Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3.The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 provides a plethora of references, hidden details, and broader Star Wars Easter eggs. With The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 serving as the show's longest to date, the increase in runtime - which clocked in at 59 minutes including credits - allowed for various Easter eggs to be presented. It was an unusual episode, taking viewers across the galaxy from Mandalore to Coruscant, and allowing audiences a chance to see how the Star Wars galaxy has changed since the days of the Empire.
The episode, entitled "Chapter 19: The Convert," largely followed Omid Abtahi's Dr. Pershing - an Imperial scientist captured in The Mandalorian season 2. Pershing was manipulated by Elia Kane, with tragic results. Meanwhile, on the Outer Rim, Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze dealt with the consequences of their redemption. These two plots gave The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 a strangely disjointed feel, but it was one that really helped develop the galaxy - and allowed for a massive number of Star Wars Easter eggs.
24 The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 3 Hints At Grogu’s First Words
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3's first Easter egg comes early on, as Grogu burbles something unintelligible - but it's clear what he is trying to say. Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze trade the traditional Mandalorian line, "This is the way," and Grogu babbles in response. It's clearly meant to be an attempt to emulate the creed, which could well become Grogu's first words in The Mandalorian season 3.
23 Bo-Katan & Din Djarin Are Attacked By TIE Interceptors In The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 3
Shortly after the aforementioned scene, Bo-Katan and Din are interrupted by the appearance of TIE Interceptors. First seen in Return of the Jedi, the TIE Interceptor is indeed much more dangerous than a regular TIE Fighter. They don't possess hyperdrive units, so it's intriguing to wonder which capital ship dropped them off.
22 TIE Bombers Are A Callback To The Night Of A Thousand Tears
While Din and Bo-Katan fight off the TIE Interceptors, a squadron of TIE Bombers target the Kryze castle on Kalevala. The Bombers fly overhead and rain bombs down on the castle, decimating Bo-Katan's home. While this scene is a way of making Bo's character more sympathetic - and inducting her into Death Watch later - the scene is reminiscent of what has been shown of the Great Purge of Mandalore thus far, in which TIE Bombers committed a similar attack on Mandalore's major cities.
21 The Imperials Still Have A Major Presence In The Galaxy In The Mandalorian Season 3
Bo-Katan rightly notes the fleet is far more than should be available to a simple Imperial warlord. The Imperial resurgence seen in The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2 is clearly continuing; Ahsoka Tano seemed to believe all the Imperial groups were associated with Grand Admiral Thrawn, a major leader who served under Palpatine. Season 3 is clearly continuing its Thrawn build-up.
20 Din Djarin Messes Up A Superhero Landing
There's a rather amusing superhero reference when Din Djarin rushes to his Naboo N-1 Starfighter. He jumps out of Bo-Katan's ship, using his jet-pack to slow his descent - and attempting what Deadpool famously called a "superhero landing." He messes it up, however.
19 The Mandalorian Season 3 Returns To Coruscant
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 returns to Coruscant. Andor recently focused on Coruscant during the Imperial era, and The Mandalorian returns to the planet decades later. There are some familiar locations, including the opera house from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The Skydome Botanical Gardens, the Galactic Museum, and the Holographic Museum of Extinct Animals are all lifted from Kevin J. Anderson's "Jedi Academy" trilogy in Star Wars Legends.
18 Dr. Penn Pershing Continues His Mandalorian Story, Revealing Details Of The Emperor's Cloning Plans
The Coruscant subplot focuses on a former Imperial cloner, Dr. Pershing - who pursued Grogu in the first two seasons. He gives a speech discussing cloning, revealing he was an expert in integrating different genetic strands to create new organisms - so-called "strandcasts," such as Supreme Leader Snoke. His words, in which he recalls how his experiments were abused by someone with evil intent, foreshadow Palpatine's return. Dr. Pershing also name-drops the Kaminoans, confirming their technology was responsible for many of his breakthroughs.
17 Coruscant’s Rich Residents Are Rarely Impacted By The Galaxy’s Politics
Coruscant's wealthy residents don't care much for galactic politics. One resident talks to Pershing, and reveals he was almost drafted under the Empire. "Empire, Rebels, New Republic, I can't keep track," he responds. To the wealthy, the great tides of galactic change are meaningless.
16 The Mantabog Of Malastare References A Star Wars RPG Book
The Mandalorian season 2 has already introduced a new Star Wars creature called an Alamite, but episode 3 references a classic creature from Legends. Pershing's droid driver references the Mantabog of Malastare, a creature introduced in the Legends sourcebook Coruscant and the Core Worlds. These were airborne, blanket-shaped predators.
15 The New Republic Has An Amnesty Program For Former Imperials
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 reveals the New Republic run an amnesty program for former Imperials. This was set up in Alexander Freed's "Alphabet Squadron" trilogy, which focused on another former Imperial seeking rehabilitation. The program features Re-Integration Institutes established across the galaxy, where Imperials are trained to work in the New Republic.
14 Gideon’s Communications Officer, Elia Kane, Returns To The Mandalorian
Moff Gideon, villain of The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2, is name-dropped - but one of his former colleagues appears. Katy O'Brian played a comms officer aboard Moff Gideon's flagship in The Mandalorian season 2, and her character - now named Elia Kane - has found her way into the New Republic's Amnesty Program. At first, Kane seems to show remorse for her actions under the still-missing Moff Gideon, but she soon reveals her true agenda is far more sinister.
13 The New Republic Is Repeating Some Of The Old Republic’s Mistakes
One of the most subtle Star Wars Easter eggs in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 is a subtle reference that indicates the New Republic is repeating mistakes made by their predecessors. When Dr. Pershing introduces himself to his fellow former Imperials, they all go by designations rather than names. They are being dehumanized - just as the clones were dehumanized, given numbers not names.
12 Coruscant’s Status As An Ecumenopolis
Dr. Pershing listens to a briefing about Coruscant in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3, and it feels almost like a quote from Wookipedia. Coruscant is defined as an ecumenopolis, the technical name for a city-planet in science-fiction. It's quite amusing to hear this designation formally used in Star Wars.
11 The Mandalorian Season 3’s “Benduday” & "Taungsday"
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 names two different days of the week in Star Wars' in-universe calendar, Benduday and Taungsday. The Bendu are the canon precursors of the Jedi (named after George Lucas' original name for the Jedi, the Jedi-Bendu); Star Wars Rebels also featured a mysterious creature called Bendu, who may be tied to this ancient order. The Taung come from Star Wars Legends, the humanoid race who ultimately traveled to the planet Mandalore and became the first Mandalorians.
10 Coruscant’s Carnival Music Is John Williams’ “March Of The Resistance”
One musical queue from The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 is a neat Easter egg to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. When Pershing and Kane are shown attending a carnival somewhere on Coruscant, an upbeat version of John Williams' "March of the Resistance" can be heard. This track was composed for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and was used as the theme of the Resistance throughout the sequel trilogy.
9 The Coruscant Accords Reference Chuck Wendig's Aftermath Trilogy
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 features an Easter egg to Chuck Wendig's "Aftermath" book trilogy. This trilogy explored the time period between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the transition from the Empire to the New Republic. It introduced the canon version of the Coruscant Accords, also known as the Galactic Concordance, the treaty between the Republic and the Empire. It seems they prohibit cloning, which makes sense given the last mass cloning involved the creation of an army.
8 The Rebel Alliance Fleet Is Being Decommissioned
Dr. Pershing is told the old Rebel Alliance Fleet is being decommissioned, a neat reference to the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary. This confirmed the New Republic passed the Military Disarmament Act, drastically reducing the size of its military to promote peace across the galaxy. It was later discussed in Claudia Gray's Bloodline, before becoming important in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3.
7 Imperial Star Destroyers Appear In The Mandalorian Season 3
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 showcases the disarmament of Imperial weaponry. Pershing and Kane sneak into the scrapyards of Coruscant onto an Imperial Star Destroyer. The iconic Star Wars Star Destroyer is abandoned, likely being stripped for parts by the New Republic before being destroyed.
6 The New Republic’s Methods Of Reversing Imperial Indoctrination
Dr. Pershing is placed in a device he insists is similar to a Mind Flayer, technology previously mentioned in season 1. He is assured it is less severe, and rather is a fairly pleasant device used to overcome Imperial indoctrination. It's quite disturbing to see the New Republic experimenting with people's minds like this, hinting the New Republic is not the utopia it likes to present itself as.
5 Admiral Ackbar's "It's A Trap" Is Referenced In Mandalorian Season 3
The Mind Flayer scene features one of the funnier Easter eggs in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3. The being running the procedure is a Mon Calamari, a well-established Star Wars race - with the most notable Mon Cal being Admiral Ackbar from Return of the Jedi. Ackbar is most famous for the line "It's a trap," and the Mon Cal reacts to Pershing's plea that he too was led into a trap.