This Star Wars article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian kicks the doors open on Grogu’s past in “The Foundling” as well as sends Din and Bo-Katan on a dangerous rescue mission into the heart of monster territory. Both storylines lead to plenty of lore as well as callbacks to other parts of the Star Wars saga. Most importantly, we get a massive surprise guest character that will have fans of the Prequel Trilogy spitting out their morning caf.
Here are all the Star Wars easter eggs and references we found in “The Foundling”:
Kelleran Beq and Ahmed Best
For years, ever since we learned Grogu was a youngling at the Jedi Temple of Coruscant, we’ve wondered how he escaped Order 66 and who helped him along the way. In “The Foundling,” we finally learn in a flashback that it was none other than Jedi Master Kelleran Beq who got him off Coruscant, just as the clone troopers led by Anakin Skywalker were closing in.
This Jedi Master was first introduced as the host of the kids game show Jedi Temple Challenge. Known by the nickname “Sabered Hand,” Beq was well known as an expert in lightsaber dueling, particularly in the Jar’Kai style (basically, dual-wielding blades). In Star Wars lore, Beq was in charge of helping guide Padawans through the Jedi Trials on their way to Knighthood.
Beq is of course played by Ahmed Best, who you likely know best from The Phantom Menace and the rest of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. He played the divisive Jar Jar Binks in those films as well as voiced the character in The Clone Wars animated series. “The Foundling” is Best’s first appearance in scripted Star Wars since 2014.
One last fun fact: Master Beq apparently has a relative we’ve met before in the Prequels. According to Best, his secret second character in Attack of the Clones, Achk Med-Beq, a patron at the Outlander Club where Obi-Wan and Anakin are searching for Zam Wesell, is somehow related to Master Beq, although there’s no official lore supporting that except that both Beq characters obviously look exactly alike and share similar last names.
Order 66 and the Jedi Temple
We’ve revisited Order 66 and the Siege at the Jedi Temple a few times in recent years, but here’s a brief refresher: In Revenge of the Sith, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (also known as Sith Lord Darth Sidious) instructs the Clone Army to “execute Order 66,” a secret plan to exterminate all the Jedi Knights in the galaxy. A very grim montage shows us as clone troopers turn on their Jedi commanders, shooting them down, firing squad style, across the galaxy.
Meanwhile, Anakin Skywalker, who’s just been baptized as Palpatine’s new Sith apprentice, Darth Vader, leads a clone battalion into the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to kill all who are inside, including the younglings. Fortunately, Grogu makes it out alive before Anakin can find him. If you want to see this siege from yet another perspective, check out Reva’s story in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Adonai Kryze, Bo-Katan’s Father
Bo-Katan‘s mentioned her father a few times at this point, so here’s what we know about him: his name was Adonai Kryze and he was Duke of Mandalore until he was killed during one of the many civil wars fought on the planet. He was succeeded by his daughter, Duchess Satine Kryze, a pacifist leader who sought to reform Mandalorian culture away from their warrior creed, something Bo-Katan strongly opposed in The Clone Wars animated series. In other words, Adonai’s death during a civil war led to…another civil war on Mandalore just a few years later.
Republic Gunship/LAAT
The first of three ships from the Prequels that appear in the episode, the Republic Gunship (aka the Low Altitude Assault Transport, or LAAT) made its debut in Attack of the Clones as the main vehicle used by clone troopers to drop into the battlefield on Geonosis. These ships were armed with several laser cannons that offered air support while troopers on the ground pushed forward.
H-type Nubian Yacht From Attack of the Clones
More commonly known as the Naboo yacht is another ship first introduced in Attack of the Clones. It was the ship flown by Senator Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker during their visits to Tatooine and Geonosis. Padme also flew this ship throughout The Clone Wars animated series.
Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing Starfighters
Those starfighters chasing Beq and Grogu out of Coruscant look and sound like proto-TIE fighters, but they’re actually called “V-wings.” They were the short-ranged starfighters used by the Clone Army in the final years of the Clone Wars. While they first appeared onscreen in Revenge of the Sith, they were actually first mentioned in the movie’s prequel novel Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno.
Naboo Royal Guard
The brave security force that comes to Beq and Grogu’s aid during their escape from Coruscant is the Naboo Royal Guard, who protect the leaders of Naboo as well as the planet’s citizens. They first appeared in The Phantom Menace.
501st Clone Battalion
Clone troopers obviously play a big part in the flashback portion of the episode, as they’re the ones executing the siege on the Jedi Temple as Grogu is trying to make his escape. This battalion in particular is the 501st Clone Battalion, which was the legion led by Anakin, his apprentice Ahsoka Tano, and Captain Rex throughout the Clone Wars. This battalion was later reorganized into the 501st Legion under the Empire and served Darth Vader. They were even nicknamed “Vader’s Fist.”
There’s Always a Bigger Fish: Raptors, Stone Crabs, and Dino Turtles
Several creatures show up in this episode. There are the tricky little stone crabs, who retreat into their rock-like shells when Grogu picks them up (undoubtedly to try and eat them), as well as the return of the massive “dinosaur turtle” from “The Apostate.” We’re also introduced to raptors, which look like the Star Wars version of wyverns.
As what we assume is a fun little nod to The Phantom Menace, when the injured raptor comes crashing down into that lake, a dinosaur turtle immediately rises up to feast on it. Reminds us of Qui-Gon Jinn’s old saying: “There’s always a bigger fish.”
Rondel
Grogu receives a rondel as his next bit of Mudhorn armor. This seems to be one of the earliest bits of armor given to a Mandalorian initiate, although it’s the first we’ve heard of it. Real-world knights and soldiers wore rondels to protect vulnerable points in their armor back in the Middle Ages.