Animal Er Live Season 1 Episode 2

The Mandalorian , but a season and one episode in, already stands out every bit one of the great stories in the Star Wars universe because it's a show that pays homage without rewiring mythology. Different, say, a trilogy-capper that tries to connect every dot in the suffocating Skywalker saga for twist value, the Disney Plus serial, created past Jon Favreau, reverse engineers the excitement of the original trilogy past lifting from the far reaches of canon — from alien races to weird lore quirks — and tipping a hat to moments, even goofy ones, that have go iconic in fan circles. George Lucas once said of his Star Wars prequel trilogy, "You lot encounter the echo of where it all'due south gonna go. It'due south similar poetry. They rhyme." The Mandalorian does the same for every generation of Star Wars stories.

While each episode of The Mandalorian is propped upward by its own propulsive action, Favreau litters every scene with catnip for fans. Here are a few of the Easter eggs, cameos, references, and giddy lore moments that made it into season two, episode one, "The Marshal."

Please be Constable Zuvio

A member of the Niima Outpost Militia at the Gamorrean fight in Mandalorian season 2 episode 1

Constable Zuvio was an alien created for The Forcefulness Awakens that Lucasfilm introduced in the offset moving ridge of toys for the film. Merely here'due south the twist: Zuvio was entirely cut from J.J. Abrams' finished film! Though rumors cropped up that fans could catch a glimpse of the Kyuzo during Rey'due south first vision, Lucasfilm story overlords debunked the cameo, suggesting that the grapheme never fabricated it to screen.

The shitposty legacy of Zuvio lives on in The Mandalorian season 2 premiere. Early in the the Gamorrean fight, nosotros cutting to a spectator sporting the unmistakable armor of a Niima Outpost militia homo. A mask obscures the alien's confront, but nosotros're choosing to believe this is Zuvio's moment, for the adept of Zuvio.

That's a John Leguizamo alien

The double-crossing Abyssin who really shouldn't have messed with Mando was voiced past none other than John Leguizamo, famous for his roles in the Super Mario Bros. movie, John Wick, and To Wong Foo, Thank you for Everything, Julie Newmar. Leguizamo'south short-lived cameo every bit Gor Koresh is nonetheless some other name to add to the list of funny people making Mandalorian appearances, following Taika Waititi, Horatio Sanz, Jason Sudeikis, Brian Posehn, Bill Burr, Adam Pally, Amy Sedaris, Richard Ayoade, and Werner Herzog.

Incidentally, Leguizamo's character mentions the Gotra, likely a reference to the Droid Gotra, the Clone Wars-era army of aggrieved droids that fought for droid rights and served as muscle for the Crymorah criminal offense syndicate.

The return of R5

R5-D4 returns to Star Wars in The Mandalorian season 2

The astromech droid R5-D4 is still kicking it on Tatooine, now in the employ of Amy Sedaris' Peli Motto. The unwanted droid with a bad motivator — Favreau lingers on its blast mark, merely and so it's 100% clear which famous R5 unit of measurement we're looking at — is apparently at present serving as Motto's dedicated holomap projector. Information technology's an inauspicious fate for the droid, which made the briefest of cameo appearances in season i's "The Gunslinger." Don't forget that R5 is a hero of the Rebellion; he didn't only malfunction in Star Wars Episode 4: A New Promise, but instead risked his ain life to help R2-D2 accomplish his mission, according to the Star Wars short story anthology, From a Certain Betoken of View .

Timothy Olyphant'due south entire character

Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian season 2 episode 1

Olyphant brings Cobb Vanth to life in The Mandalorian, but this isn't the character's first appearance in the Star Wars universe. He actually comes from Chuck Wendig'due south book Star Wars: Backwash , which tells the story of what happened immediately after the autumn of the Empire. The book more or less tells the story that nosotros see in this episode's flashback of Vanth's fourth dimension in Mos Pelgo. While the references to a book character volition certainly be appreciated by some hardcore Star Wars fans, information technology'due south Vanth's armor that's probable to get most people'due south attention.

Vanth is wearing armor that was found by "some Jawas" on Tatooine, which as well happens to be the armor of Boba Fett, one of Star Wars' most famous bounty hunters. Fett'south trademark armor was last seen in the series disappearing into Tatooine's sarlacc pit with Fett withal within at the start of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Withal, we go a mention of the pit in this episode, and apparently there's no longer a Sarlacc in it at all. While Mando suggests that this could have been the piece of work of the Krayt dragon, information technology'southward possible that everyone'south favorite Fett killed the monster himself to survive his Return of the Jedi fall. One thing that doesn't explain is why he's missing his armor now.

A bartender worthy of Deadwood

W. Earl Brown as the Weequay bartender in The Mandalorian season 2

Olyphant isn't the only members of the "The Marshal" cast that has Western cred. Underneath the makeup of Mos Pego's Weequay cantina owner is actor W. Earl Brown, who is best known for playing Dan Dority on Deadwood. Dan, of course, was the barkeep at Al Swearengen's Gem Saloon, and a key player in the campaign against George Hearst — led past Olyphant's Seth Bullock. Yee-haw!

Anakin'due south podracer finds new life

mandalorian and cobb ride speeder bikes, one made our of anakin's podracer in The Mandalorian season 2

Does podracing nevertheless be in the postal service-Empire world? All signs betoken to the retirement of the deadly racing sport. The Mandalorian suggests that times have been tough enough on Tatooine since the Emperor and Darth Vader took agree of the milky way that most podracing parts have been cannibalized for other purposes.

In "The Align," we see Cobb Vanth riding a speeder bike made out of a podracer engine. But they don't look similar but whatever spare parts: The yellow air scoops, the red shield protecting the combustion bedchamber, the circular compressor — it appears to be Anakin Skywalker'southward onetime racer, as seen in his fateful race against Sebulba in The Phantom Menace.

A takeoff worthy of Boba Fett's jetpack neglect

Cobb Vanth in Boba Fett armor shooting up into the sky with a faulty jetpack

Cobb apparently sports Boba Fett's armor in "The Marshal," merely the compensation hunter reference that cut deep comes around the 45-infinitesimal marker, when Din Djarin and Cobb Vanth hold their ground against the giant Krayt dragon.

The Mandalorian, being an actual warrior, has a plan to actuate the remaining bantha bombs in the creature's belly. But to do that, he needs to get Cobb out of the surface area — and there's no fourth dimension to enquire. Then he takes advantage of the major design flaw in Boba Fett'due south jetpack, first demonstrated in Render of the Jedi's sarlacc pit action sequence, and sends his new pal flying in the opposite direction of the fight. From the motility Pedro Pascal gives to tap the jetpack to the aeriform flailing, it'southward the perfect homage to one of Star Wars' lovably dopey moments.

The Krayt dragon pearl

Tuskan Raiders find a Krayt dragon pearl in The Mandalorian season 2

Krayt dragons are some of the coolest and about under-explored creatures in all of Star Wars, at least in the movies. In fact, their only appearance in the films comes in A New Hope, when C-3PO wanders by the skeleton of one. Thankfully, this episode gives united states of america plenty of Krayt dragon action.

C-3PO standing in sand dunes in Star Wars: Episode 4 A New Hope — C-3PO walking by a krayt dragon skeleton

While The Mandalorian'southward entire Krayt dragon fight is fun to see, the best role is the tiny moment at the end when the Tuskens discover a pearl inside the dragon. In the extended Legacy universe of de-canonized books and games, Krayt dragons are known for their extremely valuable pearl, which can sometimes be used in lightsaber creation. In fact, in that location's a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic mission that has you blow up a Krayt dragon using a bantha to lure it onto explosives. And when you finish the monster off, you're rewarded with a shiny pearl.

Seeing the Tuskens quickly searching for the pearl and celebrating when they institute it, without much fanfare from the other characters, who have probably never seen a expressionless Krayt dragon and take no idea how much the pearl is worth was a very prissy niggling bear on.

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