Star Wars: How The Mandalorian Evokes A New Hope

In an interview with director Jon Favreau, a question about George Lucas’ pioneering special effects turned into a description of The Mandalorian’s ethos. According to Favreau, the first live-action Star Wars television show will look like “not just the first film but the first act of the first film.”

Going back to the source had been a common refrain of modern Star Wars stories that want to capture the magic of the Original Trilogy without copying from it too closely (as the Sequel Trilogy sometimes does) or diverting from it too far (as the Prequel Trilogy sometimes did). Regardless of what type of Star Wars story The Mandalorian ends up being, it’ll have to strike that balance without just being a re-hash of the first act of A New Hope.

George Lucas’ own inspirations for Star Wars were many: Flash Gordon, Lawrence of Arabia, Akira Kurosawa’s filmography, Westerns, and classic science fiction novels such as the works of E. E. “Doc” Smith. With those ingredients, the filmmaker created a new vision of space fantasy for the big screen. So, which elements are Favreau, exec producer Dave Filoni, and the rest of the Mandalorian team taking from Lucas’ work?

Documentary-Style Camera Work

There’s an important distinction to make here: camera work in a documentary is not intended to emphasize the realism of the scene. Instead, it makes real events more dramatic. The drama brought out by the directing, not just the realism of the subject, is key. Lucas’ desire to make a naturalistic film was not necessarily reflected in the dialogue or story, but it does come out in the technique.

Knowing he was aiming for it shows the differences between Lucas’ vision and J.J. Abrams’. Look at how much more present the camera feels in the Sequel Trilogy. The difference can be seen in Abrams’ crash zoom and propensity for shine, as well as in Rian Johnson’s symbolic imagery, which he uses to serious (Luke explaining the Force to Rey) and humorous effect (the First Order clothing iron). Both make the camera feel more intrusive than it was in A New Hope.

It’s hard to tell from a short trailer what the camera work in The Mandalorian will look like, especially with different directors set to helm individual episodes. But the trailer evokes A New Hope in its sweeping space flight scenes and crisp close-ups.

Visual elements in front of the camera are also tuned to match A New Hope…

Earth Tones and Muted Colors

A New Hope had a clear visual distinction between characters. Heroes like Luke, Han, and Obi-Wan wore earth tones. The stark black and white of the Empire generally symbolized evil, except when it didn’t (Leia also wore white).

The Mandalorian’s main character wears bronze armor with dull red plates. This isn’t the neon fashion scene of the Prequel Trilogy’s Coruscant or the expensive black suits and dresses of the Sequel Trilogy’s Canto Bight casino. Like in the Mos Eisley cantina, earth tones mark the everyday spaces of the Star Wars universe where scoundrels can do their work.

The very first shot of The Mandalorian trailer shows stormtrooper helmets on pikes, sun-bleached to the color of bone. Right away, the subject and color purposely evoke the lawless side of Star Wars.

Tatooine-Inspired Architecture

The rounded doorways and tan walls of a building seen early in The Mandalorian trailer are definitely callbacks to the Mos Eisley cantina. The famous scene used native Tunisian architecture as the visual touchpoint for Tatooine. Interestingly enough, the rounded look, also found in science fiction of the time — from ring worlds to irising doors — is also what gives Galaxy’s Edge’s cantina its Original Trilogy feeling.

A second location in the trailer appears to be a different cantina, with narrow windows and walls with a vertical motif. But the set still contains plenty of curves. What looks like a giant animal’s tusk creates the suggestion of a round aperture in front of the definitely round irising door.

A Mix of Metal and Cloth

From Darth Vader’s cape over armor to Luke Skywalker’s metal hand, the main characters of Star Wars usually feature a mix of textures and flowing costumes. The Mandalorian’s thus far nameless main character shows this in his gloves and cape, which add texture to the look of the classic armor. The weapon at his back is also a notable visual element, as its stock has an organic-looking curve.

Original Trilogy Aliens and Creatures

The Prequel Trilogy used over 10 years of technological development to go wilder than the Original Trilogy could with aliens. The Original Trilogy was impressive, with flying mynocks and insectoid cantina creatures capturing fans’ imaginations. But the Prequel Trilogy has a signature look to its creatures, including heavier CGI (evident in Jar Jar Binks and the flying Watto) and bright colors (like The Clone Wars’ Ahsoka Tano).

The Mandalorian extends its earth tones to its aliens, with a tan-skinned Quarren and a four-eyed cantina patron (also tan). The exception is the pink, winking Twi’lek, but this is also a species introduced in the Original Trilogy. Footage shown at SWCC also teased a Devaronian drinking at a cantina and Jawas walking around the desert!

The Lived-in Setting

Star Wars is often lauded for the lived-in quality of its galaxy. The Mandalorian’s slightly worn armor is itself an example of this: it looks functional, not decorated with lights or fins like the chrome science fiction armor from the Prequels. Jango Fett’s armor looked straight off the assembly line in Attack of the Clones, whereas the Mandalorian’s looks scuffed and Stormtrooper armor and guns look weather-beaten, the dusty and bloody helmets hanging on pikes. The production design certainly feels like the Original Trilogy.

The Classic Cantina

Perhaps the most obvious shoutouts to the first act of A New Hope are all the cantina settings. They’re a staple of the lawless corners of Star Wars, beginning with the scene where bar patrons went back to their drinks and the band started playing again after Obi-Wan cut off someone’s arm. Setting a story in a cantina might in fact be the easiest way to signal the “space Western” mode of Star Wars. The cantina is a crossroads for friends and enemies, and it seems like a good place for a bounty hunter to find his mark.

The Mandalorian premieres on Nov. 12 on Disney+.

Megan Crouse writes about Star Wars and pop culture for StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider, and Den of Geek. Read more of her work here. Find her on Twitter @blogfullofwords.

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This article was originally published by Denofgeek.com. Read the original article here.