The Mandalorian season 2's finale is here - and so are a whole bunch of fascinating Star Wars Easter eggs from across the franchise's history. If Disney thought The Mandalorian season 1 was a runaway success, season 2 has hit dizzying new heights, introducing more recognizable faces such as Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano and, in a shocking moment, a CGI Luke Skywalker. But despite routinely dominating social media chatter and thrilling fans throughout this season, The Mandalorian saved some of its biggest moments for last.
After recruiting another two members of his crack rescue team in Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves, Din Djarin leads the way to Moff Gideon's Imperial light cruiser, planning to liberate Baby Yoda from the Empire's clutches or die trying. Mando's squad manage to hijack the vessel with surprising ease, and Djarin himself is able to take down Gideon without much trouble. Alas, the Moff's Dark Troopers prove more troublesome, and threaten to overwhelm the good guys until the arrival of a single X-Wing. Luke Skywalker, green lightsaber in hand, cuts through the robotic crowd like they're made of paper and, after a tearful farewell, Grogu chooses to follow this mysterious stranger. A bloody death at the hands of Kylo Ren presumably awaits.
Star Wars fans certainly have much to discuss following The Mandalorian season 2's conclusion. The future of Baby Yoda, the fate of the Darksaber, and Boba Fett reigning over Tatooine are merely the tip of a larger Star Wars iceberg to chip away at until The Mandalorian season 3 in 2021. Until then, we've compiled all the Star Wars Easter eggs to be found in The Mandalorian season 2's "The Rescue."
The Mandalorian season 2's finale begins with Slave I apprehending an Imperial ship, looking to slip into enemy territory unnoticed. The ship in question is an Imperial Lambda, primarily used for transport between planets and Star Destroyers. This three-pointed vessel is a relatively well-known Star Wars vehicle, and is most famous for carrying around Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi. In a keen nod to Star Wars history, Han Solo and his rebel pals use a Lambda-class vessel to infiltrate Endor's forest moon. No wonder Moff Gideon suspects something is amiss.
Among all the Star Wars comebacks in The Mandalorian season 2, the return of Boba Fett's ship is one of the most welcome. Slave I first appeared on Tython, and following the Razor Crest's destruction, has served as Din Djarin's primary transport. In last week's raid on Morak, Slave I showed off its seismic charges, calling back to Attack of the Clones. This week, while chasing the Lambda, Slave I puts its blasters to good use. In an impressive example of attention to detail, the blaster noises (distinctly different from generic Star Wars gunfire) are virtually identical to the sound effects heard when a young Boba Fett fires at Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Kamino battle against Jango.
For many years, Star Wars fans have wondered whether the Death Star's destruction was really something to celebrate. Yes, the Empire's ability to destroy planets was crippled, and many evil villains perished in the Battle of Yavin. But surely the Empire's moon-like space station was also full of ordinary workers, either forced into servitude, or working for the Empire purely out of desperation to feed their families. The Rebel Alliance killed these folks too... and then cheered about it. The Mandalorian season 2's finale makes this long-running discussion canon, as one of the Imperials on board the Lambda challenges Cara Dune. Was the Death Star's destruction really so different from Alderaan? Dune also drops a subtle gag about the Empire's Death Star plans being thwarted twice in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi.
Aside from taunting Cara Dune about Alderaan and revealing that millions of regular officers died during the Death Star's destruction, the Lambda's Imperial pilot also spits that Alderaan's obliteration was a small price to pay to free the galaxy from "terrorists." This weighty accusation leans into George Lucas' original influence for the Rebel Alliance, the Viet Cong, who faced similar labels. The scene highlights the importance of perspective over a black-and-white notion of good and evil.
When Mando and Boba find Bo-Katan Kryze, they pass a large Mandalorian ship known as a Gauntlet fighter. The vessel likely belongs to Bo-Katan herself, rather than any of the other locals frequenting the local nearby establishments. Speaking of which...
When Mando drops in on Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves (Axe Woves was taking an unfortunately-timed day off), he finds his fellow Mandalorians in the local bar. Here, we glimpse a host of recognizable Star Wars Easter eggs. There are several Aqualish dotted around, and a Rodian strides into shot. Furthermore, a human character is wearing a long helmet in the style of the original trilogy's Rebel Alliance, and there's a blue drink of spotchka resting on the bar. In a neat piece of Star Wars symmetry, the very first Aqualish and Rodians in the franchise also debuted in a bar - the infamous Mos Eisley cantina.
Getting into a verbal spat with Boba Fett, Sasha Banks puts her WWE promo cutting skills to good use, telling the bounty hunter that he'll be "talking through the window of a bacta tank." This piece of medical equipment is how the severely injured heal in the Star Wars universe, and is first seen in The Empire Strikes Back, with a nappy-wearing Luke Skywalker floating inside after his near-death experience with a wampa on Hoth.
Inevitably, the argument between Fett and Reeves quickly turns physical, and Sasha Banks (credited by her real name, Mercedes Varnado) switches into pro wrestling mode. Propelling off a wall, Koska delivers a note-perfect Tornado DDT to Boba Fett. This is a legit wrestling move, but her WWE opponents don't usually take the bump wearing a suit of beskar armor.
The Mandalorian season 2 has introduced Dark Troopers to canon, and quite frankly, these robotic Imperial servants put Stormtroopers to shame. First introduced by the Star Wars: Dark Forces video game, Dark Troopers were a regular feature in Legends canon (the former expanded universe). The Mandalorian's Dark Troopers are slightly different in terms of appearance and weaponry, but "The Rescue" adapts more Star Wars' Legends canon when Dr. Pershing confirms Gideon's Dark Troopers are a third generation, with the organic component removed completely. In Legends, Phase Zero Dark Troopers were augmented clone troopers, but the project evolved to become 100% droid.
As the Empire's go-to vehicle, TIE Fighters have featured throughout The Mandalorian, and are deployed once again by Moff Gideon to fend off Slave I. In a moment that'll please the mechanically-minded Star Wars viewer, "The Rescue" shows how TIE Fighters are launched from a light cruiser, with a revolving hanger system and propulsion unit spitting out black fighters from the larger ship. This is notably different (and far more impressive) compared to the First Order's deployment process shown at the beginning of The Force Awakens.
As Din Djarin slowly sneaks through Gideon's ship (a little faster and he'd have saved everyone a lot of trouble), he walks past a silver bipedal droid. This is an RA-7 model, and serves as a protocol droid, explaining the visual similarity to C-3PO. The 3B6-RA-7 is first seen on a Jawa sandcrawler in A New Hope, although the droid quickly became one of many minor Star Wars characters whose reputation was enhanced through the popularity of action figures.
The Mandalorian has made subtle nods to Darth Vader in season 2, especially with regards to Moff Gideon, and the season finale drawns another parallel. Before Din Djarin vs. Moff Gideon round 2 begins, the villain follows the well-worn trope of explaining his plan and goals in great detail before getting down to business. Gideon tells Mando that by harvesting Baby Yoda's blood and biologically engineering his Force abilities, the Empire can "bring order back to the galaxy." This quote is lifted more or less verbatim from Darth Vader's speech to Luke at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, where he entreats his son, "we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy."
When The Mandalorian introduced the Darksaber in season 1's finale, fans immediately wondered what this meant for Bo-Katan Kryze and the future of Mandalore. Katee Sackhoff's character had already confirmed her intention to reclaim the weapon from Gideon, but "The Rescue" digs into the mythology and rules of owning the Darksaber for the first time in live-action. These rule of winning the Darksaber via combat is a concept borne of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, in which the blade was passed down from one ruler to the next. Although Gideon and Bo-Katan acknowledge that Mando can't simply hand over the Darksaber as a Christmas present, previous owners haven't always won the ancient relic in a fight. In fact, Bo-Katan herself inherited the Darksaber from Sabine Wren, who gave it willingly.
Fans have seen a few X-Wing fighters in The Mandalorian season 2, most notably when the New Republic's Trapper Wolf and Carson Teva helped the Razor Crest fight off some icy arachnids. So when a single X-Wing approaches Gideon's Light Cruiser, Mando's squad don't anticipate much assistance - as interesting as Captain Teva vs. an entire Dark Trooper platoon might be. Fortunately, the X-Wing contains a slightly more legendary figure - the Jedi known as Luke Skywalker, savior of the Rebellion and son of Darth Vader.
Rogue One gave Star Wars fans something they'd wanted for a very long time - Darth Vader going "full Sith" on a hallway full of Rebels. The scene finally offered a live-action showcase for Vader's fearsome reputation and power, after the more sedate lightsaber battles of the original Star Wars trilogy. The parallels between Vader's hallway scene and Luke Skywalker's in The Mandalorian season 2 are plentiful, especially after Luke emerges from the elevator. From the silent brutality to the effortless mixture of lightsaber gymnastics and Force powers, The Mandalorian creates an intentional similarity between Luke and Vader.
The Mandalorian has a history of using musical cues to call back to past movies, but the season 2 finale contains possibly the best example yet. As Luke steps foot into the bridge of Gideon's ship, having slain every last Dark Trooper on board, he lifts the hood of his cloak to reveal the digitized face beneath. As the Jedi reveals himself, John Williams' classic Luke Skywalker theme can be heard in the background.
Luke didn't come to The Mandalorian alone either - he brought his trusted co-pilot R2-D2 along, who rolls onto the scene once the coast is clear. R2 has been a constant presence throughout the Star Wars story, and his debut in The Mandalorian continues the droid's habit of being in the right place and the right time - and knowing far more than he lets on. There's also an interesting scene between the iconic droid and Baby Yoda. Do the pair know each other from the Clone Wars era, or does Grogu just find Luke's companion funny?
The Mandalorian season 2 ends with a post-credits scene in which Boba Fett storms Jabba's palace and takes the throne of Tatooine's underworld for himself. Like the original sequence in Return of the Jedi, Jabba's hideout is packed with familiar Star Wars aliens, including the Gamorrean guards from the original trilogy, a chained up Twi-lek, a Weequay, a Gran and a Quarren.
Of course, Jabba's palace isn't Jabba's any more. In the wake of the Hutt's death in Return of the Jedi, Jabba's former assistant, Bib Fortuna, seized control, and this story brings another element from Star Wars Legends over to official canon. Sadly, Boba Fett sees to it that Bib's return is short-lived. In The Mandalorian, Bib Fortuna is played by Matthew Wood, a long-standing Lucasfilm sound designer who has previously provided voices for the likes of General Grievous, Kylo Ren, and Bib Fortuna in movies, video games and TV shows.
As both Fennec Shand and Boba Fett enter Jabba's palace, they cast shadows on the spiraling wall while descending the famous Hutt's steps. The dark shapes of these assassins provide a visual similarity to Luke Skywalker's arrival at Jabba's palace in Return of the Jedi, with the newly-trained Luke's dark cloak creating its own shadowy image.
When the firefight begins in Bib Fortuna's inherited abode, the new boss sends a henchman to investigate the commotion, and can be heard saying "Maclunkey." This is a meta Star Wars reference to when A New Hope appeared on Disney+ in late 2019. The famous (now more in-famous) scene between Han Solo and Greedo in Mos Eisley cantina has been endlessly edited over the years, and just when fans thought there were no more alterations to be made, the 2019 release saw Greedo utter "Maclunkey" just before his death. To say the odd addition caught the internet's attention would be an understatement, and now The Mandalorian is getting in on the fun.
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Reviewed by Riyad
on
December 18, 2020
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