Just when Star Wars fans were losing faith in Disney’s ability to expand George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away, Jon Favreau came along with The Mandalorian. Inspired by the same westerns and samurai movies that influenced Lucas in the first place, The Mandalorian is the first Star Wars project since the Mouse House acquired Lucasfilm which really feels like Star Wars. Even Rogue One had problems.

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In addition to introducing now-beloved original characters to the Star Wars universe, like the titular bounty hunter and his adorable cargo, The Mandalorian has brought back fan-favorite icons like Boba Fett and Ahsoka Tano.

Original: The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian Mando Holding Grogu

Right off the bat, one of the greatest characters that The Mandalorian has contributed to the ever-expanding Star Wars universe – possibly the greatest – is its eponymous hero, who found community with the Mandalorians after his family was killed in the Clone Wars.

Din Djarin fits right into the lexicon of ice-cool Star Wars antiheroes alongside Han Solo and Boba Fett. The pilot introduced a callous bounty hunter, but his emotional attachment to Grogu has brought out his sensitive side. Mando’s helmet limits his ability to express himself, but Pedro Pascal has done plenty with line deliveries and body language.

Returning: Ahsoka Tano

Ahsoka Tano draws her lightsabers in The Mandalorian.

Since finding her feet on The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano has been one of the strongest female characters in the Star Wars universe, so it’s been a delight to catch up with her in The Mandalorian.

Replacing voice actor Ashley Eckstein with live-action actor Rosario Dawson was initially a controversial decision, but Dawson has proven to be a great Ahsoka. She hasn’t just impersonated Eckstein’s performance; she’s offered her own take on the character.

Original: Greef Karga

Carl Weathers as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian

The writers of The Mandalorian only planned to make Greef Karga a minor character at the beginning of the series but came to like him so much that they’ve kept him around to this day. Carl Weathers was happy to stick around on the series as long as he could have the opportunity to direct some episodes.

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Karga is the head of the guild of bounty hunters. He’s the one who sends Mando to pick up Grogu. Their relationship was strained after Mando stole the kid back from the Client, but eventually got back on good terms.

Returning: Cobb Vanth

Cobb Vanth riding a speeder in The Mandalorian

When the season 2 premiere “Chapter 9: The Marshal” revealed a gun-toting badass at a bar on the fringes of Tatooine wearing Boba Fett’s armor, fans initially thought it might be Fett himself. However, it turned out to be marshal Cobb Vanth from the Expanded Universe.

Ever since Vanth assisted Mando in slaying a krayt dragon, fans have been hoping it wasn’t just a one-off and the charming Timothy Olyphant will return to the series.

Original: Moff Gideon

Moff Gideon The Mandalorian

The threat of the villainous Moff Gideon seems to loom larger as each episode of The Mandalorian passes. Mando thought he’d vanquished Gideon after shooting his TIE fighter out of the sky, but he’s still around. In “Chapter 14: The Tragedy,” the Darksaber-wielding Moff Gideon finally succeeded in capturing Grogu.

With both his cold attitude and his all-black attire, Moff Gideon has been compared to Darth Vader, the gold standard for Star Wars baddies, while Giancarlo Esposito has been giving a terrific performance in the role.

Returning: Bo-Katan Kryze

Bo Katan in The Mandalorian

Although it was shrouded by the more highly anticipated appearances of Ahsoka Tano and Boba Fett, Bo-Katan showed up in the second season of The Mandalorian. After voicing the character on Rebels, Katee Sackhoff played her in live-action in the Disney+ series.

It was fun to see Bo-Katan in action from the offset as she recruited Mando to help her and a handful of other Mandalorians as they infiltrated an Imperial cruiser in “Chapter 11: The Heiress.”

Original: Cara Dune

Gina Carano The Mandalorian

After playing action-oriented roles in the Deadpool and Fast & Furious franchises, former MMA fighter Gina Carano was well-equipped for the badass role of Cara Dune in The Mandalorian. Carano credits director Bryce Dallas Howard with helping her figure out how to play the role.

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Cara has enjoyed a compelling character arc running parallel to Mando’s, as she’s gone from a mercenary who similarly drifts through the galaxy to a badge-holding Marshal for the New Republic.

Returning: Boba Fett

Boba Fett in front of an exploding Imperial ship in The Mandalorian.

After being teased in both “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger” and “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” Boba Fett finally joined the cast of The Mandalorian in “Chapter 14: The Tragedy,” played by Temuera Morrison, who previously played Jango Fett in the prequel trilogy.

The show still hasn’t explained how Fett survived being eaten by the Sarlacc Pit but, based on his ass-kicking antics with the Stormtroopers, his appearance was well worth the wait.

Original: Grogu

The Child in The Mandalorian

Even people who couldn’t care less about Star Wars fell in love with Grogu, who was initially known as “the Child” and colloquially dubbed “Baby Yoda” by the Internet (confusing a lot of passive viewers as to whether or not it was actually Yoda as a baby).

But there’s a lot more to this character than phenomenon-level cuteness. His inability to speak, his 50 years of experience under Jedi masters, and his immense Force abilities all create an intriguing sense of mystery around the binge-eating infant.

Returning: Luke Skywalker

Luke with a green lightsaber in The Mandalorian finale

The season 2 finale “The Rescue” brought The Mandalorian’s biggest Star Wars cameo yet. After giving fans a couple of weeks to speculate, the show revealed who Grogu contacted via the Force at the ancient Jedi temple on Tython. After Mando faced the fight of his life against one Dark Trooper, the entire legion shows up to ambush Grogu’s rescue squad. And then, a lone X-wing arrives. A cloaked Jedi emerges from the starfighter and effortlessly slashes his way through the Dark Troopers.

This is Luke Skywalker as Star Wars fans remember him. Yes, it was shameless fan service, but since when is giving audiences what they want a bad thing? And when it’s pulled off this effectively, no one’s going to complain.

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