The wait for The Mandalorian season 3 is finally over for the Star Wars fans.
Disney+ has promised a 2023 release for the third season of the fan-favorite Star Wars spin-off in the new teaser trailer released during D23 Expo.
Watch the trailer below:
The teaser trailer is rife with Easter eggs and minute references that further bind the show with the larger Star Wars universe.
Here are the top 5 Easter eggs from The Mandalorian teaser trailer that you might have missed:
The ruins of Mandalore
For two seasons, fans have been hearing about the rich culture and heritage of Mandalore that has been laid waste by the Galactic Empire. This season, we are likely to get a glimpse into the extent of The Great Purge.
At the 0:58 mark of the trailer, we see the dilapidated remains of the city of Sundari, identified by its signature dome, which also means that this season Din Djarin is traveling to the planet he calls home.
Moments before that, Bo-Katan Kryze is seen sitting on what appears to be a throne and telling Mando how their “cult” fractured the people of Mandalore. However, it is important to note that since Mando is the rightful owner of the Darksaber, Bo-Katan has no authority to rule.
Nite Owl?
At 0:50 mark of the trailer, we see Mando with a number of others donning the Mandalorian armor, but more colorful than his. In comparison, the Children of the Watch wore more austere armors to blend in with the terrain.
One can assume that they are what remains of the Nite Owls, a group of elite female warriors who sided with Bo-Katan against Darth Maul at the end of the Clone Wars series.
The Mandalorian gets friendlier with droids
Din Djarin has come a long way from refusing droids to even touch his ride to fighting alongside one to making awkward but friendly conversations with them. At the 0.55 mark of the new trailer, Djarin’s N1 Starfighter now has an Astromech droid in the form of R5-D4.
Now owned by Mando’s go-to mechanic in Tatooine, Peli Motto, R5 was instrumental in introducing Luke Skywalker to R2-D2 in Episode IV: A New Hope. The droid sacrificed himself by malfunctioning his motivator so that Owens Lars could buy R2-D2 instead from the Jawas.
Doctor Pershing returns
The mysterious Doctor Pershing also makes a return in the trailer at 1:15 mark.
He was working on cloning midi-chlorians with Moff Gideon in season 1 and 2 and extracted material from Grogu for his experiment. However, his operation failed and he was captured on shuttle Slave I for transportation. The ship was destroyed by Boba Fett and invaded by Mando and Cara Dune.
Once spared by Mando before, Pershing chose to betray Gideon this time and offered up valuable intel that allowed Mando and Co. to locate Gideon’s light cruiser and rescue Grogu.
A very popular fan theory is that Pershing’s midi-chlorian cloning experiments were focused towards bringing Palpatine back to life, because as we all know, “somehow Palpatine returned.”
We've said it before, and we'll say it again:
— David Jesse | Pop Culture & Marketing Podcaster (@TatooineSons) December 8, 2020
Dr. Pershing is the "Rosetta Stone" of the Disney-era of #StarWars. #TheMandalorian #AttackOfTheClones #Grogu #Palpatine #Snoke #ReySkywalker #TheRiseOfSkywalker pic.twitter.com/sJucdYNrBq
Babu Frik?
At 1:22 mark, the trailer shows one blink-and-you-miss-it shot of what appears to be Babu Frik or someone from his species.
Babu Frik is an Anzellan droidsmith who made his Star Wars debut in the sequels. Living during the New Republic Era, he witnessed (and somewhat helped) the Resistance fight the First Order.