If you're looking for all The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs and cameos, then you've come to the right place.
Star Wars is notorious for dropping in Easter eggs in every project, and The Mandalorian and Grogu is no different. Below, we've rounded up 18 Easter eggs and 7 cameos tucked away in the film. Now, to be clear, we're not counting the likes of Rotta the Hutt, Embo the bounty hunter, or Zeb Orrelios as a cameo, since those are both fully fledged characters in the film. We mean more the blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearances.
It should go without saying that the following contains major spoilers for The Mandalorian and Grogu, so turn back now if you haven't seen the newest Star Wars movie yet! If you're up to speed, then this is the Way to all the hidden details you might have missed. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.
The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs
Hutt droids
Keep your eyes peeled on Nal Hutta, and you might spot several familiar droids. Clone Wars-era battle droid heads are mounted on some of the guards, along with K2 unit heads. Plus, at one point, Mando tussles with a B2-series super battle droid.
BD units
On the New Republic base, BD droids can be seen walking in the background. These are the same type of droids as BD-1, Cal Kestis's droid companion, and they can be seen in Peli Motto's garage in The Mandalorian TV show, too.
Rotta the Hutt's hologram
When the Hutt Twins are tasking Mando with saving Rotta, they show him a holo-image of their nephew as a youngling. He looks exactly like Rotta did in The Clone Wars movie, only in live-action. This model was first revealed in a behind-the-scenes tour of Jon Favreau's creature shop.
Martin Scorsese and his movies
Martin Scorsese voices Hugo, a chef whom Din Djarin tries to ply some information about Shakari's criminal element from. Hugo, however, is very reluctant to give Mando any information because he's scared of the gangsters. Scorsese, of course, is famous for directing gangster movies like Goodfellas, The Irishman, Casino, and more. Plus, Hugo is the name of a 2011 movie directed by Scorsese.
Huttese
When Mando comes across Rotta in his cell, he greets the young Hutt with "de wanna wanga." This is a Huttese greeting, most notably used by Bib Fortuna in Return of the Jedi.
Luke Skywalker
While the last Jedi doesn't make an appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu after his cameos in The Mandalorian season 2 finale and The Book of Boba Fett, there is a reference to him. When Din Djarin shows up at Rotta's cell, he says, "I'm here to rescue you." This is exactly what Luke said to a captive Princess Leia on board the Death Star.
Lord Janu
Crime boss Lord Janu is actually none other than the Imperial Commander Coin that the New Republic want found and arrested. He first appeared in The Mandalorian season 3's Shadow Council (as did the Imperial warlord seen in the film's snowy opening action sequence).
Dejarik
Mando figures out that Janu is going to subject Rotta to a "dejarik match," meaning he's going to keep throwing foes at Rotta until the Hutt is killed. Dejarik is the name of Star Wars's equivalent of chess, which is played by C-3PO and Chewbacca on the Millenium Falcon in A New Hope. The enemies that Rotta faces are the same as the holographic players on the board. Cal Kestis went through a similar experience in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, though it wasn't an actual dejarik match.
"I can bring you in warm..."
When Din Djarin arrests Janu, he says his classic catchphrase, first heard in the very first episode of the show: "I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold." This convinces Janu to surrender without a fight.
Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano
Neither Jedi nor Padawan make an appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu, but Rotta does tell Mando that, when he was Baby Yoda's age, he had to fend for himself. This isn't strictly true, as, when Rotta was a baby, he was kidnapped by Separatists and rescued by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. They returned Baby Rotta safely to his father, Jabba the Hutt, on Tatooine.
Macarons
As Rotta departs on the gunrunner Mando found to take him safely out of reach of the Hutt Twins, he gives Grogu a parting gift: teal macarons. Grogu ate these in The Mandalorian show, and promptly threw them up during a space battle. This time, Mando confiscates them before Grogu can eat too many, then uses them to lure away Embo the bounty hunter's anooba (not The Clone Wars's Marrok – no relation to Inquisitor Marrok – but a new anooba named Keibu).
Trap door
The Hutt Twins drop Mando through a trap door, where he has to face a giant dragon snake. This mirrors Jabba the Hutt dropping Luke Skywalker through a trap door, where he had to face a Rancor.
Amani
As Mando escapes the Hutt lair, the Twins release the Amani, slimy aquatic creatures first introduced in The Clone Wars.
Grogu's walking stick
While Mando is injured from being poisoned, Grogu gets himself a walking stick to help him trek through the forest, then meditates on a tree branch. He looks just like Yoda.
"This is the Way"
The Mandalorian says his other iconic catchphrase, "this is the Way," after he recovers from being poisoned after Grogu feeds him the poultice given to him by the friendly stranger in the forest.
Grogu's Force calming
Grogu is able to use the Force to calm Embo's annoba Keibu in the Twins's lair. He used this same ability on the Rancor in The Book of Boba Fett.
Droids breaking down the door
Towards the end of the film, Mando stays behind as the Twins's droid guard attempt to break down the door to their throne room. This is just like the scene in The Mandalorian season 2 finale, when the Dark Troopers were smashing down the door on Moff Gideon's ship.
X-wings
Colonel Ward and the other X-wing pilots show up to save the day on Nal Hutta, and they use the same targeting computers as in the Death Star trench run in A New Hope. Plus, as they fly away, their formation looks very similar to the starships flying away from the Death Star right before it explodes.
The Mandalorian and Grogu cameos
Martin Scorsese
One of the most legendary directors of all time voices Hugo the chef in The Mandalorian and Grogu: Martin Scorsese himself. He even gets a credit in the opening sequence
"I know him, and I'm friendly with him when I see him," Favreau told SFX magazine of how the cameo came about. "But also I'm a fan, so I get a little tongue-tied, to be honest with you, when I'm around him and his generation of filmmakers that were so influential on me."
Kathleen Kennedy helped make it all happen. "She knows him well, she socialises with him, and she's like a gold-star producer, so this was an easy one for her," Favreau revealed. "She called him up, he said yes and I got to direct him. He was improvising, and we recorded his whole performance, which we then gave to the CG animators. Boy, it's quite impressive what they were able to do. It's one of the funnest parts of the film. It works well for the story, as a fan of Marty and as a fan of Star Wars."
Dave Filoni
Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni returns as Trapper Wolf, watching Mando bring in Janu Coin and then flying an X-wing in Adelphi squadron at the end of the film. He first appeared in live-action Star Wars in The Mandalorian season 1.
Deborah Chow
Deborah Chow is back as her Star Wars character Sash Ketter, seen in Adelphi Base. Chow directed two episodes of season 1 of The Mandalorian and also directed all of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and she first had a cameo in The Mandalorian season 1.
Rick Famuyiwa
Rick Famuyiwa has directed episodes of The Mandalorian and one episode of Ahsoka, and he reprises his role as Jib Dodger the pilot – whom he cameos as in The Mandalorian season 1 – in The Mandalorian and Grogu. He's part of Adelphi Squadron and shows up at the end to help rescue Mando.
Lee Isaac Chung
One of the pilots in Adelphi Squadron is filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, who plays Lieutenant Garrett Sal. He debuted in a cameo in The Mandalorian season 3. Behind the camera, he directed an episode of season 3 and an episode of Skeleton Crew.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Carson Teva
When the Adelphi Squadron shows up to rescue Mando, Carson Teva is one of the pilots flying with them. Played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, you probably recognize him from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka.
Anthony Daniels
C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels is credited as voicing an Air Traffic Control Droid in The Mandalorian and Grogu.
For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or our guide to watching all the Star Wars movies in order.
