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It’s been a long week since we last saw our old pal the Mandalorian, but he’s back in action with another installment of his Disney+ series (and obviously Baby Yoda is along for the ride). Episode 3 of The Mandalorian picks up right where Episode 2 left off, dropping even more teasers as to what’s really going on while also establishing a lot of new Star Wars lore.
As with every episode of this series, there’s a whole lot to take in. Series creator Jon Favreau sure does love his deep cut Star Wars references, and that shines through in this action-packed episode. If you’re looking for the knowledge to dazzle the Star Wars super-fan in your friend group, you’ve come to the right place! Below you’ll find a list of the five Easter-iest Easter eggs in Episode 3 of The Mandalorian.
Are you ready for this deep dive into the Star Wars galaxy? And consider yourself warned, because you bet we get all into the spoilers from Episode 3 in this list. With the spoiler alert out of the way, lets get into it!
"This is the Way"
Episode 3 of The Mandalorian gets deep into Mandalore tradition upon our hero’s return to the enclave. There he hands over his hefty payment of Beskar steel to the armorer (Emily Swallow) to be forged into a new cuirass (I’m learning a lot about armor just by having the subtitles on). As tensions flare between the gathered warriors over the Mandalorian’s tangential association with the Empire, the armorer smooths things over by reminding everyone that they’re all Mandalorians and have all taken the oath. They all have chosen to follow the Mandalorian Way, and they all repeat the phrase “This is the Way.”
For IRL devotees of Mandalore culture, this is a new addition to their fandom. The Mandalorian is fleshing out the lore, and one new addition is the mantra “This is the Way.”
The Great Mandalorian Purge
After a mention in Episode 1, we get more talk of the mysterious Mandalorian Purge in Episode 3. Referred to as The Great Purge, this is another new addition to Mandalorian lore that fans will no doubt be curious about.
Right now, all we can do is speculate about the Great Purge and extrapolate from what we already know about Mandalorian history, as shown in the animated shows The Clone Wars and Rebels. We know that the Great Purge involved the Empire targeting Mandalorians, presumably on their home planet Mandalore although that’s not a given, and taking off with their holy Beskar steel, imprinting their takings with an Imperial seal. This is somewhat in line with what we know of Mandalore’s history with the Empire; the planet was pulled under Imperial rule during the Siege of Mandalore, at the end of the Clone Wars. Could the Great Purge be part of that?
I also wonder if the flashbacks to the Mandalorian’s violent childhood are flashbacks to the Mandalorian Purge. We see even more of his past while the armorer is forging his new cuirass, including shots of a B2 super battle droid. Those droids were used during the Clone Wars and seen on the animated series and in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. The timing works out, too; the Siege of Mandalore occurred 19 years before Star Wars: A New Hope and The Mandalorian takes place 9 years after A New Hope. That would make the Mandalorian himself around, I dunno, 35-40? That makes sense. We’ll see!
The Client's ice cream maker
Upon delivering the child to the Client (Werner Herzog), we finally see the “camtono of Beskar” that he mentioned in Episode 1. A camtono is a kind of safe used in a galaxy far, far away, and it looks a lot like a retro ice cream maker. That’s because it is.
This camtono is a shout out to one of the most delightfully silly parts of Star Wars lore. During the evacuation of Cloud City during the final act of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, you can see a random citizen booking it while carrying what is clearly an ice cream maker.
This guy was later named Willrow Hood by character guides, and he has become a favorite deep cut reference amongst Star Wars fans. There’s even a recurring Running of the Hoods event at Star Wars Celebration where fans dress up like Willrow and run through the convention center carrying ice cream makers.
Now people can throw in some Werner Herzog cosplay into that event.
Is Paz Vizla a Jon Favreau cameo?
We meet a whole lot of Mandalorians in Episode 3, the most prominent being a heavily-armed tough guy named (as seen in the closing credits) Paz Vizla. The credits list mixed martial artist Tait Fletcher as the guy in the suit (he was the big burly dude that tussled with the Mandalorian in the opening bar brawl in Episode 1). But who is the voice? The credits don’t list an actor!
That’s because this may be a cameo from series creator Jon Favreau. For one thing, the voice sounds like Favreau. But there’s another connection: Favreau previously voiced the Mandalorian character Pre Vizsla on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He used a different affectation for that character, so we can be sure these aren’t the same guys (also Pre Vizsla is dead, so…).
Only time will tell if this is a Favreau cameo, but it sure does sound like it.
That pipe
This is how deep of a Star Wars nerd I am: when I saw that random pipe in an alleyway outside of the Client’s stronghold, I freaked out. Why? Because it’s the same kind of pipe that Han Solo used to try to keep the trash compactor from mashing him and his friends in Star Wars: A New Hope.
Obviously this isn’t the exact same pipe, but it’s from the same type of machinery in the Star Wars galaxy. And that, apparently, is enough to make me excited!
