The Mandalorian & Disney+ are signs of what's to come in the "Stream Wars" (mild spoilers)

The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, Narcos), blasted on the scene in its role as Disney's big gun in the streaming wars. Photo Credit: Hypable

Season one of Jon Favreau's Mandalorian was a witty and charming Star Wars Django-Batman. For me (an old school S.W. fan), it was everything the new films wasn't. The story-line flowed because it was simplistic and smooth. There were no Jedi (well no light-sabers at least), no Sith Lords, just your average and not so average creatures of this incredible universe that was created all those years ago. As most people know (whether you have seen it or not) just from the recent havoc on the internet, Mandalorian revolves around a bounty hunter and the lovable Baby Yoda. Yes, the meme sensation that has stolen every man's girl across the galaxy.

Baby Yoda might look cute, but he WILL steal your girl. That is a fact. Photo Credit: CinemaBlend

In episode one, the Mandalorian finds B.Y. on a mission and he is instructed to hand it over to some form of the Empire (in the future). He decides not to, that's the main spoiler of this article, and the plot unfolds from there as he elects to protect B.Y. The Mandalorian himself was raised by a nomadic clan of warriors who seem to honor the clone army of old (and Jango Fett, the DNA template for the clones) in their appearance and armor. In truth, the comic book history goes back way way farther than all this, but that is not the purpose of this article and I am 100% not a Star Wars historian. Their people reminded me of the video game Assassin's Creed more than anything else, but our Mando, the lead of this epic, reminded me of Batman. I know that's DC and Star Wars is Disney, which also owns Marvel, and some super fan out there is disgusted that I would ever even draw such a comparison, but that was my immediate thought. It's also what attracted me most about this show (I was kind of sick of Star Wars going into it). As a super hero fan growing up I never enjoyed the all-powerful beings. I hated Superman and don't even get me started on Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen. Why should I watch a movie or show that makes one figure so unstoppable. Then they always have to bring in that not-so-secret Achilles heel weakness (like kryptonite) and have them overcome it, WOW, so exciting, never saw that one coming... and that becomes the plot of every Superman movie or show ever. The idea of that always bored me, if you couldn't tell, and this thought process kind of weaseled its way into Star Wars over time.

The more the movies went on, they became ultra-focused on "chosen one" type Jedi's versus the biggest baddest Sith they could think up. I know a lot of people enjoy that, but to me the idea was tired and lazy. If I see something once, it doesn't really blow my mind when they change Luke to a female and basically duplicate the exact story-line from the originals. To me, that's Hollywood being Hollywood. It's also not creative and kind of insulting to the real film-lovers out there that demand better. After seeing some of the reboot films on TV, I'm overjoyed that I never spent a single dime on any of them in theaters. Talk about cheesy dialogue and predictable plot-lines, not to mention God-awful acting. Jon Favreau must have agreed with me when he created The Mandalorian, because you get none of that in this show. Mando is a gunslinger and more importantly, he's the common man at the heart of his identity. He has no abilities, other than training in the arts of his people and the guild since childhood. He has no special powers, besides suppressed rage maybe. His back story even reminds me of a Batman or Django type (the unwilling hero), but it isn't pound for pound or some carbon copy. I also liked that the show focuses on a corner of the galaxy that is often forgotten and overlooked (with renegades, rebels, and scoundrels alike). There are interesting characters along the way and you have to figure out who's trustworthy and who's not as many are either out to make a name for themselves, or a fortune. The roles are supported by well-scripted acting (particularly enjoyed Nick Nolte, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, and Giancarlo Esposito) and dialogue throughout every single episode. I think the main bounty droid in the Mandalorian is a better actor than the entire lead cast of the three most recent blockbusters. Yep, that was one last dig on the reboot.

The divisions of Disney+, which immediately pillage content from both Netflix and Hulu. Photo Credit: Invision, Chris Pizzelo

So why is this important? Besides the fact that you should try and find a way to stream The Mandalorian if you haven't already, Disney has now thrust themselves into the heart of the "streaming wars," with the future of television at stake for all of us... and they did not disappoint on their opening act. Disney+ is set to release a ton of original content throughout the next couple of years and if their other shows are a similar quality as The Mandalorian, Netflix/Amazon/HBO/etc. better watch out (Hulu and Apple also in on this gauntlet). Highly-anticipated series' include Marvel shows like; Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye (event-series), Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, WandaVision, Moon Knight, and the mysterious Jeffrey Wright (narrated) series Marvel What If... There's also more Star Wars upcoming with a seventh season of Clone Wars (plus every season on demand if you want to relive glory days of your youth like I have), a Rogue One prequel series, and an Obi-Wan Kenobi show featuring Ewan McGregor. Pixar and Walt Disney even have new content coming, as well as all the classics of old. The legendary Disney animated films are all on Plus in re-animated five star quality (my girlfriend and I have already watched Aladdin, Lion King, Little Mermaid, and more about 500 times... not really, but you could... and we may).

The point is, Disney owns a lot of popular content... Marvel, Lucas Films, Pixar, Walt Disney, etc. Possessing the rights to these sub-divisions gave their streaming platform immediate value, while a company like Apple had to create their own for their release. Not only that, Disney was able to loot movies and shows from some of its greatest competitors, pulling their classics from other streaming platforms like Netflix. As the streaming wars continue, I think we'll see more and more of this as us viewers (the innocents) will likely suffer most (which happens more often than not in war). As different companies form services and enter the fight, content will continue to split-off, forming more of a channel-based streaming network like Cable before it (except more user-based and selective). It may also end up being more expensive on our wallets! Remember, until bundle packages are more readily available, we have to pay for each of these platforms separately. I know most of us buy one, share with a circle of friends or families, vice-versa, and repeat, but that only works for so many services. If they buckle down on user accounts and security, we're screwed! Even Disney's style seemed more like high-quality television (similar to HBO), releasing Mandalorian in a weekly format rather than a bulk binge-friendly style. I thought this was smart for marketing, as the series dominated the TV realm for months rather than a week, but it's also eerily similar to the past where viewers had little control.

In the end, I find myself on the fence in the midst of the steaming wars. In one sense, the competing content from each service is amazing not only for me as someone who loves to watch great film and television, but as someone who aspires to write it someday. More content creates more work and more opportunity, not to mention more lazy days on your couch. That part is all gravy. On the other hand (like I said above), the cord cutter mentality which started as a way to save money, is now becoming more pricey than the ways of old. The more platforms that go public, the more we may have to pick and choose what we can and cannot access. Didn't we learn anything from Game of Thrones, war is bad for everyone...