The following is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Ian Doescher regarding the recent release of the novel, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian of Nevarro, through Insight Editions. In this interview, Fanbase Press President Bryant Dillon chats with Doescher about why this installment in the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars series stands out from previous releases, the joys of experiencing Star Wars in “Shakespearean” form, and more!
Bryant Dillon, Fanbase Press President: What can you tell us about William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian of Nevarro and how does it stand out from the previous William Shakespeare’s Star Wars stories you’ve adapted?
Ian Doescher: With every new book, I try to give readers something they haven’t seen before. There are new surprises in store in William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian of Nevarro, even for readers who have been with me every step of the way. The scope of the new book is also larger than my previous Star Wars books, because it’s based on an eight-episode show—something like five hours of screentime—versus a two-hour movie.
BD: The Star Wars saga is often described as “Shakespearean,” implying a natural connection between the works of William Shakespeare and those of George Lucas. Given the amount of time you’ve spent working at the cross point of these two creatives, how do you view that connection and what parallels may readers be unaware of?
ID: The line between Star Wars and Shakespeare is often seen to run through Joseph Campbell, who often wrote about Shakespeare and on whose scholarship George Lucas based the original Star Wars trilogy. That remains true of The Mandalorian—even without George Lucas—because you still have these large Shakespearean themes of belonging, fatherhood, shifting loyalties, betrayal, and good versus evil.
BD: Was there anything new or surprising you discovered about the first season of The Mandalorian while working on The Mandalorian of Nevarro?
ID: The list is so long! When diving into a movie or a series at the line-by-line level, you see all kinds of things you didn’t notice as a casual viewer. From a structural level, probably the biggest thing I noticed—and had to figure out how to deal with—was which episodes of the season were critical to the story arc and which were less so. Readers will have to see how I answered that question.
BD: In your mind, are there specific Shakespearean characters (or combinations of characters) that equate the lead characters of The Mandalorian of Nevarro?
ID: I’ve never really matched character-to-character—the parallels I see tend to be more moment-to-moment. In other words, in this scene Mando feels a lot like Hamlet in this other scene, or Macbeth in this scene. If I had to choose, I might say Mando is most like one of the Shakespearean warriors, like Coriolanus or Titus Andronicus. Kuiil is a bit like Horatio—the utterly loyal friend. Greef Karga, in the first season, is a little like Macbeth—looking out for himself above everyone. And Moff Gideon is Iago-like in his villainy.
BD: For those who know their Star Wars like the back of their hand and have watched The Mandalorian a dozen times, what do you think they might enjoy from revisiting the story in its Shakespearean form?
ID: One of the things I loved about Shakespeare when I first read him is that he digs into people’s feelings. I often joke that, in Shakespeare, you’d never have Luke Skywalker silently staring at the double suns of Tatooine—he would tell you exactly how he’s feeling. I hope that’s what a Shakespearean telling of The Mandalorian adds for people who know it well: characters explicitly telling you about their motivations, their feelings, their hopes. Also, I try to add plenty of jokes that fans will appreciate and some Easter eggs to find.
BD: What are your recommendations for those who are looking for further exploration of the works of William Shakespeare after reading The Mandalorian of Nevarro?
ID: If you’ve never read Shakespeare before, I’d probably recommend jumping in with a story that has a fairly simple plot: A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Much Ado About Nothing among the comedies, Othello or Romeo and Juliet among the tragedies. And I would always recommend watching a film version and/or seeing the play before you try to sit down and read them. Shakespeare is meant to be performed!
BD: This year at Fanbase Press, we’re exploring how to bring stories into action: The goal is to push back against the rise of media illiteracy and the devaluation of stories and artist within our culture, while helping guide “Geekdom” forward in these incredibly uncertain times. The way we hope to do that is by acknowledging the important role stories, art, and culture play within healthy societies and highlighting how the stories we’re discussing can be “brought into action” and help contribute and enact real change in our own lives and world.
Star Wars has always been a mythology full of messages and themes, so, with that in mind, in what ways do you believe the story, characters, and or themes in The Mandalorian of Nevarro speak to real action we can take to improve of better ourselves or our world?
ID: Wow, what a big question. What I take away from the first season of The Mandalorian—and, therefore, from The Mandalorian of Nevarro—is allowing yourself to be surprised by the people and situations life presents you with. Life will bring surprises, life will present us with people who need our understanding and our care, life will present us with challenges to overcome as we try to attend to those less fortunate than we are. How will we respond? Din Djarin’s journey of coming to care for the Child is, in some ways, advice for all of us about doing what’s right.
BD: Is there anything we haven’t touched on that you think our readers should know about the The Mandalorian of Nevarro and why it deserves a place upon their book shelf?
ID: For readers who have been with me for years, I think you’ll find something new and engaging in The Mandalorian of Nevarro. For new readers, if you love The Mandalorian and you think the idea of a Shakespearean version of it is intriguing or ridiculous or hilarious or weird, give it a try. My books are, in many ways, celebrations of fandom: written by a fan for fans, written in the hope that we can share our love of this thing called Star Wars.
BD: Where can those interested find out more about you, The Mandalorian of Nevarro, and your other work?
ID: My website, iandoescher.com, is updated regularly and has information about all my books!
