KICK YOUR ENTHUSIASM (7)
By:
January 24, 2022
One in a series of 25 enthusiastic posts, contributed by 25 HILOBROW friends and regulars, on the topic of a favorite sidekick — whether real-life or fictional.
KUIIL
I’ve been a huge Star Wars fan for over 40 years. When I went to the cinema for the final installment of the saga, on December 25th, 2019 — along with my sister and my husband, also fans — we cried a little. After which we wondered what’s next. Some of the Star Wars spinoff movies have been OK, others not so much: think about Solo versus Rogue One, for example. We were cheered up, though, by The Mandalorian.
Mando and his adventures have captured and expressed the tone, spirit, and details that I love about the Star Wars movies. Not only are the pace and rhythm of the show perfectly calibrated, the characters are terrific. I’m thinking in particular of Kuiil, an Ugnaught — a species of diminutive, pink-skinned humanoids who find work anywhere across the galaxy. Ugnaughts can be spotted in The Empire Strikes Back, as well as in the TV shows Star Wars: Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars; until now, though, they haven’t played a very significant role. Although Kuiil isn’t a main character, he reminds us of what we’ve learned from this space opera: We should be observant and down-to-earth, we should learn from the mistakes of the past, and we should say only what’s necessary.
Without Kuill’s actions (e.g., saving The Mandalorian and The Child, and reprogramming a droid at a crucial moment) nothing would have worked. He’s practical and clear-sighted, making wise pronouncements about debates that have surrounded the Star Wars universe, and which could be really meaningful in our near future. For example: “Droids are not good or bad. They are neutral reflections of those who program them.” Nick Nolte’s deep, hoarse and broken voice helps us to understand that this is a character who has seen it all — and nowadays fights only those battles he really believes in. And he says no more than he needs to make his point: “I have spoken.”
Kuiil does his best to contribute to a fairer universe, and — without giving any spoilers away — in the end he succeeds.
KICK YOUR ENTHUSIASM: INTRODUCTION by Josh Glenn | Annie Nocenti on RATSO | Barbara Bogaev on TRIXIE | Sara Ryan on SWIFT WIND | Carlo Rotella on BELT BEARERS | Adam McGovern on JACKIE McGEE | Josh Glenn on RAWHIDE | Gabriela Pedranti on KUILL | Douglas Wolk on VOLSTAGG | Serdar Paktin on CATO | Deirdre Day on TRAMPAS | Dean Haspiel on TIN MAN | Flourish Klink on THE APOSTLE PETER | Miranda Mellis on FAMILIAR | Peggy Nelson on COSMO | Beth Lisick on MARTHA BROOKS | Bishakh Som on CAPTAIN HADDOCK | Stephanie Burt on SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE | Greg Rowland on SPOCK | Adam Netburn on SENKETSU | Mimi Lipson on ROBIN QUIVERS | Jonathan Pinchera on GUTS | Tom Nealon on TWIKI | Mandy Keifetz on DR. EINSTEIN | Judith Zissman on IGNATZ MOUSE | Anthony Miller on DOCTOR GONZO.
MÖSH YOUR ENTHUSIASM (1Q2024): ENTER SANDMAN | BORN TOO LATE | MILQUETOAST | GAS BURNER PANIC | CHRISTBAIT RISING | & 20 other Eighties (1984–1993) Metal songs. STOOGE YOUR ENTHUSIASM (4Q2023): MOVE ON FAST | 96 TEARS | SHE CRACKED | WHAT A WAY TO DIE | PSYCHOTIC REACTION | & 20 other Sixties (1964–1973) proto-punk songs. JACK KIRBY PANELS | CAPTAIN KIRK SCENES | OLD-SCHOOL HIP HOP | TYPEFACES | NEW WAVE | SQUADS | PUNK | NEO-NOIR MOVIES | COMICS | SCI-FI MOVIES | SIDEKICKS | CARTOONS | TV DEATHS | COUNTRY | PROTO-PUNK | METAL | & more enthusiasms!