Fans have always recognized The Mandalorian as a sci-fi Western, with the series hitting numerous plot and character beats associated with the genre that’ve touched base on everything from a lone gunslinger riding into a backwater town to save the locals from a dangerous threat to the sweeping shots of Mando and Baby Yoda traveling through the various wide open vistas of the planets they find themselves on.
Of course, the show is also inspired by classic samurai movies, which is hardly surprising when George Lucas was so heavily influenced by the works of Akira Kurosawa when he was crafting the Star Wars mythology in the first place, and Din Djarin is very much a loner in the Ronin mold, who wanders the plains alone without truly belonging to any race, creed or faction.
This week’s episode “The Jedi” incorporated plenty of martial arts action thanks to Rosario Dawson’s headline grabbing debut as Ahsoka Tano, while the final duel between the fan favorite Jedi and The Magistrate definitely gave off some vibes reminiscent of the showdown between The Bride and O-Ren Ishii at the climax of Kill Bill Vol. 1.
That marital arts connection runs even deeper, though, thanks to Magistrate actress Diana Lee Inosanto, the goddaughter of Bruce Lee. The 54 year-old’s father Dan Inosanto was a close friend and training partner of the legendary star, teaching him how to use nunchaku and appearing in several of Lee’s movies in a bit part role. Of course, this continues the impressive multi-generational legacy of The Mandalorian, with John Wayne’s grandson Brendan also working on the show as one of Pedro Pascal’s body and stunt doubles under the title hero’s signature Beskar armor.
