Episode 4 of The Mandalorian is like a bad Star Trek episode

Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. Spawn of Ron Howard.

Well, Jon Favreau has written all of them so far. But yeah, this one seemed like filler.

I am guessing that they have to stretch things out until we get to the endgame involving Baby Yoda.

It was retarded. Like an even more childish version of Care bears?

Bounty Hunter is suddenly caring and soft?

Obligatory feminist action lead, as per modern storyline formula.

It's a story we've seen a million times but it was done well enough. The episode only served to introduce Gina and it did that in possibly the most standard way possible. Though not an impressive story, they action was decent and I'll take this cliche over Rian-style subverting my expectations. ie. C grade is better than F. The show is still overall good. 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

These are standard western tropes. Traveling gunslinger. Town being terrorized by local outlaws, or big bad railroad companies trying to strongarm people into selling their land. Locals hire gunslinger to help them. Local girl takes a liking to gunslinger. When it's all over she wants him to stay - but it's time for him to be hittin' the trail again.

In Star Trek they have that pesky Prime Directive, limiting how much help the Enterprise crew can give to locals in need. You never see them handing out phasers to every able bodied citizen in town. Or launching orbital strikes against the bad guys. Sometimes you wish Picard would just shrug his shoulders and say fuϲk it, but of course he won't do that.

I liked it. We got to see Cara Dune and the AT-ST in action.

I think it was meant to show the Mandalorian had a conscience and a human side; that he wasn't just a tough, bad-ass bounty hunter that doesn't care about anyone. Plus, he got a new friend, but also discovered his little Baby Yoda friend was still in danger.

It's the plot of the Japanese film The Seven Samurai.