The Mandalorian Chapter 4: 18 Star Wars Easter Eggs And References You May Have Missed
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Episode 4: "Sanctuary"
The fourth installment of the Disney+ TV show The Mandalorian--"Sanctuary"--has arrived and with it comes an important new character and a lot of character development. We have finally met Cara Dune (Gina Carano), who is an instant favorite character on the live-action Star Wars series. We've also been introduced to a new planet, a bunch of new and familiar alien species, and so much more.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for "Sanctuary," the fourth episode of The Mandalorian. If you've yet to see the latest installment of Disney+'s live-action Star Wars show, avert your eyes now.
This episode was full of nods and references to the greater Star Wars universe of characters, aliens, droids, and so much more. In fact, there was even an appearance by one of the most devastating weapons used by the Empire during their reign over the galaxy. Beyond that, though, The Mandalorian continues to add new wrinkles to Star Wars canon, from new types of droids to deeper insight into the Mandalorian race--and Mando's tribe in particular.
Take a look below at the best Easter eggs and references from "Sanctuary." Then, if you've missed them, make sure to check out our Easter egg guides to Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3.
1. That's some tasty krill
Those little neon creatures that the farmers on Sorgan harvest are krill, and they have been mentioned in Star Wars lore before. While this is their first on-screen appearance, they were previously shown in the Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia. As seen in this episode of The Mandalorian, they're used to create the neon blue drink spotchka. It's worth noting that krill in the Star Wars universe are very similar to those that exist in real life, they just happen to be more colorful in space.
2. Farming droid
There are lots of different types of droids in the Star Wars Universe, but here's one we don't think we've seen before. Carrying those two baskets, this farming droid has very skinny and tall legs and is helping the farmers harvest their krill.
3. Local Klatooinians
On Sorgan, Klatooinians are attacking local farmers. This dog-faced species typically works as henchmen or bounty hunters. We've seen this species of alien before. Barada was the first of its kind to appear in Star Wars canon. He was Jabba's henchman during the time period between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. Additionally, there was Castas, a bounty hunter who worked with a young Boba Fett, Aurra Sang, and Bossk during the Clone Wars.
4. You little womp rat
Et tu, Mando? Baby Yoda is perhaps the most adorable thing in the history of space and Mando comparing him to a womp rat, one of the ugliest creatures this side of Batuu, is offensive. There's no way we'd be as excited to watch a show about that rodent.
Fun fact: Womp Rats have never appeared in a Star Wars TV show or movie. They've only been mentioned.
5. Hey look, more Twi'leks
Here's your weekly dose of Twi'lek. Even though Sorgan is an outer rim planet with no space port, and it consists mainly of farming communities, Twi'leks find their way out there, along with a variety of other aliens.
6. Dead god, it's a Loth-Cat
If you've watched Star Wars Rebels, then you're familiar with this species from the planet Lothal. It's a Loth-Cat and this is its first live-action appearance.
7. Finally, we meet Cara Dune
This is the first time we see Cara Dune, played by Gina Carano. The one thing to note in our introduction to her is that it seems like she's still wearing the shoulder armor from her old Shock Trooper armor. She's been on Sorgan for the past week.
8. Sorgan doesn't get shady-types too often
While Mando talks to the woman in the Sorgan pub, he slips her some credits to get more information on Dune. However, the woman doesn't seem to understand this and thinks that he just wants a drink faster. It's pretty clear that while Sorgan is on the outer rim, they don't deal with the seedy underbelly of that part of the galaxy. This planet consists of loggers, farmers, and others who work the land.
9. Cara Dune's backstory
Dune has been a part of the military, fighting against the Empire, for quite some time. She went in after the Battle of Endor to take down Imperial stragglers. She was a Shock Trooper for the Rebel Alliance, and spent time after Endor protecting delegates.
There is a bounty on her head. It may be for deserting her post, which is what her "early retirement" could have referred to.
10. This planet's taken
Dune says that one of them--her or Mando--needs to move on, and since she was there first, Sorgan is hers. While that may not make a lot of sense, since it's a big planet, we've seen earlier in the series that some bounty hunters take on numerous bounties at the same time. It's just easier if those being hunted down split up so it's not an easy target for those who have both their bounties. Additionally, overall, that means less bounty hunters will be coming to Sorgan in general.
11. Stoke
Stoke, one of the krill farmers featured in the episode that seeks out Mando’s help, is played by Eugene Cordero. The Good Place fans will recognize him as Pillboi--Jason Mendoza’s best friend and partner in crime on Earth.
12. Mandalorians are infamous, even on Sorgan
While the farmers of Sorgan keep to themselves, harvesting krill, they still know who Mandalorians are and some of that culture's traditions and ways. There have apparently been many books published about Mandalorians, which one of the Sorgans has read.
13. Someone is going to see you, Mando
The Mandalorian explains to the krill farmer, Omera, that he hasn't shown anyone his face since he was a child, but he does take his helmet off everyday. Omera leaves him some food, and this is the first time we get to see him take off his helmet. However, he does so just a few feet away from people--who could easily see his face. This is not the way, Mando.
14. Who is Omera?
We don't learn much about the Sorgan krill farmer, but she sure knows how to shoot a blaster. We see her hit the same target over and over again. At some point, she may have been part of the Rebellion. Sadly, there's no way to tell, as over the course of the episode, we don't get a lot about her backstory. It does seem pretty likely that she was a soldier at some time--probably not a Stormtrooper though because their aim is awful. She is played by actress Julia Jones, who you may recognize from the Twilight series as Leah Clearwater.
15. And there's the AT-ST
How an AT-ST got onto Sorgan is anyone's guess, since in this timeline, the last time an audience saw one of these was on the moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi. As you can see, though, there is a bit of wear and tear to this walker. The joints look a bit rusted out, and someone put some white paint on the nose of the cockpit. Another big difference is the red lighting coming from the cockpit as well.
16. Official toy
The official AT-ST Raider toy has a bit more flair than the one on The Mandalorian. There are more tribal markings, and it's apparent the legs came from different walkers.
17. So that's why he keeps the helmet on
Mando's tribe is very traditionalist. While we've seen other Mandalorian tribes in Star Wars canon before--like Clan Wren--Mando's tribe cannot take their helmets off in front of other people. If they do, they can never put it back on. Compared to Rebels' Sabine Wren, she just wore it during battles, and not even every battle she was in.
18. Who was that bounty hunter?
In the closing moments of "Sanctuary," we see an alien bounty hunter coming after Baby Yoda. The trunk-nosed alien looks familiar and could potentially be a Bravaiian, but the show keeps the character mostly obscured during its brief appearance. However, it shows that Baby Yoda and Mando aren't anywhere near as safe as they might have expected.