The Best Thing Every Mandalorian Director Brought To The Show

After Disney’s sequel trilogy divided the Star Wars fan base, The Mandalorian has brought them back together. Created by Iron Man director Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian has beautifully recaptured the pulpy, old-school feel of a galaxy far, far away. With archetypal, mythical storytelling and an instantly iconic titular antihero, The Mandalorian has established itself as the perfect Star Wars series.

From Dave Filoni to Robert Rodriguez to Favreau himself, a bunch of talented filmmakers have put their stamp on the Mando-verse. Each director has brought something new to The Mandalorian.

9 Jon Favreau Created The Series

Of all the directors who have worked on The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau contributed by far the most, because he created the series and wrote the bulk of its episodes. The Mandalorian is at its most fun when it feels like Favreau playing with Star Wars action figures on the page.

Favreau was too busy with the MCU and The Lion King to direct any episodes in season 1, so he made his Mandalorian directorial debut with the season 2 premiere, “Chapter 9: The Marshal.” The episode is a standalone archetypal slay-the-dragon fantasy narrative on the dangerous dunes of Tatooine with a live-action Cobb Vanth played brilliantly by Timothy Olyphant.

8 Dave Filoni Brought Back Ahsoka Tano

George Lucas’ personal protégé, Dave Filoni, directed the pilot episode of The Mandalorian and has since helmed a couple of other installments. Before working on The Mandalorian, Filoni co-created Ahsoka Tano with Lucas.

Filoni helmed The Mandalorian’s second-season episode “Chapter 13: The Jedi” as a backdoor pilot for Ahsoka’s own spin-off series. The episode introduced a live-action version of the character played by Rosario Dawson ahead of her spin-off, which will also be spearheaded by Filoni.

7 Deborah Chow Turned Mando Into A Hero

In the first couple of episodes of The Mandalorian, Mando was introduced as a morally ambiguous antihero. He callously tells his bounties, “I can bring you in warm… or I can bring you in cold.” The series’ third installment, “Chapter 3: The Sin,” directed by Deborah Chow, turned him into a straightforward hero.

In the episode, Mando betrays the guild to save Grogu from the Client. With the symbolism of the gear shift knob, Chow won the hearts of Star Wars fans across the globe. “The Sin” turned The Mandalorian from a fun new Star Wars show into must-see television. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series is in safe hands with Chow at the helm.

6 Taika Waititi Unmasked Din Djarin

Taika Waititi provided the voice of bounty hunter droid IG-11 in a couple of Mandalorian episodes (including the pilot) before taking the director’s chair for the season 1 finale, “Chapter 8: Redemption.” In the pilot, IG-11 was introduced as a cold killer ready to dispatch Grogu, but when he returned later in the season, he was reprogrammed as a nanny.

IG-11 makes a heartbreaking sacrifice at the end of “Redemption,” but before that, he saves Mando’s life. In order to treat Mando’s wounds, he needs to remove his helmet. Since he’s a droid, it doesn’t technically break the Mandalorian creed – but it did allow fans to see Din Djarin’s unmasked face for the first time.

5 Carl Weathers Got The Band Back Together

Carl Weathers plays the supporting role of Greef Karga in The Mandalorian. He’s the head of the bounty hunters’ guild, so his role in the series was reduced after Mando abandoned the guild. In season 2, Weathers reprised his role in “Chapter 12: The Siege,” an episode he directed.

After the first few episodes of the second season introduced new sidekicks for Mando – Cobb Vanth, Frog Lady, Bo-Katan – “The Siege” brought back two of Mando’s closest allies from season 1: Greef Karga and Cara Dune. The episode even brings back Horatio Sanz’s unnamed Mythrol bounty from the pilot episode.

4 Rick Famuyiwa Introduced Migs Mayfeld

Rick Famuyiwa directed the second episode of The Mandalorian, but didn’t get to really put his personal stamp on the series until “Chapter 6: The Prisoner,” which he co-wrote with Christopher Yost. “The Prisoner” is a standalone Star Wars adventure that introduced Bill Burr as Migs Mayfeld, a grizzled mercenary with a biting sense of humor.

Famuyiwa returned for the season 2 episode “Chapter 15: The Believer,” which added more depth to Mayfeld. By exploring his Imperial military background and the related PTSD, Famuyiwa and Burr turned Mayfeld into a more sympathetic antihero.

3 Bryce Dallas Howard Homaged Seven Samurai (& Made An AT-ST Terrifying)

The influence of Akira Kurosawa has been prevalent in the Star Wars saga since the very beginning. Season 1’s “Chapter 4: Sanctuary,” directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, borrows Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai formula with just two heroes defending the village against bandits.

In addition to introducing Cara Dune, “Sanctuary” made an AT-ST terrifying. The AT-STs were goofy, clunky Imperial walkers in Return of the Jedi, but in The Mandalorian, they’re chilling mechanical beasts with ominous glowing red eyes.

2 Robert Rodriguez Brought Back Boba Fett

After The Empire Strikes Back introduced Boba Fett, the softly spoken bounty hunter became one of the Star Wars fan base’s most popular characters. Those fans were pretty disappointed when Boba was unceremoniously killed off in the Sarlacc Pit in Return of the Jedi.

In The Mandalorian episode “Chapter 14: The Tragedy,” Robert Rodriguez brought Boba back and launched him into an explosive battle with a legion of Stormtroopers. Boba’s return to action was well worth the 40-year wait. Rodriguez has since taken the helm of The Book of Boba Fett.

1 Peyton Reed Nailed Luke Skywalker’s Return

Peyton Reed made his Mandalorian debut with “Chapter 10: The Passenger,” in which he introduced the Frog Lady and helmed the ice spider chase, one of the show’s most thrilling set-pieces. But the Ant-Man director outdid himself in the season 2 finale, “Chapter 16: The Tragedy.” This episode brought back none other than Luke Skywalker.

At the height of his Jedi powers, Luke effortlessly decimates the Dark Troopers and takes Grogu under his wing as an apprentice. After The Last Jedi’s deconstruction, Star Wars fans were delighted to see a wholesome, heroic Return of the Jedi-era Luke back in action.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3458 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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