All Easter eggs in the movie "The Mandolorian and Grogu"
After a seven-year wait, Star Wars has returned to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu. The film features the main characters fighting both Imperial remnants and the Hutts, and is full of action and humor. The film was intended as an entry point for fans who haven't watched all three seasons of The Mandalorian, but it's nonetheless chock-full of references and allusions to the series and to Star Wars in general.
Watching the film in (roughly) chronological order, here are the Easter eggs and fun details we found. Of course...Spoilers follow.
The film begins with Commander Barro extorting Imperial protection from the inhabitants of his sector. Barro, played by Hemky Madera, last appeared in episode 23 of "The Mandalorian" entitled "Spies" as a member of the Shadow Council - the remaining leaders of the Empire who are plotting to weaken and undermine the New Republic. Barro meets with a group of local leaders, demanding more payment for his protection.
When Prefect Noba, played by Cullen Douglas, protests, Barro shoots him dead. Of course, Mando isn't far behind, and Barro soon suffers a similar fate. After his death and Gideon's in Season 3, the Shadow Council lost almost a third of its ranks. Although, thanks to the events in Ahsoka, he received Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Barro leads a column of AT-AT walkers. These are older models of walkers, like in the series
Rebels, which are suitable for the remnants of the Empire, collecting any equipment available to them. I also have a theory that this model was used as it also appeared in the film
Jedi: Fallen Orderwhere the interior layout was shown which could be used as a reference when creating sets for battle scenes.
Barro tries to escape from Dean in the INT-4 Interceptor, a small aircraft based on a 1982 Kenner toy set.This isn't the first time a Kenner set has been recreated for theThe Mandalorian series. In the Season 1 finale, stormtrooper reinforcements were landed by an Imperial transport ship, also a Kenner design.
It's hardly an Easter egg at this point, but let's celebrate the return of Zeb, who picks up Mando in his trusty U-Wing (first seen in Rogue One). Zeb first appeared inRebelsalong with Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla, Chopper and Kanan Jarrus. Zeb appeared briefly in The Mandalorian, but his role is expanded in this film as he acts as Mando's handler and dispatches stormtroopers with his trusty quarterstaff, also from Rebels. Kanan is now the only character fromRebelswho did not appear in the live-action movie.
Zeb takes Mando back to Adelphi Base, a New Republic outpost introduced in season three. The base houses the classic X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters, and also briefly features a B-Wing. We also see some fighter maintenance being done, with the nose cone of one of the X-Wings being raised for repairs. The base is filled with Imperial helmets and droids, but they all appeared in Season 3, so I won't go into detail.
In the background of the base, BDX droids can be seen clumsily teetering over the edge in a queue. These practical droids, created specifically for the film, first appeared inGalaxy's Edgeat Disney Parks last year and then returned as the parks were updated for the film.
There were a lot of cool pilots gathered at the bar at Adelphi, including some familiar faces. One such individual is Lucasfilm Senior Vice President and Executive Design Director Doug Chiang, who worked with George Lucas on the prequel trilogy and has influenced the design of virtually every current Star Wars project, including The Mandalorian.Art department colleague Michelle Thieme also appears, as do Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni and directors Rick Famuyiwa, Lee Isaac Chung and Deborah Chow, who return in cameo roles.
Colonel Ward, played by Sigourney Weaver, hands Dean a target on a card called the "Ace of Wands." This is a reference to Sabacc, an infamous card game best known from the filmSolo: A Star Wars Storywhere Han Solo won theMillennium Falconfrom Lando Calrissian. Ward's deck of cards is also a reference to the Aftermath books and Dr. Chris Kempshall's book "The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire", where it was established that the New Republic had created a deck of sabacc cards with the names of wanted Imperial fugitives. Among them were Ray Sloan, Brendol Hux and Enric Pride.
Ward sends Dean to Nal Hutta, the home planet of the Hutts. The planet was created within the Legends universe, but first appeared in canon inThe Clone Wars. The swamp planet and Hutt stronghold are consistent with its appearance in the animated series. Dragon snakes, the terrifying creatures that nearly ate Dean, were featured as inhabitants of this planet in The Clone Wars. As the Crest Blade approaches the planet, we glimpse its moon, Nar Shaddaa. I mistakenly thought Shakari was Nar Shaddaa, so I'm glad the smugglers' companion made an appearance at least briefly!
As the air traffic control operator approaches his destination, voiced by Anthony Daniels, best known for his role as C-3PO, continuing his series as the only actor to appear in all of theStar Wars films.
While landing on the planet, Zeb notices that the Hutts have hired gotra droids to protect them. They are a crime syndicate made up of droids that operate independently of any organic masters.Gothra droids have been introduced as a major faction in the Marvel comics, and Gore Koresh indirectly mentioned them in the second season of The Mandalorian. The gotra force primarily consists of the B1 and B2 battle droids as seen in the prequel trilogy, but also includes KX security droids, KH-87 assassin droids, N5 guard droids, and a new saucer-shaped head model.
The two enormous sentry droids guarding the Hutt throne room were created and animated in stop motion by Tippett Studios. Phil Tippett worked on the original trilogy, animating AT-AT walkers and creatures for George Lucas' films. Tippett Studios has worked on numerous Star Wars projects, including most recently bringing the giant trash crab to life for The Skeleton Crew.
The main villains of this film are the Twins, who declared themselves heirs to Jabba's throne inThe Book of Boba Fett. Also returning is Rotta the Hutt, who first appeared as baby Stinky inThe Clone Wars. The twins use the word "punky" (little) when threatening him, which may be a reference to Jabba's nickname for his son, "punky muffin."
Arriving on Shakari, Dean tries to get information from Ardennes chef Hugo Durant, voiced by Martin Scorsese, in a scene full of references. Hugo's name is a reference to Scorsese's 2011 film of the same name and Durant is a reference to another Ardennese, Rio Durant (possibly a relative?), voiced by Jon Favreau inSolo: A Star Wars Story. The menu features a number of exotic dishes, including the mudhorn egg (sooga!) from season one.
Lord Janu Coyne (and let's take a second to note that Janu Coyne is played by Johnny Coyne!) owns a salt bar full of exotic creatures in cages.One of these creatures is a fluff ball that appeared in Port Borgo in the Skeleton Crew- in fact, given that the Imperials are known to fund a pirate state, they could very well be from Borgo. The fluffballs are a reference to the filmCaptain EOfilmed at Disney Parks and written by George Lucas. Coyne's estate also contains many stuffed heads of creatures, including a Barghest, a Rick, a Vexis, and a Nexus, which matches the one hanging on Doc Ondar's wall inGalaxy's Edge.
When Dean fights Rotta, he gains an advantage over his much larger opponent by circling him and getting on his tail, much like Han does to Jabba in the special edition of A New Hope.
Rotta's final match is a game of Dejarik, where he must fight a series of deadly creatures. These creatures are the same ones found on the holographic Dejarik chess table that first appeared on the Millennium Falcon in the film A New Hope. The huge savrip can be seen lifting and throwing the Quintana Wanderer, making his signature move from the game, and if you listen closely, you can hear the creatures making the same sounds as in the holographic version of chess as they move.
The door outside Shakari Arena bears the words "Weathers Apollo" in memory of the late Carl Weathers, who played Greef Hag on the show, and his role as fighter Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise.
When Lord Janu is brought to the Adelphi base, he is said to be "ready to sign a contract like Yuzzum."This is a reference to Yuzzuma singer Joe Youza, who performed the song "Jedi Rocks" from the Return of the Jedi special.
When the twins decide to help Rotta rather than bring him home, they send bounty hunter Embo to catch him. Embo, like Rotta, is another character who made the transition from animation to live-action format in this film, and his weapons and fighting style are consistent with the series. In a recent interview with StarWars.com Dave Filoni said that Embo was always intended for a live-action movie. While Lucasfilm was makingThe Clone Wars, George Lucas was also developing the now-canceled Underworldseries. Embo would eventually appear there too.
As in the animated series, Embo is accompanied by an Anooba dog, although this is a new dog named Keibu. Embo's ship, theGuillotine, was developed for the sixth season ofThe Clone Warsbut was cut from the series. Embo's original companion, Marrok, died shortly before the Battle of Jakku, which took place a year after the Battle of Endor. In the same interview with StarWars.com, Filoni said that he may have another story about Marrok.
In the series “The Clone Wars” two more ships appear. The bulky tanker Turtle, delivering Rotta to Nal Hutta, and the Hutta HH-87 Starhopper fighters first appeared in the series.
When Din is thrown into the pit by the Hutts, his Amani attackers first appear in Return of the Jedias minor characters in Jabba's palace. Their roll attack is described in the Legends Galaxy Guide 12 and first appeared in the comics.
Here are all the Easter eggs and references that we noticed while watching the film.You can also check out the Official Guide on StarWars.com.