From a snowy opening that echoes Hoth to a deck of cards tied to Imperial wanted fugitives, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” leans hard into Star Wars callbacks—plus a Carl Weathers tribute and a prequel-era alien return.
The snowy rush of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” moves fast, but the most satisfying surprises aren’t the ones that show up on a first watch. They’re the quiet nods—references to older “Star Wars” moments and deeper cuts—that reward the kind of fans who catch details without needing them spelled out.
The film, in theaters now, comes with a spoiler warning of its own: it’s packed with plot echoes from “Star Wars” history, and also with cameos and references that even casual viewers may miss.
The first big throwback lands right at the start. The movie’s snowy opening action sequence evokes the battle at Hoth from “The Empire Strikes Back. ” setting a familiar tone before the story veers into its own territory. Later. when the Hutts push Mando into fighting a giant snake. the setup feels like a deliberate blend of two iconic “Star Wars” set pieces—the trash compactor from “A New Hope” and the Rancor pit from “Return of the Jedi.”.
Those callbacks are just the surface. The film also brings in smaller easter eggs and characters that tie the live-action story back to “Star Wars” lore across TV and animation.
Martin Scorsese’s character links directly to Jon Favreau’s world
One of the more surprising connections comes through Martin Scorsese’s role as an alien fry cook who provides Mando information on his quest. Scorsese’s character is an Ardennian, a monkey-like alien species created for the 2018 Han Solo spinoff “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
In “Solo,” Han meets an Ardennian pilot named Rio Durant, voiced by “Mandalorian and Grogu” director Jon Favreau. Scorsese’s character is named Hugo Durant. suggesting he’s related to Rio Durant—though Rio does not appear in “Grogu. ” after dying tragically in “Solo.” The first name “Hugo” also appears to nod to Scorsese’s 2011 movie “Hugo.”.
Sigourney Weaver’s deck of cards isn’t just a metaphor
The movie gives Sigourney Weaver’s character. Colonel Ward. a detail that’s easy to miss until you realize it’s literal. When Mando is told that he will take out “every bad guy in your deck of cards. ” Ward isn’t using a figure of speech. Each card in her deck is named for an Imperial warlord on the New Republic’s radar.
Those cards are modified versions of playing cards from sabacc. the card game Han Solo was playing when he won the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian—an element mentioned in “The Empire Strikes Back” and shown in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” The deck Ward displays comes from an adapted sabacc set created by the New Republic.
A 2024 book, “The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire,” explains what the cards are for: each card features “the last known image of a wanted Imperial fugitive.” The goal was for those images to circulate across the galaxy, helping the broader population identify Imperials.
A Dejarik arena sequence turns a classic prop into live action
Another familiar object gets pulled off the shelf and turned into a full scene. Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White) is forced to fight in what’s dubbed a Dejarik match, an arena battle where creatures are unleashed.
Dejarik’s name matters because it’s the holographic game Chewbacca and R2-D2 played on the Millennium Falcon in “A New Hope. ” during the moment when C-3PO memorably tells R2 to “let the Wookiee win.” The game reappears in “The Force Awakens” and “The Rise of Skywalker. ” using holographic versions of alien creatures as pieces.
In “Grogu,” the arena fight with all those creatures is essentially Dejarik come to life, down to the arena’s floor being designed to resemble a Dejarik board.
Even Baby Jabba gets a wink: Rotta’s hologram and growth spurt
The film also revisits Rotta with a joke that lands for longtime viewers. Rotta the Hutt isn’t new to “Star Wars,” having been a significant character in the 2008 animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” where Rotta was kidnapped by Count Dooku.
But Rotta was still a baby in that 2008 story—making him “Baby Jabba” years before the later wave of Baby Yoda-era fandom.
So when the Hutt twins show Mando a hologram of Rotta and note that he has had a growth spurt since then. it plays as both a joke about how outdated that image is and a nod to how he looked the last time fans saw him. The hologram is also described as a faithful recreation of Rotta’s appearance from “The Clone Wars” movie.
Animated characters step into live action without needing big introductions
For fans who only follow live-action projects, the film still seems determined to reward deeper knowledge. Embo, the bounty hunter who captures Mando, is a returning character. Embo was introduced in the 2010 episode of “The Clone Wars” animated series.
The animated show also established Embo’s relationship with the Hutts, for whom he worked as a bodyguard, and it featured a wolf-like pet that matches what appears in the movie.
Zeb, the purple alien who teams up with Mando, is likewise not new. Zeb comes from Disney XD’s “Star Wars Rebels,” where he fought the Empire alongside Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, and Sabine Wren—names that later came to live action in the “Ahsoka” show.
A prequel-era alien makes the walk from the past to the present
Prequel fans get another specific nod through a familiar-looking species. The scary-looking alien Mando encounters on the way to see Lord Janu (Jonny Coyne) is an Iktotchi named Hogsbreth, played by Matthew Willig.
That Iktotchi species also connects back to “The Phantom Menace,” where Saesee Tiin served on the Jedi Council.
And after the creature chaos, a Carl Weathers tribute appears in the background
Some tributes are shouted; others are placed where you might only notice if you’re paying attention during the action. After the gladiator battle sequence in “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” when the creatures get loose, a sign written in Aurebesh appears.
Translated to English, it reads “Weathers Apollo,” a nod to Carl Weathers. Weathers—who played Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies—died in 2024 at age 76.
In the end, the movie’s many references don’t just act like fan service. They turn the story’s motion into a scavenger hunt through “Star Wars” history: from deck-of-cards politics and Dejarik’s holographic roots. to returning animated characters. a prequel species walk-on. and a small Aurebesh message left behind after the fight.
The Mandalorian and Grogu Star Wars Easter eggs Din Djarin Grogu Martin Scorsese Sigourney Weaver Dejarik Rotta the Hutt Carl Weathers Aurebesh Iktotchi Hogsbreth Embo Zeb