Here are all of the Star Wars Easter eggs from the first episode of The Mandalorian season 2. It's no understatement to suggest that The Mandalorian season 2 is the most hotly anticipated TV return of the year. The introduction of Din Djarin and Baby Yoda in 2019 made a huge cultural impact on both Star Wars aficionados and those who don't know their Wookiee from their Wicket. The first season ended with Mando promising to return Baby Yoda to his rightful home, wherever that may be, and sticking one to the Empire after years of remaining neutral as a strictly-professional bounty hunter.
The Mandalorian's season 2 is a predictably action-packed affair right from the off. Mando begins his search by courting the help of fellow tribe members, but hits a dead end after returning to the desolate wastes of Tatooine. Despite failing to find another Mando, Din Djarin and Baby Yoda do meet new friends and succeed in taking down their biggest quarry yet, forging peace between two rival settlements in the process.
Despite being an incredibly progressive series, The Mandalorian season 1 would regularly pay homage to the ghost of Star Wars past, dropping Easter eggs, references and subtle nods liberally throughout every episode. Happily, The Mandalorian season 2's premiere episode is no different, with plenty of hidden treasures waiting to please the Star Wars faithful. From unmissable movie links to quirky cult connections, here are all the Easter eggs in The Mandalorian season 2's opening installment.
Anti-Stormtrooper Graffiti (& C-3PO)
As The Mandalorian season 2 begins, Din Djarin and Baby Yoda stroll into a run-down town on the wrong side of the Outer Rim. The streets are rife with graffiti and the scrawled artwork contains a few hidden Star Wars Easter eggs. The white masks seem to represent Stormtroopers and are crossed out with black Xs in defiance of the Empire's rule, demonstrating the disdain in which the Imperials are held after their fall in Return of the Jedi. One of the helmets even bears a resemblance to Darth Vader. While the painted helmets likely represent Stormtroopers within the context of the Star Wars universe, the design is closer to the original Boba Fett design, which was later used for Mandalorian Imperials in Star Wars Rebels.
The graffiti also contains a depiction of a gold droid who looks suspiciously like C-3PO. There's no in-universe reason for this (unless some Ewoks with spray paint passed through), but it's a fan-pleasing Star Wars Easter egg nonetheless. Alien faces are weaved into the town's endless doodles, although the artwork leaves a lot to be desired and the actual race remains unclear - a Geonosian, perhaps?
Species Watch
Each episode in The Mandalorian season 1 featured a selection of familiar Star Wars races, and season 2 begins in the same fashion, with both Mandalorian favorites and total newcomers to the Disney+ series. On the boxing club door, Mando encounters a Twi'lek. A background species in the Star Wars movies, Twi'leks have enjoyed a prominent role in The Mandalorian so far. After taking a seat, Mando speaks with Gor Koresh - a member of the Abyssin race that traces all the way back to 1977's original Star Wars movie. In addition to the aforementioned Twi-lek, Gor Koresh's goons include a Zabrak (Darth Maul's species), while the combatants in the ring are Gamorrean.
During The Mandalorian's latest visit to Tatooine, a flashback sequence reintroduces Jawas to the show, this time with a bigger sandcrawler. The same sequence also reveals a Weequay bartender. The Weequays first appeared in Return of the Jedi, but were a regular feature of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and, vitally, Chuck Wendig's Aftermath.
Constable Zuvio's Helmet
Among the throng of fans watching Gamorreans beat each other up is a spectator with a near-identical mask to Constable Zuvio and his cousins in the Niima Outpost Militia. Developed for The Force Awakens but effectively absent from the finished cut, Zuvio and his kind wear flat, turtle shell-style helmets that cover their eyes, and a strikingly similar piece of headgear has found its way into The Mandalorian season 2 - a rare shout-out to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. With the same red and green color scheme and narrow eye visor, this unnamed Gamorrean boxing fan could either be one of the Niima constables themselves, a fellow Kyuzo with similar fashion sense, or a nod to one of The Force Awakens' editing room casualties.
A Mandalorian History Recap
Din Djarin's brief conversation with Gor Koresh acts as a timely refresher on the Mandalore history covered in The Mandalorian season 1. A reference is made to the remaining Mandalorians staying hidden - a situation caused by the mysterious Great Purge. The tribe now live in the shadows and have earned an almost mythical status among outsiders. Gor Koresh then attempts to bargain for Mando's Beskar steel armor. As revealed in The Mandalorian season 1, Beskar steel is not only a valuable resource in the Star Wars world, but also incredibly rare after the Empire seized much of it from the people of Mandalore. The scene serves to remind that whatever else Djarin is carrying, his armor is a sought-after commodity in itself.
Mos Pelgo
After a little convincing, Gor Koresh reveals that a Mandalorian can be found on Tatooine, and while Djarin remains uncertain, his informant swears that one of the tribe resides within the settlement of Mos Pelgo. Not exactly one of Tatooine's most famous tourist traps, Mos Pelgo was first mentioned in the Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne video game expansion. Mos Pelgo's appearance in The Mandalorian brings the town not only into the live-action realm, but also firmly into official Star Wars canon. It's a deep cut, even by The Mandalorian's standards, but the obscurity plays into Mos Pelgo being a remote area, hidden even from the lawless population of Tatooine.
"Swear By The Gotra"
One of the more curious Easter eggs in "The Marshal" comes while Mando is interrogating Gor Koresh, who drops the line "I swear it by the Gotra." The only "Gotra" in the existing Star Wars universe is a droid rights group mentioned in the 2014 Tarkin novel, which has little bearing on the spiritual beliefs of an Abyssin gangster. Either the dual-meaning of the word in Star Wars canon is entirely coincidental, or the word Gotra is being used as an Easter egg with a brand new meaning behind it.
Tusken Raiders & Banthas
As the Razor Crest flies into Tatooine, a Tusken Raider riding a bantha is shown in the foreground, but the Sand People enjoy a much larger role in this episode - easily the most in-depth look Star Wars has allowed this species in live-action. As with the Jawas in The Mandalorian season 1, the show's Tusken Raiders come with a meticulously faithful appearance, from their outfits and bantha transport to their long-barreled rifles and speech patterns. However, The Mandalorian season 2 greatly expands upon the culture of the Sand People, introducing their foul-smelling drink of choice and explaining why they raid - other settlements steal their water supply. Djarin reveals how the Tusken people live in the desert and details their relationship with the local flora and fauna, while a panning shot of the Tusken camp shows how this nomadic people brush a bantha's teeth. The tents dotted around the camp will be familiar to those who remember Anakin Skywalker's sand-slaughter during the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Peli Motto's Podracer
Returning to Tatooine once again, Din Djarin lands the Razor Crest in the only safe place he knows - Peli Motto's workshop. Delighted to see Mando and Baby Yoda again (mainly Baby Yoda), Motto stops to greet her old friends, and even though the camera never zooms out enough to fully see what she's tinkering with, the vehicle appears to be a podracer. Introduced in The Phantom Menace, podracing is a popular and dangerous sport on Tatooine, and before she greets the occupants of the Razor Crest, Peli Motto looks to be working on a turbine similar to those on Sebulba's racer.
Droid Watch
As with Star Wars aliens, there are plenty of droids to be found in The Mandalorian season 2's premiere episode. Peli Motto's workshop is, once again, populated by pit droids. Also introduced in The Phantom Menace, these mechanical nuisances are just as clumsy and awkward as they were when Mando first dropped by in season 1. Motto also possesses a GNK and the cripplingly-slow R5-D4 unit that once belonged to Luke Skywalker. When the Jawas appear in a later flashback, a rare CZ-3 is sighted among the junk. This droid appeared twice in the original Star Wars trilogy - with Jawas in A New Hope and at Jabba's palace in Return of the Jedi. The sandcrawler that picks up Cobb Vanth also houses a modified R2 unit.
"Thank The Force"
Reunited with Baby Yoda, Peli Motto joyously exclaims "thank the Force" as she embraces her little green friend. The line reinforces how the Jedi religion has become something of a myth in The Mandalorian's timeline - a notion established in both season 1 and the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The Force is now a holy ghost to the regular citizens of the galaxy; something people might turn to in times of great happiness or despair without really knowing the meaning behind it or believing there is truth in the fable. This reference is especially interesting, as Mando and the gang make a habit of not referring to Baby Yoda's abilities as "the Force."
Womp Rat
"The Marshal" makes numerous references to womp rats - the pesky rodents first mentioned by Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars movie. As she did in The Mandalorian season 1, Peli Motto affectionately refers to Baby Yoda as a womp rat, and Cobb Vanth later uses some strained idiom about sunshine on a womp rat's tail while describing his backstory to Mando. Vanth refers to the creatures again during the final battle scene.
Mos Eisley & Mos Espa
While most of the action takes place around Mos Pelgo, The Mandalorian's season 2 opener also makes reference to Mos Eisley and Mos Espa. The former remains one of the most famous locations in Star Wars canon, providing the setting for Luke and Obi-Wan's ill-fated cantina meeting with Han Solo. It's a throwaway line, but Peli Motto subtly confirms that Mos Eisley is actually surrounded by city walls, at least in The Mandalorian's era. Mos Espa served as the backdrop for The Phantom Menace's Tatooine scenes, and is the settlement where Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered a young Anakin Skywalker.
Mando's Speeder
For his journey to Mos Pelgo, Din Djarin once again borrows Peli Motto's speeder. This is the same vehicle he commandeered during The Mandalorian season 1's "The Gunslinger," but the speeder's roots trace back further, with the design echoing the machines driven by Luke Skywalker and Leia through the forests of Endor's moon in Return of the Jedi.
Vaporators & The Tatooine Landscape
As Mando and Baby Yoda pull up to Mos Pelgo, the environment itself offers a loving Easter egg to the original Star Wars trilogy. The architecture and design of the settlement is strictly in-keeping with the Tatooine aesthetic seen in 1977 and 1999, complete with dome-roofed buildings, vaporators for moisture farming and thick, dusty walls with sand-battered brown doors. The distinct scenery immediately informs the audience that Mando is on Tatooine, while evoking the nostalgia of seeing this familiar landscape in live-action once again.
A Mandalorian Episode 1 Callback
A Mandalorian walks into a bar... The Mandalorian season 1 afforded the titular bounty hunter an appropriately badass introduction in its very first episode. Mando strolled up to a local bar and stopped in the entrance, wrapped in shadow by the daylight behind him as a western musical motif played in the background. In terms of first impression shots, there are few better, and The Mandalorian's season 2 premiere mirrors that now-famous scene when Mando arrives at Mos Pelgo's watering hole. The cinematography, direction and character positioning all closely follow that original season 1 shot, and the musical cue provides an extra layer of symmetry between the two.
Cobb Vanth
Timothy Olyphant has the honor of being the first guest star in The Mandalorian season 2, portraying the Mos Pelgo sheriff known as Cobb Vanth. While Vanth will be unfamiliar to many Star Wars fans, the character was first introduced in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath, and the personality and history of Olyphant's version closely follows his literary counterpart. Vanth was the sheriff of Freetown in Aftermath, the modern name for Mos Pelgo, and there are some slight changes to his history, but The Mandalorian provides a fairly authentic live-action adaptation of this Star Wars book hero. However, it is interesting that Vanth's past deviates from the Aftermath account, albeit only slightly, since this novel was previously considered canon.
Boba Fett's Armor
Although the circumstances are somewhat different from the book, Cobb Vanth obtains a suit of Mandalorian armor from Tatooine's Jawas, allowing him to protect Mos Pelgo from the planet's hive of scum and villainy. While the ensemble may not mean much to Vanth, Star Wars fans will immediately recognize this as the armor of Boba Fett - the iconic bounty hunter from The Empire Strikes Back. Fett was presumed deceased after Return of the Jedi, becoming a figure of myth within the Star Wars world, and the return of his armor is the first sign of Fett since, as far as Disney canon is concerned. Boba Fett provided the blueprint for the Mandalorian race (despite not being one of them), and the bounty hunter was widely expected to feature in The Mandalorian season 1, but Jon Favreau would hold off for a little while... Despite not being quite the real deal, Cobb Vanth gives an impressive display of the suit's capabilities, launching a rocket, taking the jetpack for a spin and even using Boba's sniper attachment.
Spotchka
After making his dramatic entrance, Din Djarin encounters Cobb Vanth and the pair settle down for one-sided glare-off, accompanied by a nice blue glass of Spotchka. This suspiciously bright drink was first seen in The Mandalorian season 1, when Mando took Baby Yoda to the faraway planet of Sorgan, where the beverage was being manufactured. Spotchka's return on Tatooine provides a fun callback to the duo's previous adventures, and suggests the drink is becoming more popular in the Empire's absence.
A Good, Bad & Ugly Moment
The Mandalorian has never been shy about drawing influence from the western genre, with season 1 covering to a range of wild west classics, from Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid to Shane. The arrival of Cobb Vanth as a small town sheriff protecting ordinary, hard-working folk is a western nod in itself, but the bar standoff between he and Mando conjures images of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly's famous final gunfight - the nervous fingers, the twitching mouth, the tense close-ups. This confrontation is heavily inspired by the Clint Eastwood classic... apart from the interruption by a giant sand dragon.
The Krayt Dragon
The premiere episode of The Mandalorian season 2 revolves entirely around the felling of a great beast known as the Krayt dragon, and while Star Wars fans will be thrilled to finally see one in the flesh, the creature has a long and storied history in the franchise - so storied, in fact, that the Krayt dragon is one of the first animals glimpsed in the Star Wars universe. The skeleton of this fearsome creature can be seen on the Tatooine desert as C-3PO wanders alone after leaving his smaller companion behind. Krayt dragons have made minor appearances in video games since, but The Mandalorian reveals the creature in its full glory for the first time. 1977's Star Wars also features Obi-Wan Kenobi using the Krayt dragon's call to scare a gaggle of Tusken Raiders away from a prone Luke Skywalker, and this moment is copied by Din Djarin in "The Marshal."
Cobb Vanth's Speeder
Cobb Vanth's speeder looks eerily familiar, but fans might not immediately make the connection due to this Easter egg's placement entirely outside of its original context. While Mando's speeder is a regular land vehicle, Vanth's appears to be constructed from a podracer engine, with the body of the machine visually similar to the turbines on Anakin Skywalker's podracer from The Phantom Menace. It appears that Vanth might've retrofitted discarded podracer parts to construct a makeshift speeder, marking a second reference to the sport of podracing in "The Marshal."
The Empire's Defeat
Return of the Jedi saw the Rebel Alliance finally take down the Empire, with Luke Skywalker and his father toppling Palpatine on Death Star II and the team of Han, Leia and Lando leading the assault on Endor's forest moon. George Lucas would later add celebration scenes from across the galaxy, but The Mandalorian season 2 gives an entirely new perspective on this momentous event, with drinkers on Tatooine watching the destruction of the Death Star II and cheering for their newfound liberty. The Mandalorian season 1 provided insight into how the Empire's defeat was received at a grassroots level, and season 2 continues that theme, making the exploits of Luke Skywalker and co. feel even more heroic in the grand tapestry of Star Wars.
Slavery On Tatooine
The Mandalorian's flashback into Cobb Vanth's backstory introduces a group of villains known as the Mining Collective, who swooped in immediately after the Empire fell and enslaved citizens to work in their mines, profiteering from the hard labor of others. This storyline continues a long-running theme of slavery on Tatooine, stretching back to the introduction of Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. That the people were only free from the Empire a matter of minutes before being domineered by new masters highlights the continued lawlessness of Tatooine and the problematic nature of policing an entire galaxy - something the New Republic would later discover.
The Collective's Speeder
Cobb Vanth flees the Mining Collective in his flashback sequence, relieving the villains of their loot and running for his life. However, the Collective's speeder comes with a trio of Star Wars Easter eggs. Firstly, there's a crudely-drawn picture of Boba Fett inside the speeder's cockpit, perhaps suggesting a link between the greedy oppressors and the real Fett. The Mining Collective seem to be adapted from the Red Key Raiders who troubled Cobb Vanth in the Aftermath story, who are keen to get their hands on the Jawas' Mandalorian armor, perhaps explaining why this image is scrawled onto one of their speeders. Secondly, the speeder itself is the same model seen at Luke's homestead in the original Star Wars movie. In a final Easter egg, the silicax crystals stolen by Cobb Vanth were introduced alongside the character himself in the Aftermath: Empire's End.
The Infamous Ice Cream Machine
Not only are Vanth's silicax crystals a Star Wars Easter egg, the container holding them is too. Known as a camtono, this unassuming white lockbox appeared previously in The Mandalorian season 1, but prior to the Disney+ series, was a recurring source of intrigue among Star Wars fans. The camtono first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back during the evacuation of cloud city, in which a background character can be spotted running holding a camtono in his arms. Not knowing what this precious item was, fans began to refer to the box as an ice cream maker, and the man carrying it became a cult figure from the original trilogy. Thanks to The Mandalorian, the camtono is now commonplace within the Star Wars world.
Tusken Raider Dogs
When Cobb Vanth and Din Djarin settle their differences and set out to hunt the Krayt dragon, they stumble across a gang of Tusken Raiders accompanied by a pack of threatening dogs. Officially known as massiffs, these animals were first introduced in Attack of the Clones as hunting partners for the Sand People. Mando shows how cultured and well-traveled he is by calming the massiffs and petting them like regular dogs, but Baby Yoda doesn't seem as fond.
Mirroring The Force Awakens
One of the most visually astounding shots in The Mandalorian's season 2 premiere is the moment a Tusken Raider is brutally eaten alive by the Krayt dragon emerging from its cave. While the context couldn't be more different, the imagery is highly reminiscent of The Force Awakens' opening, where Rey scavenges from a downed Star Destroyer on Jakku. The long shot of Rey drinking from a canteen reveals the cavernous exhaust of the Star Destroyer swallowing up the comparatively tiny Rey, much like the Tusken Raider against the gaping Krayt dragon lair.
The Circle Wipe
After the Tusken Raiders take Djarin and Vanth to inspect the Krayt dragon's cave and one unlucky Sand Person ends up becoming a light snack, the group return to the Tusken camp to formulate a better plan. The transition from cave to camp happens via circle wipe, which is distinctly different from The Mandalorian's usual style. The original Star Wars trilogy was renowned for its wipe transitions, although this is now considered old fashioned in 2020. The circle wipe in "The Marshal" nods to Star Wars history without straying from the show's usual forward-thinking direction.
Telescope Vision
The attention to detail in The Mandalorian season 1 was widely hailed by fans, with Jon Favreau crafting an authentic Star Wars world that felt like a natural progression from the aesthetic of the original trilogy. Everything from targeting systems to door security traced back to the Star Wars movies, and The Mandalorian season 2 is continuing in that same vein. During the premiere's final Krayt dragon hunt sequence, Mando peers through a digital telescope, and the audience are afforded a first person view through the spyglass. The colorful readout and fuzzy image are a neat callback to late 1970s effects, mirroring how futuristic technology was depicted by George Lucas back in the original trilogy era.
Dead Sarlacc
With Boba Fett receiving several Easter eggs in The Mandalorian's season 2 premiere, it's only right to honor the creature responsible for killing him... allegedly. The Sarlacc appeared in Return of the Jedi as Jabba the Hutt's preferred method of execution, and while many assumed the pit beast would be Tatooine's foremost predator, it seems the deadly Sarlacc is no match for a Krayt dragon. Before the hunt begins, Mando confirms that their target has made its nest in an abandoned Sarlacc pit... having already devoured the previous occupant. It's not known whether this Sarlacc is the same one used by Jabba, and Cobb Vanth suggests there are plenty of others scattered across the landscape of Tatooine, but it's an interesting twist to see the Sarlacc become prey for once.
Dank Farrik
Predictably, the attack on the Krayt dragon does not go smoothly, and the creature defies expectations by retreating into its cave instead of cooperating and laying directly over the pre-planted explosives. Seeing his plan go awry, Mando utters the phrase "dank farrik" in frustration. Although the meaning remains unknown, it's safe to assume this is some form of swearing in the Star Wars universe. Baby Yoda should cover his precious ears. This line is yet another callback to The Mandalorian's very first episode, and was first used by the blue mythrol character Mando captures on Maldo Kreis. Is this a sign that the bounty hunter is taking on traits of his victims, or is The Mandalorian foreshadowing the blue alien's rumored return in season 2?
A Dragon's Pearl
After the Krayt dragon is defeated and the Tusken Raiders set about dissecting the carcass, they cut out a giant pearl, triggering jubilant celebrations among the Sand People. These valuable items were referenced in the Aftermath novel, but appeared earlier in video game form after featuring extensively in Legends canon. Although it's easy to mistake the pearl for an egg being removed from the dragon's stomach, the worth of dragon pearls is well documented in Star Wars lore.
Boba Fett... Finally
The premiere episode of The Mandalorian season 1 ended with the massive reveal of Baby Yoda, and while nothing was going to live up to that grand finale, The Mandalorian season 2 came close by introducing the true Boba Fett, alive and well on Tatooine. Watching Mando's speeder from afar in the episode's closure moments, it's clear that Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc, either lost or sold his armor, and has been residing anonymously on Tatooine ever since. Played by Temuera Morrison, Fett looks to have been spurred into action by the reappearance of his armor, and this surely isn't the last fans will see of the veteran bounty hunter in The Mandalorian season 2.