Every new episode of The Mandalorian season 2 has to be rewatched multiple times: first for Baby Yoda, then the story, and once more for Baby Yoda again. After that, we start hunting for The Mandalorian Easter eggs and – just like last week’s cameos and references – there are several nods to the wider Star Wars universe in Chapter 11. There are even some super-important appearances from spin-off characters that you should be paying attention to, as well as some fun little things you can find hidden in the background of some scenes.
The Mandalorian season 2 Easter eggs: Chapter 12
Ahsoka Tano
This is the big one – just as long as you heard it. Bo-Katan (more on her in just a minute) briefly dropped her name. That’s all to help guide Mando towards a Jedi on-again-off-again friend of hers, Ahsoka Tano.
Tano is best known among Star Wars fans as being Anakin Skywalker’s padawan and star of The Clone Wars series. Interestingly, she renounces the Jedi at one point in her life, though there’s a large chunk of that period left unexplored. Maybe we’ll hear about it once she and Mando come face-to-face – and it’s likely she’ll be played by Rosario Dawson.
Bo-Katan
Bo-Katan Kryze is pretty much the ultimate Easter egg. Not only is the Mandalorian played by her voice actor from The Clone Wars, Katee Sackhoff, she also has a deep, deep history in the Star Wars spin-off.
She’s “The Heiress” referred to in the Chapter title here, a nod to her past on the Mandalorian homeworld. Her sister ruled Mandalore and she, on several occasions, tried to overthrow her with the help of a certain Darth Maul. Thankfully, she saw the error of her ways and is back fighting the Empire.
Bo-Katan is after the Darksaber
Bo-Katan isn’t here to help Mando out of the kindness of her heart, though. In Chapter 12, she enlisted him to help take some heavy-duty weaponry from an Imperial ship. That’s going to be used to take the fight to Moff Gideon and, as we find out, his Darksaber.
Bo-Katan once possessed the weapon – which we last saw during the season 1 finale – and now she wants it back.
Nite Owls
Cool colour scheme on the trio of Mandalorians this week, right? The blue-hued armour signifies that they’re Nite Owls. No, nothing to do with Watchmen. They’re an elite unit of soldiers, led by Bo-Katan.
Death Watch
Another nod to The Clone Wars, The Death Watch were a Mandalorian terrorist splinter cell group designed to see the Mandalorians move away from their peace-loving position and towards the ancient warring ways of their previous tribes. Bo-Katan even refers to Mando’s current clan as “The Watch,” perhaps hinting that their lineage stems from the very group Bo-Katan was once a part of it
Mon Calamari
It’s not a trap! Mon Calamari – the aliens that can count Admiral Ackbar among their members – show up in the port and inn scenes on Trask. They aren’t the only species to make their faces known either…
Quarren
There are also Quarren on Trask. The squid-headed aliens first appeared in Return of the Jedi and feature most prominently throughout the prequels.
Corvus
Corvus is, supposedly, the planet on which Ahsoka Tano currently resides. The planet itself appears to be a new one – a fresh location in a galaxy far, far away is always an exciting proposition – but the name is not.
Corvus was the name of the ship used by Inferno Squad in Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Gozanti Cruiser
Speaking of ships, the Imperial ship might have been a familiar one for those Star Wars fans who know their frigates from their freighters.
It’s, specifically, a Gozanti Cruiser, that has made appearances in everything from The Phantom Menace to multiple episodes of The Clone Wars.
AT-AT crane
Probably the funniest Mandalorian Easter egg so far. AT-ATs are best known for the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. What they’re not too well known for is their practical use. An AT-AT-style crane is used to fish Mando’s ship, Razor Crest, out of the port on Trask.