6 Speculative Goodies Regarding The Mandalorian Season 2
By: David Brandon Hyland
Tags: Television, Star Wars, Fan Theory, Culture, Comics

Photo: Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

T’is the season for Star Wars fan theories as the latest teaser for Star Wars goodness has hit computer screens once again. Our favorite Din Djarin continues the adventure as he sets out into the galactic frontier to reunite The Child with his mysterious species. The teaser trailer for the show that was released today (September 15th, 2020) did its job perfectly. It teased the television show — showing just enough to get audiences intrigued while soundlessly holding back so many lightsaber-plastered cards back, only to be released at the proper moment. While we the people will just have to wait and see when those cards are played, there was a collection of “preliminary cards” that were revealed in today’s trailer that fan speculators like the author (that’s me) simply must peel back the corners of.

1. Mon Cala

Photo: Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

To the casual movie-goer, Mon Cala is the birthplace of “Most Memeable Admiral”, Admiral Ackbar. To a fan of the lore, Mon Cala is the water-immersed planet of the Mon Calamari and Quarren, which served as the home planet of Admiral Ackbar, Admiral Raddus, and King Lee-Char. During the Clone War, Mon Cala was perhaps one of the most fought-for planets by the Republic. Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Kit Fisto, two senators, the Mon Calamari Guard, and two armies of clone SCUBA troopers and Gungans all had to work together to battle the legion of Separatist forces to achieve victory. Even though this planet is almost entirely submerged in ocean depths, as per Darth Vader #13 - #17(2017), it is revealed that there are several settlements above sea-level used for “trading and diplomacy”.

Comic: Written by Charles Soule; Illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini; Colored by David Curiel; Lettered by Joe Caramagna (panels from #13 and #14 edited); Credit: Marvel Comics & Staff

As viewers can see in the first image, the pedestrians are almost all entirely composed of Mon Calamari and Quarren, with only a few exceptions. This makes it likely that this station serves as one of those few above-water settlements that Mon Cala used for off-world relations.

2. Vibroblades

Photo: Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

Few things can withstand the blow of the infamous lightsaber in the Star Wars universe — a vibroblade is one of those exceptions. In Season One, Din Djarin and another Mandalorian of his sect (Paz Vizsla) had a brief scuffle of the vibroblades down in the catacombs. Vibroblades can also be seen in Jango Fett’s gauntlet in Attack of the Clones and in the hands of the elite Commando Droids from the Separatist Alliance.

As weapons are a part of his religion, the Mandalorian might be seen sporting one of these badass vibroblades in the form of an axe, even if it’s for a brief moment.

3. Jundland Wastes

Photo: Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away was a little astromech droid who wandered off from his newfound farmland to deliver Old War Hero Obi-Wan Kenobi an urgent message. Tracked down by the young farm boy and his gold-plated friend, the trio were attacked by the Tusken Raiders of the Jundland Wastes. And after they were attacked, they were saved by the hermit known as Kenobi and brought back to his nearby homestead for recovery.

In this trailer, we see the Mandalorian once again makes a stop to the backwater planet known as Tatooine. Only this time, he hasn’t returned to the region of Mos Eisley and the Dune Sea. This time, he’s flying into rocky regions inhabited by Tusken Raiders — likely the same rocky region known as the Jundland Wastes, where Ben Kenobi lived in A New Hope.

Fans have known for quite some time that Disney has been in the works for a Kenobi spin-off series, starring the one-and-only Ewan McGregor, who’ll take up the mantle of the Jedi beard and his sarcastic wit once again. The Mandalorian is the fourth Dave Filoni-led Star Wars television show. Chances aren’t slim that Filoni will tie in some in-continuity connective tissue that will foreshadow the events of the soon-to-come Kenobi series.

4. Outland TIE Fighters

Photo: Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

This brief shot in the trailer showcases four Outland TIE fighters taking off from an undisclosed location. An Outland TIE fighter is the kind of ride that Moff Gideon arrived in at Nevarro when he first made his appearance alongside his platoon of stormtroopers and squad of death troopers. Such a ride (it would seem) is only fitting for an Imperial officer of high ranking. The fact that there are four of them may suggest that the powerful Moff Gideon may not be the most powerful figurehead of this operation. It may suggest that rather than leading alone, he could be working with a small contingent of Empire-leading officials from the Imperial Remnant.

5. The Jedi

Photo: Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

At this juncture, little is known about our female Force-wielder seen here. However, it’s been speculated by Inverse that the actress seen here is one Sasha Banks, a fight star like Gina Carano. According to IMDB, Sasha Banks was born in 1992, making her twenty-eight years old today. The time period in which The Mandalorian takes place is five years after the Battle of Endor, meaning the year is 9 ABY (“After the Battle of Yavin”).

The events of Revenge of the Sith took place in 19 BBY — which ironically takes place 28 years before the events of The Mandalorian. As someone who’s majored in cinema/television, this author can tell you that casting for characters is done very intentionally and that film gurus like Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni would have made no mistake in casting Sasha Banks [in part] for her age.

What does this mean? It means that this Jedi was born in the year the Clone War ended and the Rise of the Galactic Empire occurred. It means that this woman could very well be the daughter of an Order 66 survivor!

Could this perhaps be the daughter of Quinlan Vos — Jedi Master and undercover criminal agent? It is alluded to that the famed Jedi Master survived Order 66 in canon; however, it is never confirmed. In the Legends comic Star Wars: Republic #83, readers can discover that Quinlan Vos had a son and was reunited with him and the rest of his family on Kashyyyk eight months after the betrayal of Order 66. This son was also born circa 19 BBY! Could this be an extension of the same creative thought? Only time will tell!

Comic: Written by John Ostrander; Illustrated by Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons; Colored by Brad Anderson; Lettered by Michael David Thomas; Credit: Dark Horse Comics (now a Marvel Comics property) & Staff

6. Ilum

Photo: Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

Last but not least is a snowy planet featured in several shots of this trailer. The Mandalorian’s quest is to return The Child back to his native people. Ilum used to be the galaxy’s largest kyber crystal depot and a deeply essential and integral part to a Jedi Initiate’s growth. It served as a milestone, where young Jedi would enter the crystal caves to seek out the kyber crystal that called out to them through the Force. These kyber crystals would serve as the small gems that powered the iconic Jedi lightsabers.

As Din Djarin is a tracker by trade, one who’s aware of The Child’s Force abilities, it would stand to reason that he would backtrack to a renowned spiritual retreat to the “enemy sorcerers” he seeks out. It is possible that Din Djarin is entering one of these caves to seek answers — only he will find more than what he was seeking (much like a youngling would in the days of The Clone Wars). After all, these caves and the planet Ilum as a whole is a creative invention of Dave Filoni, who is a creative head of The Mandalorian.

Photo: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5, Episode 6 — “The Gathering” — Lucasfilm, of The Walt Disney Company

That’s all the speculations this author has today, folks! Enjoy the rest of your day!

God bless, God first,

David Hyland