The first live-action Star Wars TV show has finally premiered, and what a whopper of an episode. Equally familiar and brand new, The Mandalorian has already shown that it is deeply connected to the existing Star Wars mythos while offering brand new elements and choices to the franchise.
The first episode alone is full of tiny nods and references to other canon material. Not only does it explore elements of all the films and tv series thus far, but it has already brought back certain elements of legends as well. Be warned, this article is full of spoilers for the first episode of The Mandalorian.
The Great Mythosaur
One of the grumpiest characters to appear in Star Wars as of yet, the Ugnaught guide Kuil offers respect and intrigue into the myths and histories of the Mandalorians. While he teaches the lone gunman how to ride the Blurrg, he references a mythic legend of the warrior people.
Seemingly a throwaway line, Kuil states that the Mandalorians of old would conquer the Mythosaurs of old, ancient beasts of Mandalore. This is a direct element of Legends Canon, legitimized again by this single line.
Imperial Credits
Greef Carga, as played by the iconic Carl Wheathers, meets The Mandalorian in a seedy Cantina. In an attempt to pay the Bounty Hunter for his work, Carga offers Imperial Credits. In disgust, The Mandalorian refuses, stating how worthless they are now that the Empire is no more.
This is a direct allusion to a very similar point of view of a prequel character. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn offers the junk dealer Watto Republic Credits as payments. But, Republic Credits are no good in the Outer Rim, just as Imperial Credits are now.
Life Day
In the beginning of the pilot, The Mandalorian captures the wanted alien Mythrol. This blue amphibious creature is brought onboard The Mandalorian's Razorcrest, awaiting processing. In an attempt to find a way out, the Mythrol jabbers on an empty conversation with the Bounty Hunter.
In a small line, he mentions how he had hoped to have spent Life Day with his family. Life Day, as many Star Wars fans know, is the infamous Christmas-like holiday celebrated in the Star Wars universe. This was first brought into the franchise by the so-bad-it's-good Holiday special.
Kowakian Monkey Lizard Rotisserie
When The Mandalorian enters the home of his tribe, you can see a ton of other warriors through the hall, along with small children playing nearby. All of the warriors don the iconic mask and armor, but there is one in there that looks awfully familiar.
It looks like one of the warriors is wearing very similar armor as Boba Fett. Though it is unconfirmed whether or not the Bounty Hunter returned from the pit, in canon the armor was donned by a new lone lawman in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath novels.
The Great Purge
When The Mandalorian enters the den of his tribe, he meets with the mysterious Armorer. This Mandalorian figure looks to be in charge of smithing their armor and is a sort of shaman-like figure for the clan.
When The Mandalorian brings her his awarded bit of Beskar Steel, she remarks how it must have been acquired during The Great Purge. Now what exactly this event was is unknown. Earlier The Client, as played by Werner Herzog mentions restoring the natural order. There is a possibility that the Empire might have destroyed and murdered a vast population of Mandalorians to get this Steel.
Chussido
The Cantina sequence in the episode has arguably the most easter eggs of the whole show. There are characters, aliens, and more that pop up at this moment that are direct references to previous Star Wars lore.
One of these is the appearance of a Rodian figure near the bar. Noting their unique color pattern and costuming, this is none other than Chussido. This character first appeared as one of Enfys Nest's Cloudriders in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Sabaac
When The Mandalorian enters the Cantina, there are a few cuts around the bar to see all the aliens. In A New Hope fashion, there are drunk aliens, talking aliens, and aliens playing all matter of bar games.
A pair of creatures, in fact, can be seen playing the card game Sabacc. The recognizable cards in the hands of the alien are identical to the one seen in films such as Solo and shows like Star Wars: Rebels. This game is obviously becoming more and more prevalent in Underworld stories.
A Wanted Smuggler
After The Mandalorian is paid for his bounties, Greef Carga starts listing off a handful of other bounties ready to be caught. Most of these were listed as nothing more than bail dodgers, but one bounty might have caught your attention.
Carga mentions a wanted smuggler has a bounty on their head. Though there are certainly tons of smugglers in the galaxy, what if this is none other than Han Solo? Could we see Alden Ehrenreich don his blaster again? Only time will tell.
Mythosaur Sigil
One of the most recognizable symbols in Star Wars in the skull on Boba Fett's armor. This skull is none other than that of the previously mentioned Mythosaur. When The Mandalorian enters the den of his tribe, a large Mythosaur skull is found hanging above the Armorer's room.
Not only that, but this one seems to be crafted from Beskar steel, the same material used in Mandalorian Armor. Whether this was sculpted from the metal, or if it is a real skull cast in Beskar is unknown. Either option is equally badass.
Constable Zuvio
The final little Easter Egg spotted is none other than a deleted character from the Force Awakens. In the cantina, The Mandalorian passes by a hoard of alien bar guests. One of these has a familiar helmet and armor designs.
These belong to none other than Constable Zuvio and his followers. This band of enforces lied on Jakku at the time of The Force Awakens. Whether this was the Constable himself or one of his officers isn't clear. What is though is that iconic brimmed helmet.