The Mandalorian season 2 premiere: Who is Cobb Vanth?

The premiere episode of season 2 of The Mandalorian brought Star Wars fans the first live-action appearance of Cobb Vanth, the marshal from Tatooine.

The first episode of season 2 of The Mandalorian debuted on Disney+ today and was stuffed full of surprises and Easter eggs for Star Wars fans to enjoy.

One of the most interesting parts was the live-action inclusion of the character Cobb Vanth, who was terrifically played by actor Timothy Olyphant.

Caution! If you haven’t seen the first episode of the new season, be warned, there are quite a few spoilers ahead so read at your own risk.

When Din Djarin and the child arrive on Tatooine seeking out other Mandalorians to assist them in their adventures, the two travel to the remote town of Mos Pelgo, also known as “Freetown” in the Star Wars: Aftermath book series.

Cobb Vanth is the marshal of Mos Pelgo and dons a Mandalorian armor set that he bought from a group of Jawas. The armor closely resembles and is heavily implied to be that of Boba Fett’s, who cameos at the end of the episode. (It would confirm the 37-year-old fan theory that he survived falling into the Sarlacc pitt.)

While this was Cobb’s first live-action appearance, he has appeared in the Star Wars: Aftermath books in the past and has an established backstory.

Prior to the events of the show, Cobb had lived on Tatooine all his life and was originally a slave who gained his freedom later on in life. During the Galactic Civil War, Cobb remained on Tatooine and lived in the small mining town of Mos Pelgo.

Following the death of Jabba the Hutt and the fall of the Empire, the crime syndicate the Red Key Raiders invaded the town and took over, and Cobb barely escaped them by running into the desert, as shown in the season premiere.

Cobb eventually ran into a group of Jawas and purchased a set of Mandalorian armor off of them, which he used to kill the Raiders and liberate the town. From then on, he continued to don Fett’s armor and served as their sheriff/marshal during the five years leading up to Din Djarin and the Child seeking him out.

During that time, he protected the small town from raids by Sand People and other groups of Raiders and had a dealing with Malakili, the former beastmaster for Jabba the Hutt. Vanth is clearly very fond and protective of his town, choosing its safety over his precious armor.

And Vanth was truly an interesting character and a great inclusion in the Mandalorian series. To go along with the parting sentiment he gave Din Djarin at the end of the finale, I’m sure Star Wars fans hope our paths cross with him again in the future. As always, this is the way.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian season 2 is currently streaming on Disney+.