The Mandalorian's Dubstep Was Way Worse Than The Skywalker CGI
The Mandalorian's CGI Luke Skywalker is attracting some criticism, but it's nowhere near as bad as the Dark Troopers' dubstep theme music.
Some say the digitally rendered face of Mark Hamill in The Mandalorian season 2's finale was jarring, but what about the Dark Troopers' attempt at a Skrillex impersonation? The closing chapter of The Mandalorian season 2 has prompted an overwhelmingly positive response from all corners of the internet, and it's easy to see why. Capping off an already impressive season, "The Rescue" saw Din Djarin, Boba Fett, Cara Dune, Fennec Shand, Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves storm Moff Gideon's Imperial ship looking to save Baby Yoda from captivity. Djarin fought against a Darksaber-wielding Gideon, the Dark Troopers returned en masse, and Bo-Katan faced a moral dilemma, but by far the biggest headline was the return of Luke Skywalker.
After Baby Yoda called out through the Force, Luke and R2-D2 arrived to rescue this miniature version of the Jedi Order's old master and train him in the ways of the Force. Watching Luke cut through Gideon's Dark Troopers was glorious, and the departure of Baby Yoda ended The Mandalorian season 2 on a heart-wrenching note. However, Luke Skywalker's face was created through the use of CGI, and the execution attracted criticism. Many felt that Luke's digital recreation wasn't on par with Leia's, and found the presence of a CG human character visually jarring.
Luke's CGI continues to divide opinion, but another contentious element of "The Rescue" has been largely overlooked - the dubstep passages in the episode's soundtrack. When Moff Gideon begins deploying the Dark Troopers to protect his ship, the music turns from standard The Mandalorian fare to the modern electronic stylings popularized by Skrillex and his cohorts. The dubstep musical motif reprises during several Dark Trooper scenes and it doesn't get less weird with time.
The Mandalorian has been praised for evolving Star Wars while staying true to the franchise's history, but the finale's musical experiment is a dubstep misstep. The sound of Star Wars is John Williams, and while the composer couldn't possibly provide a soundtrack for every Disney+ Star Wars series (there aren't enough hours in the day), The Mandalorian mostly honors his work, weaving familiar melodies into the wild west influence. 99% of The Mandalorian's soundtrack is modern, atmospheric, and moody, but Ludwig Goransson still captures the essence of Star Wars, whether on Tatooine, or deep inside the bowels of an Empire base. However, the dubstep accompanying the Dark Trooper activation scene stands out like C-3PO's red arm. It's different compared to anything else on The Mandalorian's season 2 soundtrack, and even more distanced from the typical Star Wars sound.
Dubstep fan or not, the electronic Dark Trooper theme halts suspension of disbelief, and draws focus elsewhere, and this is exactly what Luke's CGI face stands accused of. But while the visual effects severed a storyline purpose (even if they could've looked better), the crunchy bass and Scary Monster noises only detract from the episode. The Mandalorian is an annoyingly difficult show to criticize, consistently impressing in every area, and it's testament to the Disney+ series' quality that some unspectacular CGI and naff dubstep is all the season 2 finale does wrong.