Firefly Nod in The Mandalorian Only True Fans Would Appreciate
The legacy of the iconic series continues to influence the Star Wars show.
When the first season of The Mandalorian was released in 2019, many sci-fi fans immediately saw similarities between it and a certain cult classic.
From the overall "space western" tone to several aspects of the plot, Jon Favreau's creation seemed to take inspiration from Firefly, a 2002 television series created by now-famous writer-director Joss Whedon.
The show was set in the year 2517 and followed the crew of the Serenity, a "Firefly-class" starship, as they got into all kinds of misadventures.
Although it only lasted one season, consisting of 14 episodes, it managed to gain a significant fan base and achieve cult classic status.
The story was later concluded in the 2005 feature film Serenity, which ended on a high note with positive reviews from both critics and audiences.
Even two seasons later, fans continue to find various references and nods to the Firefly series in The Mandalorian. For example, in the third episode of the third season, a certain flight maneuver was reminiscent of Serenity's pilot skills.
During a dogfight with several TIE interceptors, Bo-Katan manages to perform a 180-degree turn by reversing an engine to turn the ship suddenly and shoot down the last fighter.
Basically the same maneuver, called "Crazy Ivan", was performed by Wash in the first episode of Firefly to escape the pursuing Reaver ship.
It is derived from a real-life maneuver performed by Russian submariners during the Cold War, who, if they suspected they were being pursued or shadowed by another sub, would abruptly hard over-center to see if the other sub would make the tactical mistake of changing course and revealing their position.
It is always heartwarming for fans to see the legacy of their favorite sci-fi series live on in other TV shows.
Curiously, Alan Tudyk, who portrayed the aforementioned pilot Wash, has already made an appearance in Star Wars, playing the role of the droid K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).