The first season of the American television series The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal as the title character, a lone bounty hunter hired to retrieve “The Child”. It is part of the Star Wars franchise, set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi.

For in-depth thoughts on The Mandalorian: Season 1, please see my colleagues’ reviews from its original streaming release below:

For a look at the SteelBook packaging, please check out our video here.

Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Mandalorian: Season 1 offers a fetching uptick in quality over the compressed Disney+ stream, allowing fans who feared the series would be kept exclusive to streaming to view it in its intended glory. The release comes with the eight episodes from the debut season spread across two discs without the inclusion of additional Blu-Ray discs, so be sure you are 4K UHD capable if you are going with this format. The texture of the makeup effects and skin tones of the humanoid characters appear clear and consistent with a world of subtle detail apparent on faces and other facades. The details in the costumes and production design are more tactile than ever with the unbelievable bump in resolution. There are distinct elements of The Mandalorian’s suit that stand out more than ever here.

The HDR increases the possibilities of the color spectrum to wondrous levels as these amazing environments leap off the screen. The mission-of-the-week format of the show keeps things visually interesting as you feel as if you are exploring the reaches of the galaxy. Throughout the season, you are treated to complex, bold colors that make you thankful for the format’s capabilities. Black levels stay strong in this presentation, showcasing depth and great detail. The elements taking place in low light or shadow are finely delineated. The highlights are firmly defined with whites pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. This format is able to avoid banding, compression artifacts, and other digital anomalies. This 4K UHD presentation presents this series how we always wanted to view it. Disney once again earns our gratitude for supporting physical media in this way.

Audio Quality

The set has been granted a fantastic Dolby Atmos presentation that realizes this material in an exciting manner. The Ludwig Göransson score perfectly establishes the tone, and it permeates the room in a memorable manner. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being overshadowed by any of the parallel sonic elements. The sounds of the journey to different locations and action-packed confrontations provide an audio experience that rivals the feature films. The low end springs to life when you want it to, even if the series is more low-key overall.

The soundscape delivers an immersive experience that brings this universe into your living room. Ambient details are plentiful even in dialogue-driven exchanges as they saturate the rear and overhead channels. The overhead channels work in tandem with the other channels rather than pulling focus, which adds a nice sense of dimension to each outing. Sounds are impeccably rendered with precise directionality from the more bombastic scenes to interpersonal moments. There are optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Remnant Of The Empire: A six-minute featurette with the cast and creative team discussing how the story develops after the Empire has fallen, the development of the aesthetic, trying to make the props look close to the original trilogy, the special effects, and more.

Foraging The Covert – Part One A nice 11-minute piece that takes a deeper look at the creation of various props, the foundling, the vessels, the blending of practical and special effects, and more.

Final Thoughts

The Mandalorian is a piece of the Star Wars puzzle that reminds you how much fun the series can be with the right intention. The debut season may rely a bit too much on the cuteness of the character originally known as “Baby Yoda”, but even outside of this character, you get to have fun visiting interesting locations and meeting compelling characters. The series has lost a bit of its luster these days, but this initial outing is good fun. Disney Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. If you are a fan of Star Wars or just enjoy sci-fi adventures, this is a fine purchase. Recommended

The Mandalorian: Season 1 will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook and Blu-Ray SteelBook on December 12, 2023.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Disney Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.