I was like wow, this is really great, but then I saw they did that to everybody and I’m like, ‘Oh, so you do that to everyone? Okay.’”

[GeneChing]

'The Mandalorian' Star Gina Carano on Cara Dune's Secret Backstory
DECEMBER 03, 2019 4:06PM by Brian Davids


Gina Carano | NICK AGRO/AFP via Getty Images

The actor also reveals her big fight with Mando originally went differently and recalls the filmmakers who have flocked to set: "Spielberg, the Coen brothers and Seth Rogen have visited."
[This story contains spoilers for episode four of Disney+'s The Mandalorian.]

When Jon Favreau created The Mandalorian’s Cara Dune, Gina Carano was the only actor he had in mind. Not only did he not audition anyone else, he even named the character after Carano: Cara-no. Introduced in Bryce Dallas Howard’s “Sanctuary,” Carano’s Cara Dune is a former Rebel shock trooper who partners with the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) to protect a local village of krill farmers from continued attacks by Klatooinian raiders. The raiders’ most recent pillage cost the farmers their latest harvest as the Klatooinians commandeered an AT-ST — a leftover imperial vehicle with advanced weaponry.

According to Carano, there is much more to Dune’s story, something the Rebel tattoo under her eye indicates.

“The eye tattoo has a much deeper meaning once we get into it,” Carano tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Obviously, it’s a Rebel tattoo, but there’s much more to that story. So, I’m excited for that.”

The Mandalorian is setting a new precedent as the series is being shot with state-of-the-art virtual reality technology that creates an immersive experience for actors on-set. Since word travels fast around town, the Mandalorian set has been a who’s who of Hollywood heavyweights.

“It’s really interesting because [Steven] Spielberg, the Coen brothers and Seth Rogen have visited to check out the set,” Carano relays. “Everyone wanted to see what Jon Favreau is doing over here in these Manhattan Beach studios. As an actor, even with Baby Yoda and the Ugnaught, you feel so in the moment because it all feels so real. When you put on your armor, you walk into that world, and that’s been an incredible blessing for my imagination.”

In a recent conversation with THR, Carano discusses working on The Mandalorian’s cutting-edge virtual reality sets, how she’s adapted her MMA skills to screen fighting, working with Baby Yoda and that Mando fight (“the choreography was originally something else”).

First order of business: Is it Care-uh or Car-uh? I bring this up because Mando referred to her as “Care-uh,” but I’ve heard you say “Car-uh.”

I know! (Laughs.) It’s Car-uh; it’s definitely Car-uh. In the beginning, everybody on set asked me, “How do you say your name?” and I would say “Car-uh.” But, for some reason, it’s natural for some people to say “Care-uh.”

Well, you’re in good company as the pronunciations of Leia and Han differed to varying degrees, too.

Oh, really? Oh, my gosh, that’s so funny. I had no idea. Thank you for telling me that because I’m going to use that later.

Your character was given a Han Solo or a gunslinger-in-the-corner-of-the-saloon-type introduction. Then, she had the ice-breaking fight with Mando. Were you and the brain trust conscious of wanting to give this woman an introduction that is usually reserved for men?

Originally, I feel like this all came from Jon and Bryce. I got together with the stunt guys, and we did some different types of choreography and previz. I’ve read a little bit online, and it feels mostly positive as I have so many people who are rooting for this strong female character. But, others are wondering how she did so well against the Mandalorian, who are the badasses of the galaxy. I can tell you that the choreography was originally something else, and we made it to where she got the jump on him. It comes to a draw at the end of the fight so we both get our licks in. They’re both battle-hardened warriors, and I feel like they both have an understanding of what they were dealing with. I definitely think Cara stands out in a way that’s very different from someone like Leia, who’s also very strong and independent. I think that’s exactly what Jon wanted to bring to the Star Wars universe as far as my character. He wanted my arms to show, and I’m like, “Long sleeves!” (Laughs.) He wanted my character to be this new soldier of women, and he wanted her to have an impact. For me, it’s been a way to embrace who I am, and if the biggest complaint is that I’m too strong, it’s really a compliment to me. (Laughs.)


The Mandalorian | Disney+

Given your background in mixed martial arts, how helpful are your existing skills when it comes to screen fighting? Or, is screen fighting completely different?

Not every fighter or physical person can transition. What I’ve actually done in the last nine or 10 years of being in this business is I’ve adapted to onscreen fighting. I used to dance when I was a little girl; I did jazz, tap and ballet. It’s also so much more than that as you have to learn to give shots and take shots. The more you sell it, the more the fight scene goes well. A lot of people that come in with egos and are conditioned to “I must be the baddest person in the room” have trouble understanding that. You’re not gonna win everything, and you have to sell that body shot and face shot. I think I’ve had a little less of an ego as I come at it from an art and dance perspective with the skill set of a fighter. That’s really worked out for me, and I’m really proud of that because not everybody has been able to transition so well. (Laughs.)

On Haywire, you had to convince your male co-stars that they didn’t have to pull their punches. Did you have to have that conversation with the stunt performers on The Mandalorian?

Since I’ve been in this now for a long enough time, especially with the Mandalorian stunt team, they understand that I understand. I think the stunt community has kind of accepted me as one of their own because I come in, we collaborate and we do this together. I think I’ve been doing it for a long enough time that I’ve developed a good reputation in the stunt community to where I don’t injure or hurt people. I make sure to ask, “Is this a good amount of pressure?” It’s funny because stunt guys and girls like that you give them just a little bit so their reactions are good. I like the same thing, too, so we’re usually on the same page. You have to have the conversation, though, because if you’re working with a stunt team the entire day and you’re kicking someone from a wide shot to a closer shot, that spot can get a little sore. So, you have to pick your moments. If it’s a wide shot, maybe give it a couple good kicks, but wait until you get to the closer shots to give it a bit more. It’s just a matter of communication and trust. The stunt team on Mandalorian have been like brothers and sisters to me.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

On the set of The Mandalorian | Disney+

Since Howard is an actor-director, what was she able to provide you that most non-actor directors don’t?

She’s got this fire in her eyes. She pays attention to everything, and she has complete 100 percent control of the set. She’s focused, hungry and passionate. Other directors do different things, but Bryce would bring a little tiny apple box out with an iPad to watch the replays on. She would sit there with you and direct you. She’d have a conversation and talk it through with you based on how she’s worked things out as an actress. She’d listen to my thoughts and ideas. She was very motherly and protective of our performances. She’s probably been in this business long enough to know that you don’t always get a director who’s going to protect you and give you the opportunity to express yourself and give you the chance to do it the way you want to do it. Bryce will try it this way and that way, and then she’ll let you try how you like it. She’s very protective over her actors and story. When she laughs, the entire building heard it. The one word I’d use to describe her is fiery.

What are these virtual reality sets like? During the battle sequence, could you see the AT-ST actually rendered on the display you were looking towards?

The AT-ST, no. But, the set is not a green screen set. It’s a completely different animal. It’s really interesting because [Steven] Spielberg, the Coen brothers and Seth Rogen have visited to check out the set. Everyone wanted to see what Jon Favreau is doing over here in these Manhattan Beach studios. On film, it looks incredible. As an actor, even with Baby Yoda and the Ugnaught, you feel so in the moment because it all feels so real. When you put on your armor, you walk into that world, and that’s been an incredible blessing for my imagination.


The Mandalorian | Courtesy of Disney+

What’s the Baby Yoda phenomenon been like from your vantage point?

I learned about Baby Yoda when I read the script after getting the job. When doing promotion at Star Wars Celebration, D23 and the press junket, we were already getting such a great reception, and meanwhile, we were all giving interviews to excited people and thinking, “You don’t even know the best part of it!” (Laughs.) I think it was so smart of Jon and Kathleen Kennedy to keep it such a secret. That was just genius to have people be surprised over something they were already excited about, and now everybody is absolutely in love with this little baby. When you’re acting with it, you’re just like, “Oh, my gosh, it’s insanely cute.” These puppeteers gave it its own personality; it’s a little actor. Jon once belly-laughed and was like, “No matter what, this little guy is going to steal the scene in every scene that he’s in. Just know that you’re all going to be number two to this.” (Laughs.) That’s our little star of the show — 100 percent. There’s no stealing a scene from Baby Yoda.


The Mandalorian | Disney+

Cara seems to be running from something since she feared that Mando had a bounty on her head. She also mentioned that she was forced into an early retirement. Did you know her full backstory when you shot this episode?

Yeah, I did. I knew it from conversations with Jon and Dave. They withhold little bits and pieces from me, and they’ll come in and say, “Oh, yeah, also this…” Before I did the introductory scene, Jon told me a secret about my character, and it added so much depth to what her life has been like. I think she’s a really cool character, and I think the sky's the limit with telling her story. When I read the script, I just felt like Jon wrote a little diamond of a character. I’ve been waiting for something like this for so long, and I love putting on the armor and thinking about the possibilities.

Since I’m only well-versed in the films, what’s the significance of the arm tattoo?

I thought you were going to ask about the eye tattoo. (Laughs.) I’d have to go back and do a refresher on it, but I think that comes from the Rebel Alliance in the Galactic War. I also think it came from one of the producer’s sons who watches The Clone Wars or something like that. I think it’s definitely an Easter egg that attaches me to those soldiers. I know that is an awful explanation, but the eye tattoo has a much deeper meaning once we get into it. Obviously, it’s a Rebel tattoo, but there’s much more to that story. So, I’m excited for that. A girl just tagged me in a photo the other day because she just got it tattooed on her cheek. I just sent Bryce a text message that said, “Bryce! It happened. Somebody got a Cara Dune tattoo on their cheek.” It’s been a crazy zero-to-one-hundred thing already.

I’ve had such an up-and-down career so far. When I worked with Ewan McGregor on Haywire, he said, “Make sure you love the script, get along with the director and respect the director.” He told me that 10 years ago, and, of course, I felt like I had to put in my time and do my time on those independent movies. I really wish I would’ve listened to those words because he was telling me something from experience. Now, after having this up-and-down career, that’s going to stick with me moving forward. I am going to work with people I respect — on stories I’m passionate about. I’m going to be patient and wait for those to come through. After The Mandalorian season finale, I hope people have seen the growth in my work and the hard work I’ve put into acting. I always say this, but I still feel like I’m just getting started.

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Mandalorian Season 2 Release Date Confirmed For Fall 2020
The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau takes to social media to confirm the show's second season will premiere on Disney+ in fall 2020.
BY CHRIS AGAR
DEC 27, 2019



The Mandalorian season 2 is officially confirmed to premiere in fall 2020. This year, as the Star Wars franchise bid farewell to cinema's iconic Skywalker saga, it entered a new era by releasing its first live-action TV series. Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian was positioned as a flagship program for the Disney+ streaming service, which launched this past November. The show became an instant hit with fans, due in large part breakout star Baby Yoda, who became a viral sensation immediately after making his surprise debut at the end of the first episode. The Mandalorian was also praised for how it expanded Star Wars lore, showcasing what the property is capable of.

Lucasfilm is developing other Star Wars shows for Disney+, such as the Cassian Andor Rogue One prequel and the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries, but The Mandalorian remains their crown jewel on the TV side of things. Even before the first season premiered, it was revealed season 2 was in the works, already going through principal photography. And now, fans know when they'll be able to see it.

Today, which is when The Mandalorian season 1 finale dropped on Disney+, Favreau took to Twitter to announce season 2 will debut in fall 2020. Check out his post in the space below:

Jon Favreau
✔
@Jon_Favreau
Season 2 of #TheMandalorian coming Fall 2020


56.7K
12:05 PM - Dec 27, 2019
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15.4K people are talking about this

Favreau's tweet includes a photo of a sculpture of a Gamorrean, the alien species best known for being guards in Jabba the Hutt's palace in Return of the Jedi. They've popped up in other areas of canon (like Clone Wars and novels), but they haven't appeared in live-action since 1983. As such, it'll be exciting to see how they factor into The Mandalorian, but it's important to keep in mind this isn't necessarily confirmation Gamorreans will play a big part in the narrative. During the build-up to season 1, Favreau frequently posted behind-the-scenes images on social media, some of which were merely background characters and/or props that didn't have a sizable role. A Gamorrean could be a new main character on The Mandalorian, or simply a background alien in a scene or two.

What'll be more fascinating is who's recruited to direct episodes of The Mandalorian season 2. Season 1 featured talents like Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, and Taika Waititi calling the shots, all of whom earned widespread acclaim for their work. But there will probably be some new names in the mix for season 2. Waititi is busy working on Next Goal Wins before he turns his attention to Thor: Love and Thunder, and Chow is going to oversee the aforementioned Obi-Wan show. Already, it's been revealed co-star Carl Weathers helmed an episode, and Favreau is planning on directing one himself , after sitting out season 1 due to The Lion King. Hopefully Lucasfilm found another crop of excellent filmmakers, and The Mandalorian continues to be a hit next year.

Favreau has spoken.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

I feel like I've just had my Star Wars nerd card revoked. How did I miss this Easster Egg?

How ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ References the Most Awesomely Bad ‘Star Wars’ Video Game
Posted on Friday, June 1st, 2018 by Ethan Anderton



Solo: A Star Wars Story is chock full of winks and nods referencing future events in the Star Wars trilogy, almost to the point that it’s annoying. But there are also some obscure references for hardcore Star Wars fans that are a little more interesting. One of them comes from a single line of dialogue referencing one of the worst Star Wars video games every made…but it also has a place in the history of Star Wars and even sets up the major reveal everyone has been talking about.

Find out what we’re talking about below, but beware of spoilers for Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Qi’ra Shows Off Her Fighting Skills

In Solo: A Star Wars Story, part of the plan to hijack a bunch of coaxium begins with infiltrating a mining facility on Kessel. Our heroes accomplish this by having Qi’ra offer up Han Solo and Chewbacca as slaves, allowing them to get into the facility itself. While Han and Chewie are led through the mines closer to the coaxium, Qi’ra, Tobias Beckett and Lando Calrissian’s droid L3-37 are brought into the control room to finalize their business.

During this sequence, Qi’ra pulls off a couple unseen fight moves and takes down the facility supervisor. L3 is visibly impressed and even a little surprised as she asks, “What was that?” And Qi’ra nonchalantly says “Teräs Käsi.” That might not mean anything to the more casual Star Wars viewer, but for longtime fans, this was quite the obscure reference to throw into Solo. So what the hell is Teräs Käsi?



Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi
The fighting style Teräs Käsi became well-known to Star Wars fans when a PlayStation game entitled Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi hit the market. Styled in the model of fighting games like Tekken or Virtua Fighter, it was a video game that featured Star Wars characters duking it out on polygonal environments in a galaxy far, far away. Since this is a first generation PlayStation game we’re talking about, the graphics were not great and the game mechanics were clumsy at best. But **** it, was that a fun game to play with friends as an adolescent Star Wars fan.

The fighting roster features Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia (in Boushh disguise), Chewbacca, Boba Fett, Thok (a Gamorrean guard), Hoar (a Tusek Raider) and a new character named Arden Lyn, a Dark Jedi with a mechanical arm. They all engaged in hand-to-hand combat, as well as weapon combat (which didn’t make much sense when characters like Luke with a lightsaber would fight Thok with an axe). But there was no signature fighting style between them to dictate what Teräs Käsi was. Instead, that came from Star Wars Legends.



The History of Teräs Käsi

The first mention of Teräs Käsi comes from a major story arc called Shadows of the Empire. One of the more well-known Star Wars Legends titles, this was an interesting experimental sort of multimedia project that was intended to tell a story that took place in-between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, where no Star Wars novel had ventured before.

The goal at the time was to create anything and everything that might be associated with a Star Wars movie release, but without ever actually releasing a movie. This included a novel, a video game, action figures, trading cards, comics and even a soundtrack. And within the novel of Shadows of the Empire, the fighting style Teräs Käsi is mentioned as being used by the villains Sun and Zu Pike. And from there it went on to become part of the aforementioned video game that everyone loved to hate.

However, Teräs Käsi was only a blip in Star Wars until it came to be referenced in the novel Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. You see, after Darth Maul’s acrobatic, fast-paced martial arts style debuted in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, many thought it would be interesting if his character was trained in the art of Teräs Käsi, mostly because his fighting style was unlike any we’d seen in the Star Wars universe up to that point. After Shadow Hunter made it canon (at the time), the fighting style was referenced on and off again until it finally was given a real origin story, made to be a fighting style that allowed non-Force sensitive warriors could engage with the likes of Jedi and Sith and still hold their own. Of course, that’s all Star Wars Legends, but…



Teräs Käsi is Now Canon
With the mention of Teräs Käsi in Solo: A Star Wars Story, the fighting style is now canon. Funnily enough, since this was a fighting style that came to be associated with Darth Maul, the fact that Qi’ra learned it from Dryden works as a hint toward the reveal of the Sith warrior as the puppet master behind the Crimson Dawn in the film’s final act. It only makes sense that those working for Maul have been trained in a fighting style that makes them deadly enough to do his bidding.

The question is how much, if any, of the backstory that became associated with Teräs Käsi will be made canon. Will this fighting style continue to be mentioned in Star Wars stories now that we’ve seen it in Solo: A Star Wars Story? Maybe we’ll see it pop up in other comics, books and video games. And if we’re lucky (or unlucky, depending how you look at it), maybe we’ll get a new generation remake of the original game with even more characters. Because while Star Wars Battletfront II offers us a way to have Star Wars characters from all eras of the saga to fight against each other, there’s just something…special about Masters of Teräs Käsi. Awfully special.

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'The Mandalorian' Star Gina Carano Fired Amid Social Media Controversy
6:38 PM PST 2/10/2021 by Ryan Parker , Aaron Couch

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

UTA has also dropped the actor, who will no longer be part of the 'Star Wars' galaxy.
Gina Carano will not be returning to The Mandalorian or the Star Wars galaxy after sharing a post on social media inferring that being a Republican today is like being Jewish during the Holocaust.

"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a Lucasfilm spokesperson said in a statement. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."

Carano has also been dropped as a client by UTA, an agency spokesperson confirms.

On Wednesday, the hashtag #FireGinaCarano was trending following an Instagram post from the outspoken conservative actor and former mixed martial artist which was met with severe backlash. The post has since been deleted, but screenshots were widely shared by users on social media who called for her firing from the hit Disney+ Star Wars show.

This is not the first time Carano, who played former Rebel Alliance soldier Cara Dune on The Mandalorian, has been the focus of social media ire for her political comments. Last November, she issued contentious tweets, one in which she mocked mask-wearing amid the novel coronavirus pandemic and another in which she falsely suggested voter fraud occurred during the 2020 presidential election.

“They have been looking for a reason to fire her for two months, and today was the final straw,” a source with knowledge of Lucasfilm’s thinking tells THR.

The Mandalorian debuted on Disney+ in November 2019 and helped power the streaming service to impressive subscription numbers. Carano's Cara Dune became an instant fan favorite, with the actor praised for bringing a calm strength to the role. But her tweets have also made her a controversial figure among Star Wars fandom.

According to sources, Lucasfilm planned to unveil Carano as the star of her own Disney+ series during a December investor's day presentation but scrapped those plans following her November tweets. Multiple Mandalorian spinoffs are in the works from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, including Rangers of the New Republic, which could have potentially starred Carano.

But after the latest round of social media posts, the decision to cut ties with the actor came swiftly.

Carano came up in the world of MMA, and has appeared in high-profile projects, such as Deadpool and Fast & Furious 6. Steven Soderbergh cast her in 2011's Haywire, a film that launched her acting career following a straight-to-DVD project.

Her rep could not be immediately reached for comment.

Feb. 10, 8:15 p.m. Updated to note UTA had dropped the actor.

RYAN PARKER
ryan.parker@thr.com

AARON COUCH
aaron.couch@thr.com

Dune is TKOed in Round 2.

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