How episode 2 of The Mandalorian S2 connects to Empire Strikes Back
Disney/LucasfilmFans have discovered that the creatures introduced in episode two of The Mandalorian’s second season first appeared in concept art for Empire Strikes Back.
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After an explosive first episode of season two, the easter eggs just keep coming for Star Wars fans.
The season opener, The Marshal, saw the introduction of the Krayt Dragon – who Obi-Wan is seen mimicking in A New Hope – as well as part of Anakin’s podracer from the prequels, which we see in The Phantom Menace.
However, episode two, ‘The Passenger’, had a much more discrete link to the original Star Wars trilogy.
LucasfilmHow episode 2 connects to Empire Strikes Back
There was plenty of Baby Yoda in this episode – enough to make most fans happy. However, some people were underwhelmed with the filler episode, especially following on from such a strong Chapter 9.
It saw Din Djarin visit an ice planet and come across some new creatures for the first time – the ice spiders. Though unused before, it’s apparent that the idea of these creatures has been around for quite some time in the Star Wars universe.
According to a Reddit thread, the ice spiders originally appeared in concept art for Empire Strikes Back.
People were quick to notice the connection, with one user (VIARPE) saying: “Not to show off but as soon as I saw The Child approaching the eggs I thought of this painting and started saying ‘nononononono’.”
Others saw a resemblance to the krykna spiders used in Star Wars: Rebels, however, they had a slightly different look to them, so it’s unclear whether they are related or not.
Rebels was known to draw from original concept art a lot during the show, with planets including Lothal shaped based on Ralph McQuarrie’s designs.
His design for the ‘knobby white spider’ was initially intended to make an appearance on the planet of Dagobah in Empire Strikes Back.
As the rest of The Mandalorian season two airs, it will be interesting to see how else it relates to the original trilogy and if that could be the key to its continued success.
New episodes of the show are available to stream on Disney Plus every Friday.