Since the very beginning, The Mandalorian has been packed full of references to the larger Star Wars universe. The show's second season starts with Din Djarin having to take down a massive creature known as the Krayt Dragon. Although it may seem new, the Krayt Dragon actually has a long history in the Star Wars series.
The first appearance of the Krayt Dragon was actually in A New Hope, with a scene that shows C-3PO walking past a Krayt skeleton in the deserts of Tattoine. There are actually two known species of the Krayt Dragon in Star Wars lore.
The Krayt Dragon has actually appeared in quite a few Star Wars video games, as well as the Krayt Dragon Pearl. Here's a full list of every Star Wars game featuring the Krayt Dragon.
Star Wars Galaxies
The now-defunct MMO Star Wars Galaxies actually featured a few variations of the Krayt Dragon. The beasts all spawn in the deserts of Tattooine, and when defeated there's a chance they'll drop a Krayt Dragon Pearl, which can be used to increase the damage of lightsabers. The weakest version, the Adolescent Krayt Dragon, was still a high-level creature that had a natural level of 77. From there they get stronger with the Canyon Krayt Dragon, Juvenile Canyon Krayt Dragon, Canyon Krayt Dragon, Giant Canyon Krayt Dragon, Grand Krayt Dragon, and Krayt Dragon Ancient.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Din Djarin wasn't the first Mandalorian to face down a Krayt Dragon, as Jango Fett also had to do so in Star Wars Bounty Hunter. The Krayt Dragon in Bounty Hunter is owned by Gardulla the Hutt, and Jango has to escape after the Hutt tries to feed him to it. Jango never actually takes the Krayt Dragon down, but he does end up feeding Gardulla to the dragon later on.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The Dune Sea Krayt Dragon appeared in Knights of the Old Republic, and players help a Twi'lek hunter named Komad Fortuna take it down. In fact, it's almost uncanny how similar The Mandalorian is to the Krayt Dragon sequence in KOTOR. Players use Banthas to lure the dragon out, then set off a series of mines as the beast walks over them. Once the dragon is defeated, players take the Krayt Dragon Pearl to upgrade their lightsaber and prove they're worthy to learn the history of the Tusken Raiders.
Star Wars Battlefront II
Technically a live Krayt Dragon doesn't appear in the Star Wars Battlefront games, but players can find a massive skeleton of one. By travelling off the beaten path on the Jabba's Palace map players can find the skeleton pictured above, which bears a distinct resemblance to the skeleton from A New Hope. The map was first introduced as part of the Outer Rim expansion pack in the first Star Wars Battlefront but was later carried over to the second game.
Star Wars Commander
As part of the game's second anniversary, all Star Wars Commander players were gifted a special Krayt Dragon unit. The mobile strategy game was similar to something like Clash of Clans, with players building up their own base and then attacking others bases. The Krayt Dragon was one of the stronger units in the game, but unfortunately, Star Wars Commander was officially shut down on June 12, 2020.