Here are all the Ahsoka Tano, the Star Wars faithful might've been expecting a more relaxed outing for Din Djarin and Baby Yoda this time around. Instead, The Mandalorian delivers a Boba Fett history lesson, advances Moff Gideon's evil plans, and brings Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand back from Tatooine.
Episode 6 of The Mandalorian season 2 takes the Razor Crest to Tython - the planet Ahsoka mentioned last week. The former Jedi was reluctant to train Baby Yoda due to her previous experience with Anakin Skywalker, and sent Din Djarin to this faraway Jedi planet instead. There, Baby Yoda could use Tython's seeing stone to decide for himself whether to train in the ways of the Jedi, reaching out to other Jedi in the galaxy. Unbeknownst to Mando, Moff Gideon has been tracking the Razor Crest ever since Nevarro, and the long-awaited rematch between them is finally set. Fortunately, Djarin has help from another of his kind - the mysterious Boba Fett.
Ominously titled "The Tragedy," the latest episode in The Mandalorian season 2 is a huge moment for Star Wars fans, redefining the perspective of long-standing characters and adding major chunks of mythology along the way. Din Djarin and Baby Yoda also find time to dig up the mandatory haul of Star Wars Easter eggs.
Slave I
Of all the Star Wars spacecraft that fans were hoping to see in The Mandalorian, Boba Fett's Slave I would sit right at the top of the list. This iconic shoe-shaped ship made a welcome return in "The Tragedy," with Boba and Fennec Shand arriving on Tython in the bounty hunter's classic vessel. Slave I first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and became an iconic part of Boba Fett's fearsome reputation both within the Star Wars universe, and among fans. Slave I was presumably parked on Tatooine when Boba Fett was swallowed by the Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi. Boba was evidently able to reclaim his ship after escaping. The Mandalorian shows a little of Slave I in action - from the twisting descent onto Tython, to the pursuit of Gideon's Dark Troopers.
Baby Yoda's Jeditation
Since the Jedi are essentially a religious sect in Star Wars mythology, it's not unusual for practitioners to meditate, bringing them closer to the Force. Yoda was the most liable to indulge in spiritual meditation during the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies, but in Jedi on Tython's special seeing stone, and Baby Yoda enters a serene meditative state. Unfortunately, the kid is captured before he can reveal the results of his meditation.
Jango Fett's Quote
When Boba Fett and Din Djarin first cross paths on Tython, Mando is suspicious of this mystery man's claim to Cobb Vanth's armor. Naturally, Djarin asks whether Boba has Mandalorian heritage, but the stranger only replies with "I'm a simple man making his way through the galaxy." This line might sound familiar to those familiar with Attack Of The Clones. When Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives on Kamino for the first time, he meets Jango Fett in his quarters. Ewan McGregor remarks on how proud Jango must be of the clone army being manufactured, to which the bounty hunter retorts "I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe." A young Boba Fett was present during this scene, and it seems he took his father's words to heart, repeating them many years later in The Mandalorian.
"Like My Father Before Me"
As well as echoing his Dad's dialogue, Boba Fett also adds "like my father before me." This Easter egg delivers a double-dose of Star Wars references. On one hand, Boba is acknowledging how his career path and outlook on life is a continuation of Jango's, paying off the famous scene where Boba cradles his father's helmet on the battlefield of Geonosis. However, "like my father before me" has wider connotations in the world of Star Wars. The line is most famously uttered by Luke Skywalker when proclaiming himself a Jedi following in the path of Anakin.
Stormtrooper Commander
In Slave I's wake, two Imperial ships full of Stormtroopers land on Tython's surface. After the Razor Crest was tagged on Nevarro, Moff Gideon's forces finally catch up with Din Djarin, and they're looking to take Baby Yoda away for more harrowing Force experiments. Most of the soldiers are regular hapless Stormtroopers, although "The Tragedy" does introduce a yellow-armored Mortar Stormtrooper. The forces on Tython also include a Stormtrooper Commander - the guy with the orange shoulder plate bossing everyone around. The Stormtrooper Commander was an early addition to Star Wars lore, appearing on Tatooine in the original 1977 movie, although the name was confirmed much later. The Mandalorian proves the Stormtrooper Commanders are still around after Return of the Jedi.
Repeating Blaster
As well as the Stormtrooper Commander, the assault on Tython also unearths another Star Wars relic - the repeating blaster. The earliest version of this mounted futuristic minigun was first glimpsed in The Empire Strikes Back's Battle of Hoth, used to attack the frozen Rebels as they fled. Since then, different variations of the repeating blaster have been seen in the video games and novels of Legends, the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and Fennec Shand in The Mandalorian, right up until she decides to borrow a tactic from a certain fur-covered playbook...
Ewok Tactics
The Rebel Alliance find keen allies in Return of the Jedi, recruiting the Ewoks of Endor's moon to their desperate cause. The Ewoks rely on rudimentary, primitive weapons to fight the Empire but, surprisingly, these prove highly effective. The cuddly (but deadly) bears use logs and rocks to take down the Scout Troopers patrolling their forests. The fact that the Empire was quite literally toppled by sticks and stones has been a running Star Wars joke ever since, and Imperial forces fall foul of rocks yet again in The Mandalorian season 2's "The Tragedy." After a blaster bolt knocks a boulder loose, Fennec Shand pushes the rock down, crushing multiple Stormtroopers and the repeater rifle. To be fair, the rock was much bigger this time.
Dark Troopers
During Giancarlo Esposito's previous appearance in The Mandalorian season 2, Moff Gideon was inspecting rows of dangerous-looking droids just waiting to be deployed. At the time, these were speculated to be Dark Troopers, and Gideon confirms as much in "The Tragedy," addressing the robotic creations by name. The Dark Trooper debuted in the Legends Star Wars: Dark Forces video game, and have since done the rounds in the Battlefront franchise and elsewhere. Dark Troopers have made canon appearances in Dawn of Rebellion and Star Wars: Commander, but The Mandalorian season 2 marks their most significant contribution to Star Wars mythology yet. Moff Gideon's Dark Troopers look markedly different to previous versions. The armor is more rudimentary, and there are jetpacks in the boots, but the telltale glowing red eyes remain.
Boba Fett's Chain Code
When the dust settles on Moff Gideon's capture of Baby Yoda, Boba Fett explains his claim to Cobb Vanth's armor in full. He shows Mando the chain code embedded in his armor, which projects a hologram of an alien script. This writing contains several references to Star Wars lore. Translated by Reddit Mandalore sector, and Jaster Mareel, who saved and adopted Jango as a child, as far as Legends canon is concerned. The Mandalorian appears to be canonizing elements of the 2002 Jango Fett: Open Seasons comic, in which the Fett family is slaughtered by Tor Vizsla's Death Watch, but Jango is rescued by the peacekeeper-turned-Mandalorian, Jaster Mareel.
Jango Fett Is Mandalorian
The big takeaway from Boba Fett's chain code is that he and his father are both Mandalorians. Although Boba Fett was the original Star Wars blueprint for Mandalorian culture, it has long been suspected that he and Jango were merely bounty hunters who stole their Mandalorian armor. These sentiments were ed by figures within Lucasfilm, who have previously claimed that Boba and Jango couldn't be true Mandalorians. The Mandalorian season 2 finally settles the debate. Boba reveals that his father was a Mandalorian foundling, just like Din Djarin, and as his son, the beskar armor is rightfully his, clone or otherwise.
