The ECL and the Men Who Survive

On the April 12, 2023 episode of /Film Daily, /Film Editorial Director Peter Sciretta is joined by /Film editor Brad Oman and Star Wars expert Bryan Young for a spoiler-filled conversation about The Mandalorian Chapter 23 “The Spies”.

In The Spoiler Room: The Mandalorian Chapter 23 “The Spies”

• Feedback
• Heather Fox writes “I like the theory that Grogu could join Rey in teaching the new Jedi order, but I think they are setting Grogu up to be the future Mandalore. Here are some of the reasons I believe this: 1. He would be the second leader since Tarre Vizsla to be a Mandelorian/ Jedi. 2. We have seen him calm large creatures, he will likely be able to ride a mythosaur. 3. He would be able to rule Mandalore for centuries! 4. We have always assumed that the title of the show is was about Djin, but what if it is really about the origins of the greatest ruler of Mandalore?”
• Matthew: “In the most recent discussion about the latest episode of the Mandalorian, you guys picked up on the Alice In Wonderland influences, but missed or didn’t bring up the heavy Isaac Asimov influence. I felt that the episode felt like a love letter to Isaac Asimov's old noire detective robot series. … In that series, humans have reached other planets and have gotten robots to do all the labor, freeing people's time. People live inside large dome structures connected by tunnels so that people rarely go outside. The series has 2 detectives, with the lead detective being very distrustful of robots, but over several stories turns around to trust them, just like Din’s current arc. The stories start with 2 detectives getting called in because of malfunctioning robots, often murder and while the robots are initially the lead suspects, it's always a human who is behind the crime, having found some way to bypass Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics. I really loved Asimov’s novels growing up and so I absolutely loved this episode as it felt like the closest thing to seeing one of these novels adapted for tv.”
• Spencer: “If the Dark Saber goes to whoever defeats the owner, then it belongs to Luke:  In CLone Wars Maul defeated Vizsla, later Ahsoka defeated Maul. In Rebels Ahsoka is defeated by Darth Vader. And finally Luke beats Vader in Return.   However if it's while they’re wielding it then it would belong to Darth Maul, because Sabine just found it.”
• Nathan: “My biggest beef with the sequel trilogy was that the state of the galaxy at the end of Rise of Skywalker was the exact same as at the end of Return of the Jedi with the only difference is that NOW our favorite characters are all dead. I'm really glad that the upcoming Rey movie will deal with the reestablishment of the Jedi Order as I felt that should have been the overall focus of the sequels from the start. I also REALLY hope that John Boyega signs on in some capacity as well.  One more thing: the villains in Ahsoka have orange lightsabers! Do you know if that's ever been a thing before, or is this new?”
• Brief reactions
• Brad
• Bryan
• Peter

Mid-Roll Sponsor break: “we’re going to take a quick break, and we’ll be right back”

• Breakdown
• The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 Takes Us To A Dark Place And Is Exactly What The Show Needed
• What Is The Mandalorian's Mysterious 'Project Necromancer'? An Investigation
• The History Of Star Wars' Imperial Super Commandos And What They Mean For Moff Gideon
• The Mandalorian Season 3 Offers A Direct Connection To One Of The Last Jedi's Best Scenes
• Moff Gideon's New Makeover Truly Makes Him The Darth Vader Of The Mandalorian
• The Mandalorian Season 3 Just Introduced A Legends Character Central To Grand Admiral Thrawn
• A Key Character In The Mandalorian Season 3 Ties The Sequel Trilogy Straight To The Mandoverse

Mid-Roll Sponsor break: “we’re going to take a quick break, and we’ll be right back”

• Speculation 

All the other stuff you need to know:

• This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/FILMDAILY and get on your way to being your best self.
• You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes.
• /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. 
• You can subscribe to /Film Daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). 
• And please subscribe to our newsletter!
• Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air.
• Please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, tell your friends and spread the word! 
• Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo.