‘The Mandalorian’ is intended for all audiences, but creator Jon Favreau promises that there will be Easter Eggs galore for die-hard fans, including a reference to perhaps the deepest cut in all of ‘Star Wars’ lore, the ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’. No, it’s not an appearance by Mos Eisley bar owner Ackmena (Bea Arthur). (We should be so lucky.) In fact, Favreau’s homage to the infamous one-off TV event doesn’t actually connect to the bulk of the show, but rather the animated segment included in the middle of the special, which marked the first ever appearance of Boba Fett, who would go on to become one of the most popular characters in all of ‘Star Wars’ mythology.
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While filming, Favreau posted this picture on Instagram:
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Compare this photo to the still image at the top of the page and you’ll see that this is a live-action recreation of the pronged weapon that Boba Fett carried in the ‘Holiday Special’.
‘The Mandalorian’ takes place following the events of ‘Return of the Jedi’, after Boba Fett was seemingly swallowed by the Sarlacc Pit, but in both the Marvel Comics and novels, it was revealed that the popular bounty hunter managed to escape. Technically, those aren’t canon, but perhaps there is another way for him to return on ‘The Mandalorian’. Or maybe this is just a common weapon used by other Mandalorians or other warriors.
That’s not the only deep cut Favreau is referencing on his series. He also posted this image:
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You may recognize this futuristic device from the evacuation scene in ‘Empire Strikes Back’ (which also happens to be Boba Fett’s first live-action appearance). Whatever this important item is, a character was seen carrying it with him as all citizens escaped Bespin.
Of course, astute observers recognized that this was a homemade ice cream maker, circa 1980. The man carrying it became known as “The Ice Cream Man” and later was given a proper name, Willrow Hood. He appeared on screen for just a moment, but in the years since, fans have given him a lengthy and detailed backstory. Sadly, no one knows the name of the extra who grew to infamy after this throw-away scene.
You can see how many Easter Eggs you can spot when ‘The Mandalorian’ arrives on Disney+. Both the service and the series will be available on November 12. A subscription will cost $6.99 a month or $69.99 for a year.
