The premiere episode of the second season of The Mandalorian, titled “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” released today to acclaim from casual viewers and fans alike. But the latest adventure also had a ton of well-hidden easter eggs for diehard Star Wars enthusiasts.
As it came to pass, Mando and Baby Yoda’s journey to find another Mandalorian took them to Anakin Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine. There, they met Cobb Vanth, the sheriff of Mos Pelgo, a character we first saw in Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars: Aftermath. Much to our surprise and bewilderment, the marshal was wearing Boba Fett’s iconic Mandalorian armor. As per the creed, Din Djarin asked that he return the beskar, but Vanth instead made a deal with him, agreeing to give the plate back only if he’ll help the town defeat the krayt dragon.
It’s here where the two depart for the sand beast’s lair. Mando rides his speeder bike, while Vanth appears next to him in a unique vehicle that’s made out of the engine of a podracer from Episode I – The Phantom Menace. When you look close enough, the engine actually appears to be eerily similar to Anakin’s podracer, which he used in the race to win his freedom from Watto. Though if it is indeed the same one, the new owner has decided to give it a fresh coat of paint.
Until confirmation from Jon Favreau himself, or the people closely related to the series, we have no way of knowing for sure if this has been salvaged from Anakin’s podracer. Then again, we saw a lot of speeders in The Phantom Menace, and none even came close to looking like what the Chosen One had uniquely assembled.
Besides, it’s not unlike The Mandalorian to give a nod to the Skywalker Saga every now and again, especially if we’re talking about Tatooine, where it all started.