Is Boba Fett Lurking in the Shadows?
About 18 minutes into the episode, the Mandalorian enters a cantina to claim his bounty reward. In the shadows, you may have caught a glimpse of a figure wearing Boba Fett’s iconic armor and colors. Now, Jon Favreau has said Boba Fett won’t appear in The Mandalorian, but this character lurking in the shadows looks eerily similar to the legendary bounty hunter.
So, this is Sabacc?
In the first scene of the show, the Mandalorian walks into a bar to capture his first bounty target. If you take a close look at the background, you’ll find a couple of creatures playing a card game known as Sabacc. You might also recognize Sabacc as the game that Han Solo played to win the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian in Solo.
The Tattletale Droid
When the Mandalorian finds out about a new bounty, he treks over to meet his next client face-to-face. When he reaches the client’s building, the Mandalorian is greeted by a droid on a stick. This droid was also seen in Return of the Jedi, harassing C-3PO at the gate to Jabba’s Palace. Known as the TT-9L or “tattletale droid”, this robot is a security droid that was installed at doors to screen visitors and identify if they had any weapons.
The Comedic Cameos
Keep your eye out during future episodes of The Mandalorian because Star Wars likes to hide cameos underneath tons of make-up, costumes, and effects. In this episode, the Mandalorian’s first bounty capture, the blue fish-like creature is actually former Saturday Night Live comedian Horatio Sanz.
When the Mandalorian takes his bounty target back to his handler, they come across another comedian. The speeder pilot that shuttles the two is none other than Brian Posehn, known for his roles in The Big Bang Theory, New Girl, and The Sarah Silverman Program.
Lastly, that voice that you heard coming from IG-11 is Taika Waititi, the director of Thor: Ragnarok and the voice of Korg. Although you probably couldn’t tell behind all the droid talk, you might have figured out it was Waititi from the droid’s hilarious lines.
Saldy, all of these comedians met their demise in the first episode and likely won’t return again. However, we can expect more to come in the future of The Mandalorian.
The Mythosaur
After receiving the Beskar steel, the Mandalorian heads to the blacksmith to cast it into armor. However, before he enters the armory, the camera zooms in on a skull seemingly made of Beskar steel. This skull belongs to the great Mythosaur, which is referenced later in the movie when the Mandalorian is attempting to ride the blurrg. In this scene, the Mandalorian’s new guide tells him that a warrior of his caliber should be able to mount the beast because his ancestors “rode the great Mythosaur”.
The Mythosaur has long been associated with Mandalorians and is famously associated with a popular bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe. This bounty hunter, Boba Fett has the insignia of a Mythosaur painted on his shoulder armor.
Two References to The Star Wars Holiday Special
When the blue alien Mythrol gets caught searching the Mandalorian’s ship for a “bathroom”, he says that he wishes he could spend Life Day with his family. Life Day is remembered as the Christmas-ish holiday celebrated by the Wookies. However, it actually first appeared in the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special that aired on November 17 – the Friday before Thanksgiving. Therefore, Life Day was likely meant as a Thanksgiving holiday but eventually transformed into a stand-in for Star Wars Christmas. This is why we see the holiday celebrated on December 25th in games such as Star Wars Galaxies and Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.
Another reference to The Star Wars Holiday Special comes in the form of the Mandalorian’s weapon. The blaster rifle he carries during the episode looks very much like the one Boba Fett uses in the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Chussido Makes an Appearance
When the Mandalorian returns to cash in on his bounty, you might have caught a glimpse of a yellowish-orange creature enjoying a drink at the bar. This creature is Chussido, a Rodian female that also appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Chussido was part of the Enfys Nest’s Cloud-Riders gang who traveled to the planet Savareen to try and obtain the infamous coaxium fuel. Eventually, Chussido and the rest of the gang worked with Han Solo to trick Vox.
Another Rodian can also be seen transformed into carbonite on the Mandalorian’s ship as the bounty hunter claims his next victim.
Reference to Han Solo
When the Mandalorian collects his bounty, his handler starts listing off some other hits. One of them he calls a “wanted smuggler” which could be a reference to one of the most iconic smugglers in the universe, Han Solo.
The Roasting Kowakians
During The Mandalorian, we catch a glimpse of what looks like a burnt Jim Henson puppet roasting on a stick. This creature is known as a Kowakian monkey-lizard, or Kowakian for short. They were generally kept by members of the underworld as pets and the most famous one was Salacious B. Crumb. He served as a court jester at Jabba’s Palace in Return of the Jedi.
The Mandalorian’s Beskar Steel
In the beginning of the episode, someone asks the Mandalorian if his armor is made of beskar steel, which we later find out is true. The Mandalorian’s newest client hands him more beskar steel later on in the film and says that the beskar “belongs with the Mandalorians”. This is because Mandalorians were known to use beskar steel to forge their tough armor before the devastating collapse of their planet.
The Creatures Guarding the Mandalorian’s Bounty
At the end of the episode, the Mandalorian finds his target guarded by an entire army of creatures known as Nikto. The Nikto can also be seen in Return of the Jedi at Jabba’s Palace. They worked for the Hutt clan for centuries and eventually formed their own little crime organization. Apparently, they’re now serving a new purpose with baby Yoda.
The Baby Yoda Reveal
Probably the biggest and cutest Easter egg was the reveal of the Mandalorian’s mysterious “50-year old” target. Now, George Lucas has always said Yoda’s species, origins, age, and home world would forever remain a mystery; however, it looks like we’re getting some more information on the very illusive Master Yoda. It looks like The Mandalorian could potentially provide the answers to secrets we have all been searching for.
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If you caught any more Easter eggs, you won’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to let me know. Drop what you find in the comments!