A Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Easter egg in The Mandalorian teased that one of its characters, Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whitaker) is part of a myth in the Star Wars universe. Introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he played a key role in the spinoff film, Rogue One.
In Rogue One, Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera was the leader of the Partisans, a group which stood in opposition to the Empire. Despite being odds with the Imperials, Saw Gerrera and his men weren’t affiliated with the Rebel Alliance. They existed as a separate entity, as their people followed a different set of tactics. Saw represented a darker side of the fight against the Empire through his willingness to use extreme, violent methods, including torture. Saw continued to resist the Empire until the end of his life, which came when the Death Star took out his hideout.
A Rogue One scene with Saw was indirectly referenced in The Mandalorian season 1 finale during a conversation between Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) and Cara Dune (Gina Carano). When the two discussed the possibility of being captured by Imperials, Cara talked about her fear of being hooked up to a “mind flayer”. Greef responded by telling Cara that mind flayers “aren’t real” and that they’re just “wartime propaganda”. Mind flayers are actually mind-reading creatures from Dungeons & Dragons, rather than threats that exist in the world of Star Wars. What she was likely referring to instead was the alien species known as the Marian. Saw Gerrera had a Marian named Bor Gullet wrap its tentacles around a prisoner in Rogue One. In doing so, it was able to telepathically access information in his mind.
The way Greef Karga brushed off the mention of this creature as “wartime propaganda” reinforces the idea that Saw Gerrera is viewed as a myth to some in the galaxy. That makes sense, considering his reputation and how the Empire wanted to paint efforts to beat them. Saw was an incredibly violent character who symbolized the worst parts of what was going on in the Galactic Civil War. Officials in the Empire were able to use him an example of how bad the Rebels were, even though he was actually a member of a separate faction. He and all those who followed him in the rebellion were labeled as terrorists.
Based on the comments made by Greef Karga in The Mandalorian season 1 finale, it appears that the Marians were incorporated in the Empire’s propaganda plan. Rebels such as Cara may have heard about these creatures and came to fear them, while others saw them as lies generated for the purpose of spreading terror. What many, like Greef Karga, may not know however, is that Saw Gerrera and his mind-reading Bor Gullet were very real.