Phil Roberts 
The first Star Wars live-action series has been recognized as a contender in many categories
It’s always a wonderful feeling when the galaxy far, far away dominates the entertainment landscape. From 1977 when A New Hope defied the odds and became one of the greatest movies of all time, to 2015 when the world came together to celebrate the return of the franchise with The Force Awakens – Star Wars does it better than the rest!
This week, the cast and crew of The Mandalorian were among the top talents recognized for their brilliance by being nominated for the 72nd Emmy Awards. The stellar Lucasfilm/Disney+ series, created by Jon Favreau, is in contention for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as 12 other categories — for a total of 15 nominations. The series has been recognized for its acting, cinematography, costumes, special effects, and even picked up a nod for Ludwig Göransson‘s sublime score.
Here’s the full list of nominations:
- Outstanding Drama Series: The Mandalorian
- Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance: The Mandalorian, “Chapter 8: Redemption,” for Taika Waititi as IG-11
- Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series: The Mandalorian, “Chapter 8: Redemption,” for Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon
- Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program (Half-Hour): The Mandalorian, “Chapter 1: The Mandalorian,” for Andrew L. Jones, Production Designer; Jeff Wisniewski, Art Director; and Amanda Serino, Set Decorator
- Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour): The Mandalorian, “Chapter 7: The Reckoning,” for Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS, Director of Photography; and Baz Idoine, Director of Photography
- Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes: The Mandalorian, “Chapter 3: The Sin,” for Joseph Porro, Costume Designer; Julie Robar, Costume Supervisor; Gigi Melton, Assistant Costume Designer; and Lauren Silvestri, Assistant Costume Designer
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series: The Mandalorian, “Chapter 2: The Child,” for Andrew S. Eisen, Editor; The Mandalorian, “Chapter 4: Sanctuary,” for Dana E. Glauberman, ACE, Editor; and Dylan Firshein, Additional Editor; and The Mandalorian, “Chapter 8: Redemption,” for Jeff Seibenick, Editor
- Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special: The Mandalorian, “Chapter 6: The Prisoner,” for Brian Sipe, Department Head Makeup Artist; Alexei Dmitriew, Key Makeup Artist; Carlton Coleman, Makeup Artist; Samantha Ward, Makeup Artist; Scott Stoddard, Makeup Artist; Mike Ornelaz, Makeup Artist; and Sabrina Castro, Makeup Artist
- Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score): The Mandalorian, “Chapter 8: Redemption,” for Ludwig Göransson, Composer
- Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation: The Mandalorian, “Chapter 1: The Mandalorian,” for David Acord, Co-Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer; Matthew Wood, Co-Supervising Sound Editor; Bonnie Wild, Sound Effects Editor; James Spencer, Dialogue Editor; Richard Quinn, ADR Editor; Richard Gould, Foley Editor; Stephanie McNally, Music Editor; Ryan Rubin, Music Editor; Ronni Brown, Foley Artist; and Jana Vance, Foley Artist
- Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation: The Mandalorian, “Chapter 2: The Child,” for Shawn Holden, Production Mixer; Bonnie Wild, Re-Recording Mixer; and Chris Fogel, Scoring Mixer
- Outstanding Special Visual Effects: The Mandalorian, “Chapter 2: The Child,” for Richard Bluff, VFX Supervisor; Jason Porter, VFX Supervisor; Abbigail Keller, VFX Producer; Hayden Jones, VFX Supervisor; Hal Hickel, Animation Supervisor; Roy Cancino, Special Effects Supervisor; John Rosengrant, Supervisor; Enrico Damm, Environment Supervisor; and Landis Fields, Virtual Production Visualization Supervisor
- And Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series Limited Series Or Movie: The Mandalorian, for Ryan Watson, Stunt Coordinator
And the fun doesn’t stop there. Lucasfilm’s dominance was cemented further when Star Wars: Resistance, the entertaining animated series was also recognized and snagged a nomination for Outstanding Children’s Program.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Let’s face it, even though this recognition is welcome, The Mandalorian deserves to sweep the board clean. In his infinite wisdom, Jon Favreau returned the franchise to its roots and harnessed the best of the saga to create something truly unique – which is no mean feat for the galaxy far, far away. The series benefitted from a wonderful cast full of incredibly talented actors who could all lead the line in their own series, a fact that was complemented further by the addition of Baby Yoda, or The Child as nobody calls him!
Utilizing so many tropes from George Lucas‘ winning formula was a risky move, and yet, how they were handled reminded the fans of why they adored them so much in the first place. It’s no accident that many of the saga’s most beloved characters are the ones that are essentially discarded to the background. Characters like Boba Fett, IG-88, Bossk, General Grievous, Jango Fett, R5-D4, and even Constable Zuvio have all achieved a cult-like status despite having very little screentime, and yet Favreau used the essence of these characters to make The Mandalorian feel familiar – all the while leaving himself plenty of room to forge his own pathway. He tapped into the very heart of what makes Star Wars so great and in doing so, demonstrated his clear understanding of the property created by George Lucas.
Seldom do you find a visionary filmmaker cut from the same cloth as George Lucas, but Favreau appears to be the exception to the rule – and with Dave Filoni alongside him, a similar visionary handpicked for greatness by the master himself, The Mandalorian had the very best creative team on hand to achieve greatness. Being nominated for 15 Emmys is a glorious return for the series, but they pale in comparison to the acclaim it truly deserves.
Congratulations to Jon Favreau and his incredible team. They captured lightning in a bottle in season one and I, for one cannot wait to strap in for another ride on the Razor Crest in Season 2.
The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.
Phil Roberts is the Owner, Daily Content Manager, and Editor-In-Chief of The Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Follow him on Twitter @philthecool where he uses the force and babbles frequently!
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(Source: Star Wars)
Phil Roberts is the Owner, Daily Content Manager, and Editor-In-Chief of The Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force and babbles frequently!
