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STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KAHN (1982)

Here it is: our final 2021 entry from guest writer John Osif. John has picked quite the array of films to connection with each Season Two episode of THE MANDALORIAN - and this entry is no different. Thanks, John, for the journey and lending your talents to our little blog. Without further adieu, here is John's last entry...

Art by Gillian Osif

The Mandalorian – Season Two – Episode Eight – “The Rescue”

*Blogger’s Note: I wanted to thank Chris Mich for the amazing opportunity to blog the entire second season of the Mandalorian for Digging Star Wars. Blogging a series under deadline has been tremendously rewarding, sometimes nerve-racking and always thought provoking. I have had the unique opportunity to stare deeply inside my own beliefs and feelings (not only about Star Wars but also some of my favorite films and how they helped form who I am) while at the same time develop the necessary bravado to write about them for public consumption. As many of you know, I am not the most public person when it comes to my opinions and feelings. What Chris has done by creating DSW is a true gift, not only for the SW fan but for all film fans. And I want to thank everyone for reading not only this season’s worth of Mando blogs but everything on Digging Star Wars. All the posts penned by Chris and his impressive rogue gallery of guest writers are insanely remarkable and truly worth any reader’s time. Brilliant love letters to every era of filmmaking. Well done, everyone!

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD if you haven’t seen the Season Two Finale of the Mandalorian in the last year. Or been on the internet. Or talked to other people… You’ve been warned?

 It all comes down to this… The season finale sees Din Djarin and his allies attempt a rescue mission to save Grogu from Moff Gideon’s Imperial ship. In doing so, they come face to face with the Dark Troopers, endure heart-crushing emotional moments and are saved by the most “I can’t believe they did this but let me wipe away happy tears streaming down my face” bit of blatant fan service ever attempted. All the while teasing the future of Star Wars in very intriguing ways. I am very much looking forward to everything this season has set up, particularly Season Three featuring the dark saber and the Mandalorians. For a character that wears a helmet 99% of the time, Pedro Pascal’s performance this season was outstanding in every way. His character growth and acceptance of change were impressive and at times devastating. Especially the emotive and painful way he hands Grogu over to Luke Skywalker. The bittersweet acceptance of knowing he did what was right by fixing a universal wrong by helping Grogu complete his circle back to a proper Jedi to continue his training.

 Righting narrative wrongs is where my thoughts went while re-watching this episode. Storytelling is, by definition, a subjective art filled with personal preferences and individual acceptances. Some stories, or in this case film series, are planned out and told completely. Each possible variant discussed and executed by the filmmakers and their studios, with little room for individual interpretation. As a DC fan, I am perfectly willing to admit Marvel Studios has nailed this. But there are moments when even my favorite film franchises have let me down. Left me either alone or as part of a larger audience by my mouth open “WTH” reactions to beloved character interpretations or unnecessary diluted plot twists. Case in point, how the director chose to portray Luke as a bitter, defeated old man who walked away from his responsibilities and loved ones in The Last Jedi. I am not here to blast that movie or the director’s decisions however much I abhor both the film and the director’s decisions. (I’ll put my blaster away now) My Luke would have never made those decisions. This film is where Star Wars went wrong, in my opinion. Later revelations would confirm my suspicions that the sequel trilogy had no plan, nothing was planned out long term. And Luke suffered.

When I was a child, Luke was my hero. In a fantasy world filled with gray characters and questionable morals, Luke (through my young eyes) was incorruptible. As I describe it in an over-simplistic way the world of my youth, at times, was dark, cruel and my personal future was always in doubt. But I held out hope daily in part because of my heroes, including Luke. I saw my story unfolding and knew if I just held on a little bit longer, there would be hope that the light would shine. In the films, Luke would give himself to what was just and never turn away from his family, even in the darkest hours. THAT was the hope I tried to carry over into my very real world. Never give up. Never walk away. What this finale of the Mandalorian did for me was rinse the bitter aftertaste of TLJ away... Forever. And in a small way, help reset my real-world faith in what is good in this world that has been cloaked in ugly division and excruciating tragedy. To see Luke in his prime, using full Force powers to dispatch the Troopers (eerily, purposely similar to Vader’s hallway scene in Rogue One) brought me back to my childhood. To see the green lightsaber once again in action, the familiar X-Wing fly in almost from my childhood again… indescribable. My version of Luke and SW is reset. A bright, exciting storytelling future ahead where there was once doubt.

As I researched some of my favorite films to find a connection to this finale, I discovered that Star Trek teetered on a similar edge back in the early 1980s. We all know Star Trek’s late 70s attempt to cash in on the Star Wars craze with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. "The Motion Picture" was a critical failure and let down die-hard Trek fans with its odd character portrayals. In that film, Spock and Kirk seem… off. Not the beloved portrayals fans longed for. The plodding pace even earned it the fan nickname "The Slow-Motion Picture." Paramount had to be persuaded to make another "Star Trek" film and agreed but only if it could be done on a miniscule budget and reuse as many sets, props, and visual effects shots from the previous film as possible. The filmmakers made the storytelling decision to go back to the franchise’s roots to recapture the fun and childlike sense of wonder of the original TV series. Go backwards and find the youthful hope and exciting spirit it’s fanbase missed. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" made an immediate cultural impact, becoming a hit. "The Wrath of Khan" launched a new, prosperous era in which "Star Trek" thrived both on the big screen and back on television that continues to this day. At the time, the filmmakers reset the narrative back to the accepted vision of Star Trek and overcame questionable and broadly disliked decisions in the previous film.

For me, reigniting this storytelling excitement is akin to watching the sunrise after a long, cold sleepless night. I do not know what is next. But there is Light and there is Hope. For the Mandalorian, Grogu is literally in the hands of Luke Skywalker. Will we see more of them? Will Mando work with Bo-Katan to take back Mandalore? In my opinion, this finale is Star Wars at its ultimate best. A grand conclusion with an undiscovered path forward. It’s a limitless galaxy with limitless stories to tell. Wrongs have been righted. The reset button pressed. I look forward to the inevitable Season Three as I look forward to reading a new blogger’s interpretation of that exciting unknown. As I stated in my note above, it has been a privilege exploring uncharted narrative and personal emotional waters with you. Thank you for reading. You have no idea how much I appreciate you – John Osif     

Here is a recap of all of John Osif's film picks with links to the DSW blog entry per The Mandalorian Season Two episodes:


 


 


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