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The Mandalorian: 6 castings we didn’t see coming

By C.J. Hawkings

Chapter 3. The Child and the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
Chapter 3. The Child and the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+ /
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Star Wars has always loved surprising its fans. However, it’s these castings in the first season of The Mandalorian took us by surprise.

The Mandalorian has been a pleasant surprise. Since we learned the show was coming, those of us here at Dork Side of the Force have been theorizing all kinds of things that we’ve wanted to happen on the show.

Since the beginning we’ve known Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal would play the titular character. Here are six more surprising castings from The Mandalorian Season 1 so far.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Mandalorian Season 1.

Jake Cannavale is Toro Calican and Ming-Na Wen is Fennec Shand in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
Jake Cannavale is Toro Calican and Ming-Na Wen is Fennec Shand in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+ /

1. Ming-Na Wen

Best known for her role in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D as Agent Melinda May and as the voice of Mulan, Ming-Na Wen’s casting as the assassin Fennec Shand came as a total surprise.

Though, we were surprised when the character was apparentlyl killed off in her debut episode.

Chapter 5. Jake Cannavale is Toro Calican is The Mandalorian in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
Chapter 5. Jake Cannavale is Toro Calican is The Mandalorian in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+ /

2. Jake Cannavale

While his name might not sound familiar, Jake Cannavale comes from a famous family. Making his debut in Chapter 5 alongside Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, Cannavale plays Torro Calican, a young bounty hunter who befriends and later betrays the Mandalorian.

Now, remember when we said Jake comes from a famous family? His stepmother is Rose Byrne, the Australian actress who played Padmé’s handmaiden, Dormé in Attack of the Clones. His father is Bobby Cannavale, who played Jim Paxton, the stepfather of Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Star Wars
SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 25: (L-R) Actors Vanessa Marshall, Freddie Prinze Jr., Taylor Gray, Steve Blum and Tiya Sircar attend the “Star Wars: Rebels” press line during Comic-Con International 2014 at Hilton Bayfront on July 25, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) /

3. Steve Blum

A voice acting veteran, Steve Blum voiced Zeb in Star Wars Rebels. The actor’s voice is heard in Chapter 5 as a Spaceport Operator under the name Steve Jay Blum.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – DECEMBER 09: Matt Lanter attends the Brooks Brothers Annual Holiday Celebration To Benefit St. Jude at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on December 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Morgan Lieberman/Getty Images) /

4. Matt Lanter

Star Wars fans know him as the voice of Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Forces of Destiny. What surprised us was that Matt Lanter had an appearance in The Mandalorian as Davan, a New Republic pilot who is later killed by Xi’an, the Twi’lek part of Ran’s group who had apparently had a relationships with the Mandalorian years before.

Star Wars
VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 03: Actress Natalia Tena attends the “Refugiados” photocall during the 6th FesTVal Television Festival 2014 day 3 at the Villa Suso Palace on September 3, 2014 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images) /

5. Natalia Tena

Natalia Tena knows a few things about big franchises. She was Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter films and she had a supporting role in Game of Thrones. In The Mandalorian, she plays Xi’an, a Twi’lek mercenary who had a flirtation with Mando.

Star Wars
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 18: Clancy Brown attends as Audible celebrates Tom Morello at Minetta Lane Theatre In NYC on September 18, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Audible) /

6. Clancy Brown

He’s a famous voice actor, but Clancy Brown is just as famous for his live-action roles. He played Wade Eiling in The CW series, The Flash whose mind was taken over by Gorilla Grodd. You may have also recognized him as Captain Hadley from 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption.

In The Mandalorian, Brown plays Burg, the muscle of the team of mercenaries Mando joins.

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What has been one of your favorite castings from The Mandalorian this season? You can stream The Mandalorian on Disney+.

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