Here are all of the Din Djarin and Baby Yoda in 2019 made a huge cultural impact on both Star Wars aficionados and those who don't know their Wookiee from their Wicket. The first season ended with Mando promising to return Baby Yoda to his rightful home, wherever that may be, and sticking one to the Empire after years of remaining neutral as a strictly-professional bounty hunter.
The Mandalorian's season 2 is a predictably action-packed affair right from the off. Mando begins his search by courting the help of fellow tribe , but hits a dead end after returning to the desolate wastes of Tatooine. Despite failing to find another Mando, Din Djarin and Baby Yoda do meet new friends and succeed in taking down their biggest quarry yet, forging peace between two rival settlements in the process.
Despite being an incredibly progressive series, The Mandalorian season 1 would regularly pay homage to the ghost of Star Wars past, dropping Easter eggs, references and subtle nods liberally throughout every episode. Happily, The Mandalorian season 2's premiere episode is no different, with plenty of hidden treasures waiting to please the Star Wars faithful. From unmissable movie links to quirky cult connections, here are all the Easter eggs in The Mandalorian season 2's opening installment.
Anti-Stormtrooper Graffiti (& C-3PO)
As The Mandalorian season 2 begins, Din Djarin and Baby Yoda stroll into a run-down town on the wrong side of the Outer Rim. The streets are rife with graffiti and the scrawled artwork contains a few hidden Star Wars Easter eggs. The white masks seem to represent Stormtroopers and are crossed out with black Xs in defiance of the Empire's rule, demonstrating the disdain in which the Imperials are held after their fall in Return of the Jedi. One of the helmets even bears a resemblance to Darth Vader. While the painted helmets likely represent Stormtroopers within the context of the Star Wars universe, the design is closer to the original Boba Fett design, which was later used for Mandalorian Imperials in Star Wars Rebels.
The graffiti also contains a depiction of a gold droid who looks suspiciously like C-3PO. There's no in-universe reason for this (unless some Ewoks with spray paint ed through), but it's a fan-pleasing Star Wars Easter egg nonetheless. Alien faces are weaved into the town's endless doodles, although the artwork leaves a lot to be desired and the actual race remains unclear - a Geonosian, perhaps?
Species Watch
Each episode in The Mandalorian season 1 featured a selection of familiar Star Wars races, and season 2 begins in the same fashion, with both Mandalorian favorites and total newcomers to the Disney+ series. On the boxing club door, Mando encounters a Twi'lek. A background species in the Star Wars movies, Twi'leks have enjoyed a prominent role in The Mandalorian so far. After taking a seat, Mando speaks with Gor Koresh - a member of the Abyssin race that traces all the way back to 1977's original Star Wars movie. In addition to the aforementioned Twi-lek, Gor Koresh's goons include a Zabrak (Darth Maul's species), while the combatants in the ring are Gamorrean.
During The Mandalorian's latest visit to Tatooine, a flashback sequence reintroduces Jawas to the show, this time with a bigger sandcrawler. The same sequence also reveals a Weequay bartender. The Weequays first appeared in Return of the Jedi, but were a regular feature of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and, vitally, Chuck Wendig's Aftermath.
Constable Zuvio's Helmet
Among the throng of fans watching Gamorreans beat each other up is a spectator with a near-identical mask to Constable Zuvio and his cousins in the Niima Outpost Militia. Developed for Star Wars sequel trilogy. With the same red and green color scheme and narrow eye visor, this unnamed Gamorrean boxing fan could either be one of the Niima constables themselves, a fellow Kyuzo with similar fashion sense, or a nod to one of The Force Awakens' editing room casualties.
A Mandalorian History Recap
Din Djarin's brief conversation with Gor Koresh acts as a timely refresher on the Mandalore history covered in The Mandalorian season 1. A reference is made to the remaining Mandalorians staying hidden - a situation caused by the mysterious Great Purge. The tribe now live in the shadows and have earned an almost mythical status among outsiders. Gor Koresh then attempts to bargain for Mando's Beskar steel armor. As revealed in The Mandalorian season 1, Beskar steel is not only a valuable resource in the Star Wars world, but also incredibly rare after the Empire seized much of it from the people of Mandalore. The scene serves to remind that whatever else Djarin is carrying, his armor is a sought-after commodity in itself.
Mos Pelgo
After a little convincing, Gor Koresh reveals that a Mandalorian can be found on Tatooine, and while Djarin remains uncertain, his informant swears that one of the tribe resides within the settlement of Mos Pelgo. Not exactly one of Tatooine's most famous tourist traps, Mos Pelgo was first mentioned in the Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne video game expansion. Mos Pelgo's appearance in The Mandalorian brings the town not only into the live-action realm, but also firmly into official Star Wars canon. It's a deep cut, even by The Mandalorian's standards, but the obscurity plays into Mos Pelgo being a remote area, hidden even from the lawless population of Tatooine.
"Swear By The Gotra"
One of the more curious Easter eggs in "The Marshal" comes while Mando is interrogating Gor Koresh, who drops the line "I swear it by the Gotra." The only "Gotra" in the existing Star Wars universe is a droid rights group mentioned in the 2014 Tarkin novel, which has little bearing on the spiritual beliefs of an Abyssin gangster. Either the dual-meaning of the word in Star Wars canon is entirely coincidental, or the word Gotra is being used as an Easter egg with a brand new meaning behind it.
Tusken Raiders & Banthas
As the Razor Crest flies into Tatooine, a The Mandalorian season 2 greatly expands upon the culture of the Sand People, introducing their foul-smelling drink of choice and explaining why they raid - other settlements steal their water supply. Djarin reveals how the Tusken people live in the desert and details their relationship with the local flora and fauna, while a panning shot of the Tusken camp shows how this nomadic people brush a bantha's teeth. The tents dotted around the camp will be familiar to those who Anakin Skywalker's sand-slaughter during the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Peli Motto's Podracer
Returning to Tatooine once again, Din Djarin lands the Razor Crest in the only safe place he knows - Peli Motto's workshop. Delighted to see Mando and Baby Yoda again (mainly Baby Yoda), Motto stops to greet her old friends, and even though the camera never zooms out enough to fully see what she's tinkering with, the vehicle appears to be a podracer. Introduced in The Phantom Menace, podracing is a popular and dangerous sport on Tatooine, and before she greets the occupants of the Razor Crest, Peli Motto looks to be working on a turbine similar to those on Sebulba's racer.
Droid Watch
As with Star Wars aliens, there are plenty of droids to be found in The Mandalorian season 2's premiere episode. Peli Motto's workshop is, once again, populated by pit droids. Also introduced in The Phantom Menace, these mechanical nuisances are just as clumsy and awkward as they were when Mando first dropped by in season 1. Motto also possesses a GNK and the cripplingly-slow R5-D4 unit that once belonged to Luke Skywalker. When the Jawas appear in a later flashback, a rare CZ-3 is sighted among the junk. This droid appeared twice in the original Star Wars trilogy - with Jawas in A New Hope and at Jabba's palace in Return of the Jedi. The sandcrawler that picks up Cobb Vanth also houses a modified R2 unit.
"Thank The Force"
Reunited with Baby Yoda, Peli Motto joyously exclaims "thank the Force" as she embraces her little green friend. The line reinforces how the Jedi religion has become something of a myth in The Mandalorian's timeline - a notion established in both season 1 and the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The Force is now a holy ghost to the regular citizens of the galaxy; something people might turn to in times of great happiness or despair without really knowing the meaning behind it or believing there is truth in the fable. This reference is especially interesting, as Mando and the gang make a habit of not referring to Baby Yoda's abilities as "the Force."
