Top 10 Things You Missed in The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1
#10: “Mandalorian” Characters Only
MANDALORIAN 3x08 BREAKDOWN! Every Star Wars Easter Egg You Missed!
The “Star Wars” intro has been a staple of live-action shows since “The Mandalorian” first premiered in 2019. While masks and droids featured have varied some, viewers may have noticed this iteration is far more particular than the others. Specifically, whereas other intros have featured more classic characters like C-3PO, this one only has those that have appeared in “The Mandalorian” itself. Now that the show’s been on for a few years, it finally has enough recognizable faces to fill the nine slots, including R2-D2, who showed up in the Season 2 finale. Okay, technically Darth Vader hasn’t been on the show, being dead and all, but what are you gonna do, that guy’s always gonna show up…
#9: Greef Karga’s High Magistrate Droids
Greef Karga’s really leveled up since the last time we saw him, his position as High Magistrate of Nevarro coming with a lot of perks in the wake of all the recent prosperity. Beyond having a bust of himself in his office, he also has a series of droids wandering around, some with higher callings than others. While many fans were probably focused on the protocol droid resembling C-3PO, we found the little guys following Karga around much more interesting. Indeed, Karga has two small droids holding his cape off the ground when he walks around. We guess every droid has a purpose, but we wonder if these two find theirs very fulfilling.
#8: Pirate Races
Top 10 Things You Missed in The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 5: The Pirate
“The Apostate” introduced a new band of pirates as antagonists for Season 3, and they already have us remembering those of yesteryear. For anyone who’s watched the animated series, you’ll be familiar with pirates, particularly those under the management of Hondo Ohnaka. While Hondo himself is MIA, new pirate king Gorian Shard’s goons do look somewhat familiar. Specifically, their alien races are in keeping with those typically seen in crime circuits. There’s a Weequay much like Hondo, and Vane, who does most of the talking, is a Nikto, a species Boba Fett is familiar with after taking out a whole biker gang of them.
#7: Asteroid Field
“The Mandalorian” is a western-inspired “Star Wars” show, so it makes sense to feature a gunslinger duel on the streets of Nevarro. But one thing the franchise has been doing since the original trilogy is a chase through an asteroid field. As Mando looks to leave Nevarro, he’s confronted by Shard’s pirates and has to lose them in the asteroids. This is a tactic that’s been used by Han Solo all the way back in “Episode V” to evade a Death Squadron. Boba Fett doesn’t lose him however, possibly because he got to witness first-hand how it’s done when his father Jango engaged Obi-Wan in the asteroids in “Episode II.” It all comes full-asteroid.
#6: Mandalorian Sigils
Things You Missed in The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7: The Spies
It seems the Children of the Watch have rebounded quite well since we last saw them, assembling a few dozen Mandalorians for the opening initiation ceremony. One of the first things we noticed during this sequence are the various vigils. Of course, the most prominent one is the beskar-infused skull of the Mythosaur hanging on the cave wall, a prominent image of Mandalorians. The Mythosaur also appears on a banner during the ceremony, alongside a banner with the sigil for Clan Vizsla. While the sigil has changed over the years, it makes sense it’d be here seeing as Paz Vizsla is one of the Watch’s more prominent members.
#5: Anzellans
“The Rise of Skywalker” remains a divisive film in the “Star Wars” fandom, but one aspect people universally like is Babu Frik. Of the Anzellan species, Frik helps our protagonists unlock the secrets of the Sith dagger by altering C-3PO’s programming. Here, we’re introduced to a whole slew of Anzellans on Nevarro, as Mando enlists the tiny creatures’ help to assess IG-11’s status. While the Anzellans can’t repair the IG-11 in its current state, we get an expanded glimpse at the species’ propensity for droidsmithing. Plus, the scene makes sure to make all our adorable dreams come true by having Grogu pick one of them up, one of the few beings smaller than him.
#4: Kalevala
We knew we’d be seeing Bo-Katan Kryze again, but we didn’t know we’d be visiting Kalevala. It makes sense we’d find Bo-Katan here, seeing as it’s the homeworld of House Kryze, but this is actually the first time we’re seeing the planet, in live-action or otherwise. It’s only been mentioned on a couple occasions in “The Clone Wars” series, it being the birthplace of Bo-Katan’s sister, Duchess Satine Kryze. While Satine is sadly dead at this point, it’s good to see Bo-Katan going back to her family roots, even though she overall seems worse for wear. This may be the last we see of the planet, but Bo-Katan will definitely be back this season.
#3: Uncaged Kowakians
One of the greatest signifiers of Nevarro’s prosperity in this episode are the Kowakian monkey-lizards seen in the trees. While most “Star Wars” fans will harken back to Salacious Crumb from “Return of the Jedi,” “The Mandalorian” has actually shown the species on Nevarro before, only in far worse condition. In the third-ever episode, Mando walks through the streets of Nevarro City and spots two monkey-lizards at a stand, one in a cage and another roasting on a stick. It’s good to see things have gotten nice enough that the creatures aren’t relied on as a food source anymore, funny-looking as they are.
#2: Cara Dune Explanation
Unless you follow behind-the-scenes headlines, you might be wondering when Cara Dune will show back up. Well, we’ve got some bad news for you. After their skirmish with the pirates, Greef Karga tries to recruit Mando as Nevarro’s new marshal, filling in for Dune as marshal after she “went on assignment.” While Cara Dune was originally supposed to be a main player in future TV shows, controversial posts made by her actor Gina Carano led to Lucasfilm cutting ties. Their announcement that she wouldn’t be appearing in subsequent projects led to the belief that Dune too wouldn’t be seen again. We were wondering how the show would address her absence, and this quick explanation may be all we get.
#1: Purrgils
This is probably the moment that most had yourself asking, “What the heck is that?” En route to Nevarro, Mando and Grogu travel through hyperspace and see large silhouettes traveling alongside them. These are purrgils, a whale-like species that has the innate ability to travel through hyperspace. While we still have yet to see them in all their live-action glory, they play a major role in the series finale of “Star Wars Rebels.” During the final conflict, Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger is able to influence the creatures into thrusting himself and Grand Admiral Thrawn into hyperspace. Seeing as Ezra and presumably Thrawn will appear in the “Ahsoka” series, this may be a tease as to how that plot thread will be picked up.
