Disney digitally removes accidental Mandalorian crewmember cameo

In keeping with the bad things that are happening in 2020, Disney has digitally deleted an isolated crew member who accidentally appeared in the background of a recent Mandalorian episode.

The crew member, affectionately known to the Internet as “Jeans Guy”, appeared at 6:54 pm in Season 2, Episode 4. With his back flat against the wall, the crew member was not in the loop for very long time, but they made an impact on Star wars fans everywhere. People even made mock designs for action figures based on the crew member! You can’t buy that kind of love. The edge contacted Disney about digital erasure.

Upon revisiting the scene, however, the crew member was nowhere to be found, something that worried me would occur. The beauty of digital editing technology is that shows and movies can be worked into homes around the world at a time when it’s impossible to be in a shared office space. The downside is that the accidental blunders we love are erased, lost forever in the digital wavelengths of time. Not to mention that Disney has a history of doing this – remember the butt concealment in Splash?

Image: Disney

There is a longer essay on this situation regarding the importance of physical media and how boring and depressing it is that digitization makes everything impermanent. Studios and networks can come in and change something forever, and in our current streaming age, it’s not like there are DVDs that people can keep and use to prove to their future children that “Jeans Guy” was real. I could go on and on about the beauty of imperfections fans fall in love with, because it’s a reminder that our favorite movies and TV shows are from a bunch of ordinary people doing their best.

But that’s for another day. Today is a day to remember the lone crew member who became one of the The Mandalorian ‘s the most beloved characters – even if it was for a short period of time.

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