The Mandalorian was touted as the flagship show of Disney+ since its announcement in early 2019, and over the course of its first two seasons it has been an unmitigated success. Combining elements of the old with elements of the new, the show is nostalgic yet forward-looking and proved to be a hit with both long-time fans as well as people making their first venture into the Star Wars universe.
But as with any show set in an already established universe, there is a plethora of hidden facts and easily overlooked details to be discovered! She here are the top 10 fun facts and Easter eggs from Star Wars: The Mandalorian!
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10 The Mos Eisley bar is still as unwelcoming as ever
One of the most iconic scenes from the original Star Wars movie was Luke Skywalker’s visit to the bustling cantina populated by aliens of all shapes, sizes and descriptions. Upon entering the bar, gruff barman Wuher bellows out “we don’t serve their kind here” referring to Luke’s golden droid companion C-3PO. Well it seems that in the years since Skywalker’s visit the cantina has relaxed its anti-droid policy and now not only are robotic patrons allowed but they’re also working behind the bar! This really is inclusivity at its very best! However while Wuher might not be manning the blue milk pumps, in Chapter 5: The Gunslinger, Mando finds that his gruff attitude still lives on, with the bartender droids being just as curt as their more organic predecessor! It just goes to show that even in the furthest of the Outer Rim of the galaxy they’re not averse to change! Fun bonus fact – many of the shots of the Mando approaching and entering the cantina are faithfully replicated from the original movie, just to visually juxtapose how things have (or indeed haven’t) changed!
9 Sand People speak using sign language
In years gone by the Tusken Raiders have been portrayed as savages that roam the dunes of Tatooine, raiding, pillaging and destroying at will. They attacked Luke Skywalker while he was out looking for the wayward R2-D2, they shot at contestants during his intense Boonta Eve podrace and they even kidnapped, brutalised and killed Anakin Skywalker’s mother. But The Mandalorian went out of its way to portray these savages as more cultured and understanding beings that committed the heinous acts on order to protect their land. In both Chapter 5: The Gunslinger and Chapter 9: The Marshal, the Tusken Raiders are shown to communicate via sign language (after all – not many people can decipher their garbled roaring and screeching!) In order to develop and use an accurate sign language, real life deaf actor Troy Kotsur was hired to play a Tusken. Speaking about the role Kotsur said “I did research on the culture and environment of Tusken Raiders […] my goal was to avoid ASL (American Sign Language). I made sure it became Tusken Sign Language based on their culture and environment.
8 Imperials were based on Nazis
Star Wars has always drawn inspiration from real world history, but The Mandalorian draws from a pretty dark historical fact. In The Mandalorian Chapter 11: The Heiress, Mando and his crew capture an imperial captain who – instead of giving up information – decides to commit suicide via an electric shock component concealed in his mouth. Biting down on it he receives a fatal shock to his brain that instantly kills him and spares him from interrogation. This mirrors how high ranking members of the Nazi party used to conceal cyanide capsules in their mouths where, if captured by enemy forces, they could bite down on them and commit suicide rather than face questioning, imprisonment and possibly even the firing squad (which certainly is a much more grizzly way to go!)
7 IG-11’s sacrifice was not forgotten
The season 1 finale Chapter 8: Redemption saw assassin-turned-nanny-droid IG-11 sacrificing himself in order to protect little Grogu and save the day on the planet of Nevarro. Clearly his heroic last stand was greatly appreciated by the newly liberated residents of the planet, and when The Mando makes his mid-season 2 return the scene of the sacrifice, eagle eyed viewers might notice the residents of the city have erected a huge statue in honour of the sharp shooting hero droid. Its small details like this that create those strands that tie the two seasons together and ensure that all-important continuity that the star wars community loves.
6 Return of the ice cream maker
One of most famous bits of trivia amongst Star Wars fans is the appearance of an ice cream maker during the evacuation of Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back. Literally just an ice cream maker. That was the prop. One of the city’s residents is seen carrying the frozen treats maker through the corridors, and both the character (Wilrow Hood) AND the device itself have (known in-universe as a camtono) become cult favourites amongst die-hard fans. When it came time to make The Mandalorian, director Jon Favreau revisited the camtono and made it an important part of the story. In Chapter 1: The Mandalorian the reward for the capture and delivery of The Child is shown to be a camtono full of Beskar – the precious and durable metal used to forge Mandalorian armour. The inclusion of this ridiculous prop delighted fans, and further cemented its place in Star Wars history!
5 We finally meet a Krayt dragon
In the season 2 premier episode The Marshal, The Mandalorian has to defeat the deadly and monstrously huge Krayt dragon that is terrorising the residents of the small Tatooine town Mos Pelgo. In order to obtain the help of the titular Marshal, The Mando is roped into helping kill the beast. But this is not the first time we’ve seen the Krayt dragon! As well as appearing in multiple books and games that surround the saga, the monster (or rather the remains of the monster) can be seen as C-3PO traverses the sandy dunes of Tatooine in the original Star Wars movie. In fact in the very same film Obi-Wan Kenobi imitates the cry of the beast in order to scare away the skittish Tusken Raiders that have just attacked Luke. The Krayt dragon’s appearance in The Mandalorian however marks its first canonical appearance in all of its terrifying glory!
4 Jabba the hutt’s spirit lives on
The post-credits scene of Chaper 16: The Rescue sees Boba Fett return to the scene of his ‘death’: Tatooine. With a little help from sharp-shooter Fennec Shand he storms Jabba the Hutt’s palace and confronts the oversized alien sitting on the throne of the dearly departed slug-like crime lord. But who is the pretender, laying claim to the throne of one of the galaxy’s most infamous bad guys? It’s none other than Jabba’s ex-major-domo, Bib Fortuna! Fans presumed he perished when Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and the rest of the gang destroyed the sail barge in 1983s Return of the Jedi, but it seems that not only did he survive, but he laid claim to Jabba’s palace, keeping henchmen and slaves around him in the same way his ex-boss did. Luckily Boba ends his reign with fairly short shrift, and takes his place…for now!
3 Dark Troopers were once video game antagonists
Video games have always been an important part of the media surrounding Star Wars movies, with one of the most celebrated and enjoyed through the years being Dark Forces which was released in 1995. While the game has since become ‘legends’ (uncanonical Star Wars media), one of the antagonists found its way back into canon in The Mandalorian. The Dark Troopers were formidable opponents in the game, and in Chapter 16: The Rescue The Mando finds himself going toe-to-toe with one of these automated nightmares and barely beating it. It’s always great to see characters from legends media get reincorporated into canon, and the Dark Troopers are a welcome and terrifying addition to The Mandalorian.
2 Many directors made appearances
The Mandalorian had a whole host of directors contributing to the show, and many of the directors made sure they worked in an appearance. First off there is director Taika Waititi, who voices charismatic and inimitably blunt assassin droid IG-11 throughout the first season. Next up director and show runner John Favrau is the voice behind the burly Mandalorian warrior Paz Vizla in Chapter 3: The Sin. Skipping forward to Chapter 6: The Prisoner we find not 1 but 3 directors making an appearance: Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, and Deborah Chow can all be found as New Republic pilots sitting behind the yokes of X-Wings. And last but not least Greef Carga actor Carl Weathers directed Chapter 12: The Siege. Let’s be fair, if you were directing anything relating to Star Wars you’d definitely find a way to get yourself a role in that galaxy far, far away, right?!
While raiding an Imperial facility during Chapter 12: The Siege, The Mando and his team stumble across something they didn’t expect – several vats containing shadowy human-like forms. The beings have clearly being manufactured, and if that wasn’t puzzling enough the ominous musical cue and short, snatched glimpses of one form in particular suggest that it is none other than future Supreme Leader of the First Order: Snoke. Questions as to why early forms of the (potential) Snoke clone are in an Imperial facility on a backwater planet like Nevarro remain unanswered, but these are tantalizing breadcrumbs that might eventually lead us to the formation of The First Order as seen in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy.
So there you have it – 10 fun facts and Easter eggs from The Mandalorian! Which was your favourite nugget of information? Did you spot anything that wasn’t included on this list? Let us know in the comments section!
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About The Author: Hi, I’m Josh Gill, a freelance writer from South Yorkshire in the UK. I spent time studying music practice and theory at Barnsley College and Journalism and English literature and language at Coventry University before finding a role as a learning support assistant at a local school. So as you can see I’ve covered quite a few bases! Freelance writing aside, I’m a huge Star Wars and Disney fan who spends a lot of time playing music, reading, and filming for WanderWorks Vlogs; my daily vlog channel on YouTube.