Episode 2 of the second season of the Disney+ hit The Mandalorian was as
egg-centric as anything in the Star Wars universe, and that includes plenty of tasty
hidden Easter eggs for fans to spot. Here are few you may not have caught.
After returning from the successful Krayt Dragon hunt,
the Mandalorian returns to Mos Eisley in "Chapter 10: The Passenger" to meet with
Peli Motto. He reports back and lets her know that the supposed Mandalorian frequenting Mos
Pelgo was just a man in Mandalorian armor, but she reassures him that she can put him
in contact with someone who can lead him to his people. First, she introduces him to Dr. Mandible:
a giant, bug-like creature whose brief screen time carries with it a couple of meanings.
Mandible appears to be a member of the Killik species
first introduced in the Dark Nest trilogy of books by Troy Denning. A Killik that may or
may not be Dr. Mandible also appeared in Episode 5 of Season 1 of The Mandalorian,
sitting at the Cantina bar. It's also worth noting that filmmaker Peyton Reed — best known
for the Ant-Man movies — directed "The Passenger." Thus, the inclusion of this ant-inspired character
seems a not-so-subtle nod to the director's Marvel Cinematic Universe contributions.
When Mando first gets back to Mos Eisley after a long, strenuous walk across the desert, his first
stop is at the Cantina, where he finds Motto in the middle of a high-stakes card game against
Dr. Mandible. The scene doesn't last long, and their game isn't the focus by any means,
but the cards in Motto's hands point to one of the Star Wars universe's favorite pastimes:
a good old-fashioned game of sabacc.
Sabacc is a staple of Star Wars – appearing in everything from books, TV shows, video games, and,
obviously, a few of the movies. It's mentioned now and again throughout the Skywalker saga,
even popping up in the background of The Force Awakens, but its most notable
appearance came in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story. In the film, a young Lando Calrissian
cheats a young Han Solo out of a game, but the smuggler later gets his future ally back
by using his techniques against him to steal a win, walking away with the Millennium Falcon.
Turning back to The Mandalorian, here's a neat detail:
Motto's unbeatable winning hand in "The Passenger" is known as an "Idiot's Array."
"Idiot's Array! Pay up, thorax!"
And it's the same winning hand Lando had in a Star Wars Rebels episode of the same name.
"Not so fast. It appears I have an Idiot's Array."
Just before departing for Trask, Mando and the Child wait inside Peli Motto's hangar for
their passenger to arrive. As a token of their appreciation, they leave her with a portion of
the Krayt Dragon meat they secured in the previous episode, which she cooks up rather peculiarly. A
Treadwell droid holds up the cut of meat to the flames of a stationary podracer engine to roast
it, a reference to a real-life Star Wars eatery located at Disney's Galaxy's Edge theme park.
The restaurant in question is Ronto Roasters — a neat little place with a menu including
something for everyone. While Ronto Roasters doesn't have any Krayt Dragon steaks for sale,
one of its more decorative elements draws a neat parallel to this Mandalorian scene.
At the heart of the diner, you can watch droids "cook" food beneath a podracer engine in the
same fashion as Motto's droid. Even though it's all for show at the amusement park,
it's nice to see this method of food preparation make its way into Star Wars canon proper.
Mando and the Child's journey with their passenger, the Frog Lady,
and her container of eggs becomes a bit complicated
since they can't utilize hyperspace travel for the sake of her unborn children. Instead,
they have to make the journey to the planet Trask at sublight — meaning that anyone looking for
Mando will have a much easier time finding him. That includes the New Republic's X-wing patrols,
who press the bounty hunter relentlessly for information about his ship and his shady dealings.
"I need you to send us a ping. We're out here sweeping for Imperial holdouts."
One pilot in particular likely stood out to seasoned Star Wars fans from the moment he
arrived on-screen. The mastermind behind both The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels and an occasional
Mandalorian director, Dave Filoni, makes a brief appearance in "The Passenger" in a reprisal of his
Season 1 role as Trapper Wolf. The character made his franchise debut in "Chapter 6: The Prisoner,"
in which he — alongside fellow directors Deborah Chow and Rick Famuyiwa — destroys
Ranzar Malk's space hangar following the escape of New Republic prisoner Qin.
Following their crash-landing in the Razor Crest, the Mandalorian, the Child,
and the Frog Lady are left to survive in the bitter cold of an unnamed ice planet.
Fed up with Mando's sluggishness in repairing the ship, the Frog Lady wanders off into the snowy
labyrinth and finds a hot spring for herself and her eggs. Concerned for their safety,
Mando tries to get the Frog Lady and her precious cargo out of the cave, and his hunch is right.
In a scene akin to something from Ridley Scott's Alien, or John Carpenter's The Thing,
the Child unintentionally awakens a den of spider-like creatures known as the Krykna.
The Krykna have a long, storied history in the Star Wars universe,
first realized in legendary concept artist Ralph McQuarrie's The Empire Strikes Back sketches and
initially known as "Knobby white spiders." While they never appeared in that film,
the Krykna eventually made their spine-tingling entrance during Star Wars Rebels' second season,
in the episode "The Mystery of Chopper Base." They later appeared in a handful
of other installments of the series, but their introduction on The Mandalorian is
their first in live-action — and, for those with arachnophobia, hopefully their last.
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