Classic Empire Strikes Back Character Reportedly Returning In The Mandalorian

The Disney era of Star Wars has been characterized by a refusal to let go of the past, with the studio apparently insisting that everything tie back to the Original Trilogy in some form or other. That’s why we ended up with prequels Rogue One and Solo before the latter bombing at the box office ended the Anthology spinoff series entirely, while the Skywalker Saga concluded with a disappointing over-reliance on nostalgia.

The Force Awakens was an enjoyable if too-reverential relaunch for the franchise, before The Last Jedi split opinion down the middle for daring to deviate from canon, only for The Rise of Skywalker to double down on fan service to try and repair the damage. Even the Disney Plus projects feature the return of Star Wars icon Obi-Wan Kenobi, while the Cassian Andor series is a spinoff prequel to a spinoff prequel.

So far, The Mandalorian has maintained the delicate balancing act between past and future by telling an all-new story with fresh characters in a familiar world, but the upcoming second season is adding more and more legacy players. Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan and Boba Fett are all confirmed, and we’re now hearing from our sources – the same ones that told us Ahsoka would appear months before it was announced – that an Empire Strikes Back favorite is also set to show up in the series, likely in season 3.

According to our intel, bounty hunter Bossk is poised to return to the fold in The Mandalorian. After debuting in The Empire Strikes Back, the character was briefly glimpsed in Return of the Jedi and mentioned in Solo, and also appeared in episodes of The Clone Wars and Rebels. He isn’t exactly a groundbreaking addition, and it’s unclear how he’ll factor into things, but this nonetheless reaffirms Disney’s desire to continue leaning on the vast history of Star Wars for inspiration.