The Mandalorian – SWG Nostalgia Reawakened

This article may contain spoilers to those who have not seen Star Wars – The Mandalorian, especially in the Season 2 from Chapter 9+.

– Mando heading into a Cantina, the first place any player and traveler would venture to.

The Force is strong in this one. My nostalgia hit the roof in ‘Chapter 9 – The Marshel’ with how they’ve shown off Tatooine. It hit a very special place in my ‘SWG’ heart because Mando ventured to places I’ve been, though not exactly. He traveled somewhat parallel in my tracks seeing nearly the same scenery where it hit special feels.  If Mando visits Corellia and Dantooine seeing similar sceneries as I have that would really hit a very special place in my heart. Tattooine though, the nostalgia is strong!

For those that are confused, SWG means ‘Star Wars Galaxies’, a dead MMO with Sony has killed with the NGE update. I’m not fond of SWTOR so I’m seeking another game, or even looking into playing SWGemu, though have been dealt very dire cards in life preventing me from doing so. Family members passed, I was forced to move (something I have to do once more), and I need more space in my hard drive to even play SWGemu. Its something I haven’t done making me appear tardy, lazy, or in a negative tone. I genuinely want to get back into SWG. I LOVE Star Wars, though hate the drama behind it. I however love Mandalorian’s take on Star Wars touching up on all the proper tones and points. 

Related Blog Postings:

For those desiring a soundtrack while going back through memory lane again, or the atmosphere:

Sticking to the basics is always the best. I just want to cry out of nostalgia. 

– Mos Eisley, or what I assume to be Mos Eisley. Point of this picture (regardless of specifics) is how this settlement sits in a bowl.

One of my very fond memories from Star Wars Galaxies was how I started my journey where I was in a bowl with mountains on all sides. Similar to what you’re seeing in the above screenshots we (new friends I befriended) started our adventure here as we became medics, brawlers, and etc doing our own thing. I love it! What I would give just to play in this situation again in a 2020 adventure-survival manner. 

I can also note how brutally hostile Tatooine was, even how the days cycled to night with how we had to camp, and etc. It was awesome. We had a blast; I had a blast. 

– Your typical day/night view when on Tatooine. The hum of the engines, the ‘bok’ of the droids. I miss it.
– Bantha herds – Venture far enough from Mos Eisley and you’ll encounter a grouping of Stormtroopers, Bantha herds, or even Tusken Raiders. Maybe even giant frogs. A landspeeder is a must for Tatooine for how vast it is.
– Tatooine Map (Source) – Possibly from SWG days, may contain inaccuracies though shows how VAST the world is. I once walked through the middle of it wasting someone else’s and my time for a dancing quest which required players. RIP. The memories though.

My memory is hazy of what is actually where on the map, though still fondly recall the great memories and the fun times I’ve had in SWG. I wish I could go back and enjoy it once again, undisturbed and with no guilt tripping. I don’t want to be homeless, though do want to dive back into the Star Wars realm once again.

– Maps were an important part because it guided you, leading you to landmarks from the movie and various other sorts. I even spent a day before the school started in September visiting landmarks before I gained some form of stroke (hand numbness and vomiting) from playing too much. What I would give to explore an updated 2020+ world of Star Wars in a casual manner, yet in an SWG manner.
– Bantha and various skulls and skeletons littered about displaying the harshness of the planet, something which was equally and accurately noted in SWG’s version of Tatooine.
– Venture far enough from settlements and you’ll encounter a random Crawler. Oh, how Mandalorian made them far more special in season 1. 🙂
– Tatooine settlements, something which hit me the most when watching Mandalorian. Each building is a unit, something which I fondly recall in SWG. You had to carefully set it up while funding it so it doesn’t go ‘poof’.
– Going through people’s various settlements sure was something else. Even using their shuttle terminal.
– “And this is my home”. I had a similar structure for myself, especially when used for droid making. I would just mess about making random droids, and etc.
– The Cantina, very fond memories from there in a nostalgic manner.

I would honestly love a singleplayer version where you could just aimlessly venture around the galaxy without fighting people as your main goal. If necessary, sure. Fighting is sometimes necessary. What made SWG great was how you would grow with your adventures, gather resources, fight, heal, dance, build droids, talk to people, make settlements, travel freely (while paying credits), customizing your character, and even tame creatures. It had a nice vibe, something which Star Wars games no longer capture. I’m sure I can go back to SWGemu, I’ll keep trying, though would love a nice 2020+ updated version of such which doesn’t behave as a themepark like SWTOR does. 

I just want to freely explore the galaxy as I had in SWG, and the way Mando does in Mandalorian. I want to fly in my Decimator, craft, and just do my random thing. I wish we could gain a singleplayer, yet co-op styled version of Star Wars where everything could be NPC driven to befriend NPCs as you travel. Sadly that be just a wish.

– Just sitting in other peoples’ Cantina as you heal your fatigue, chat with people, trade & etc. Fun times. See their paintings, their crystals, among other creative additions.
– Just recalling peoples’ settlements brings back floods of emotions. Seeing Anakin’s speeder, among others…. How people used to own vehicles or ride creature mounts was the best feeling in SWG. I genuinely miss my Cu-pa mount, similar to a Tauntaun mount on Hoth.
– Resource related building, something I even dedicated my buildings for. As my harvesters went off I placed my ores out in the open in buildings such as these, something modern games won’t reproduce anymore. We genuinely need a ‘Minecraft’ Star Wars type game, though on a larger scale.

Man, I may be a bit rambly not being all that accurate, or maybe I luckily am accurate with my descriptions. Its just,…. I admire the very minor things on a more building & survival manner when it comes to Star Wars that I love how Mandalorian brought it back to life. Riding mounts, the modular structures, and even the mood. I miss it from a Star Wars Galaxies POV as well. Even having to wait at a space port to catch a shuttle as you travel to another planet.

– Something I have to experience is flying within the atmosphere in SWG. It took an expansion back called ‘Jump to Lightspeed’ to fly in space, something which felt short-lived thanks to NGE Update. I was however informed you can do so in SWGemu.
– Something I wish we could have done in SWG is land with your ship seeing droids repair and refuel your vessels. The feeling I however gained was having your ship left on another planet having to go back to it manually. I had to wait on Imperial-owned shuttles on timers set for specific times to even venture between planets.

Star Wars Galaxies Images – For Comparison:

I don’t have all the images because I’ve lost them to time, though the ones I do have I will share in comparison while even adding a bonus. I will add some extra images because I would love to be in a proper Star Wars world once more. I genuinely love how The Mandalorian treats the Star Wars lore that I want to pay my respects in the way which is why I made this blog posting in the first place, if delayed by a few weeks. 

I’m a busy person, just a bit down on his luck. 🙂

– Camping with my newfound friends.
– Damaged Jawa Crawler.
– Stormtrooper presence was noted.
– Skeletons & skulls were heavily present, this one being one of the various landmarks around.
– Group shot of my SWG friends while I looked like a hobo. I enjoyed the customization in this game. You can see my Cu-Pa before it actually grew up as a reliable mount.
– Cantina – I genuinely love how people customized their cantinas. Very creative, something I miss highly.
– Owned resource ‘sheds’ while even storing NPCs in there, and etc.
– Accidentally joined in on the wrong person’s Krayt Dragon hunting. We were fighting Squals, even Krayt dragon. Various skeletal remains littered everywhere.
– Krayt Part celebration (the aftermath).
– Alternate view of the skeletons remains.
– Visiting a friend’s home (Wongfei) before we faded out because I was still a highschool student at that point. I couldn’t pay for subscription so I was forced to part ways using trial versions to explore. Everything disappeared on us, especially with special thanks to the NGE update. Sony (SOE) screwed up.
– Even though I was a ‘hobo’ type person when looking back I genuinely loved the way you could store resources and objects out in the open in your property.

– Bonus – Star Wars Galaxies – VT-49 ‘Decimator’:

As a bonus, I wanted to share my pride and joy of SWG ‘Jump to Lightspeed’ because it made SWG the best-of-the-best back then. I worked my way up to the Decimator making it my home. I loved how you could carry people on it, and etc. I miss my ship. I wish we could get SWG back in a 2020+ modern form so I can fly, or at least see a modern take on my awesome Decimator. 

I need to at least find a model to keep her alive. I wish I could see her in The Mandalorian, though that would be slim-to-none type wish. 

– Following an AI convoy with my Decimator.
– The front view of a Decimator.
– Just admiring my beautiful ship.
– Am aware its the same three images, just….. Admire the hud, or something.
– One of the best angles looking top down on the ship.
– The Interior being somewhat homey, as well as proudly Imperial.
– View from the bow of the ship.
– Eventually making this both my room, as well as my throne.
– The sleekness is what I also admired. They had the Falcon in mind when designing this.

I may have been a bit rambly, though do hope you understood where I was going with this. The hype, the admiration, and my love for Mandalorian while reawakening my nostalgia for ‘Star Wars Galaxies’, one of the best MMOs before Sony idiotically killed it, as they have done with their Playstaiton with censorship on Anime & etc. Yes, people have mass-purchased PS5’s though still doesn’t justify what they have done on both the Star Wars, Gundam, and Anime side, and their censorship. 

I thank The Mandalorian for making me love Star Wars once again while hitting nostalgic notes. Making references from the past while connecting it with the 2020+ era, as well as hitting on my SWG nostalgia. I do plan on still playing SWGemu once I gain a new hard drive (or make space) so that shall happen, when ready. 

I can’t wait to see what else The Mandalorian has to show regarding because it pays true respect to the Star Wars lore. It has awesome music and everything. I love it! They’ve even gave awesome cameos to various Star Wars fans, even one Canadian. 

– Korean-Canadian pride! YAY! (Source)

I’ll always be a Star Wars fan, just as long as they keep true to the theme and lore. Disney genuinely (F word) screwed up up with their new trilogy making me love Rogue One, Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian. The respect to the lore is what I love about those forms of media over the ‘New Trilogy’. People “may” view me falsely as ‘Alt-Right’ for whatever weird reason, that’s on them. I simply love Star Wars, that’s all there is to that. I love the respect The Mandalorian has on the lore, thus why I’m praising it as much as I am right now for even hitting a nostalgic note 🙂

Thanks for reading, and ‘May The Force Be With You!’