Mandalorian: The Toy That Influenced “The Marshal”

In the season two premiere of The Mandalorian, we are introduced to Timothy Olyphant’s character Cobb Vanth aka the Marshal. He’s sporting the half digested remains of Boba Fett’s armor from Return of the Jedi. Cobb’s costume comes equipped with a rocket he can fire from his jetpack. Boba Fett may have not fired a rocket from his back in the movies, but that didn't stop Kenner from designing a toy did.

It’s 1979 you see this ad on the back of your toy packaging “Get a free Boba Fett action figure, with purchase of any four Star Wars action figures! Boba Fett not available in any store!” The caption on the photo promises “Rocket firing back pack!" A childhood dream! You break your piggy bank, mow lawns, beg your parents, and finally have the four required figures to earn the big one. You mail in your proof of purchases, wait 6 to 8 weeks....Finally! The figure arrives in the mail, you tear open the package, you line up some tin cans and prepare to fire off the rocket--but something’s amiss. The rocket won’t fire. The advert lied. An attached note confirms, the rocket will not fire due to potential risk. Will you ever trust again.

What happened to the promised rocket? Did it ever exist in the first place? Prototypes were designed to be fired. The ads weren't trying to scam people; however, near end of 1978 a boy choked to death on a missile from a Battlestar Galactica toy. Kenner didn’t want death on their hands so they glued all of the rockets into Boba Fett’s backpack, never to be fired off again. That's how the legend goes, but they more likely redesigned the product before shipping. Either way, not rocket. Over time the coveted firing rocket Boba Fett became legendary, and original prototypes were discovered! They became the most coveted Star Wars collectable on the market. One even sold for $365K in 2019!

Clearly the creative team behind The Mandalorian were fans too. Boba’s rocket was changed, for the show, from the green of the movies to the red of the toy--and this time the rocket can finally fire! Here's to hoping The Marshal gets his own action figure.

For more on The Mandalorian here's a guide 9 essential Clone Wars episodes to watch; or you can read an explanation and history of the Darksaber.

@Chefcinefile on Twitter

“South Park Pandemic Special” and Quarantine Depression

South Park’s Pandemic Special is worth watching, if you can get past it's gross out humor. It’s pretty funny and really relatable. What makes it worth talking about, however, is it’s acknowledgment of mental strain caused by the ongoing pandemic and quarantine. We will be talking about the plot a little, but I won't spoil any gags. So if you watch South Park for the plot, spoilers...I guess.

After spending most of the year stuck in his house, Butters is placed on quarantine in his school. He finally starts losing his cool and freaking. All he's wanted to do for months is visit Build-a-Bear Workshop; but every time he’s supposed to go, the quarantine stops him. We thought the virus would be over by Summer and here we are at the tail end of October. Like many of us, Butters is tired of waiting for things to go back to 'normal'.

Stan, on the other hand, is pretty calm on the outside but secretly depressed. He denies his depression, at first, to himself, then to the people around him. “You know I'm strong. I'm just worried about how this is all affecting weaker kids.” Stan further deflects his depression by focusing his attention on Butter's problem, instead of his own.

I find myself acting like Stan sometimes, especially this week. I see people around me being affected pretty badly by quarantine, and I go, “Man, I feel really bad for them.” It's easy to ignore how quarantine has affected myself. Yeah, I’m a little depressed, and I feel better admitting it.

It's ok to spend some time focusing on your own issues, and it's not weak to struggle with something. What's weak, is denying you have a problem. It's, also important to help yourself, before you can try to help other people. Otherwise, you may end up like Stan, breaking into a Build-a-Bear in a desperate attempt to help a friend.

I like how the South Park Pandemic Special opens up discussion on an issue a lot of us are experiencing, right now. Humans aren’t built to be isolated creatures. By being over cautious of our physical health we risk losing ourselves in the process. If you are feeling depressed right now, it’s important to know you are not alone. Talk to someone about what’s going on, before it gets worse; and it’s important to get out of the house sometimes. Hanging out in small groups of friends and family is far healthier than being alone all day every day.

Or maybe you love "Social Distancing". To each their own.

If you're interested in reading more about mental health, I wrote about the hallucination striking similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. If you love animation I've made a list of some must watch Clone Wars episodes.

You can find me @ChefCinephile on twitter.

The Philosophy of "The Dark Knight Returns"

“A few years back, I was reading a news magazine--a lot of people with a lot of evidence said that Roosevelt knew Pearl [Harbor] was going to be attacked--and that he let it happen. Wasn’t proven. Things like that never are. I couldn’t stop thinking how horrible that would be...and how Pearl was what got us off our duffs in time to stop the Axis...but a lot of innocent men died...but we won the war. 

It bounced back and forth in my head until I realized I couldn’t judge it. It was too big. He was too big...”

--Commissioner Gordon, The Dark Knight Returns

If you are unfamiliar with Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns (TDKR), you’re still probably familiar with its iconography. Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy took a lot of inspiration from it as well as Batman v. Superman. Zack Snyder even announced the film by having an actor read a quote from TDKR. Unfortunately Zack Snyder’s vision lacked the depth of the comic that inspired it. 

**Full Spoilers Ahead**

 

Commissioner Gordon’s quote (at the top of the page) is an explanation on why Gordon has allowed Batman to exist for so long. “It was too big. He was too big.” It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, how people in power have to make impossible decisions, and sometimes people get hurt either way. Did President Truman do the right thing when he bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki? It’s too big to judge. Is it right allowing Batman to take the law into his own hands. He’s too big.

 

Batman, breaking laws is nothing new, but is The Dark Knight Rises saying such behavior excusable?Sort of. Batman’s actions in TDKR allow him to recruit gang members, using them as a force for good during a nationwide blackout. This and other actions draw the attention of the US government. Who’s president sends Superman to intervene. The rhetoric used here isn't about the morality of Batman's actions. It is strictly about the public nature of them. Batman is helping Gotham, but it's an embarrassment to the rest of the United States.

“You’ve always had it wrong Bruce...giving them such a big target. Sure you play it mysterious--but it’s a loud kind of mysterious, man. Especially lately. . . . They’ve been covering for me, just like they covered up my escape. Sure, they’d love to frost me...long as they can do it without admitting I exist.”

--Green Arrow, Dark Knight Returns

Green Arrow’s beliefs are consistent with the behavior of the US government, in this comic. Superheroes are outlawed, yet they secretly keep Superman around for their dirty work. Green Arrow is allowed to operate as long as he keeps a low profile. Batman takes Green Arrow's advice and publicly fakes his death to continue fighting crime underground, and Superman allows this to happen. Superman didn't need to stop Batman. He only needed Batman to stop pissing off the President.

The Dark Knight Rises is an acknowledgement that people in power will bend and break moral principles when they deem necessary. More often than not they will hide those actions from the public eye. Maybe it's to avoid judgement. Maybe it’s too big to judge. 

If you enjoyed reading this, please consider sharing with a friend, reading about the philosophy of The Walking Dead, or following me on twitter @ChefCinephile. Comments and feedback are always appreciated.