Did this 2002 Star Wars game predict The Mandalorian?

Star Wars: The Mandalorian has captured our collective hearts with its love for Star Wars' sillier side and its breakout star, Baby Yoda (who is not actually Baby Yoda). After just two episodes, the Disney Plus original has spawned countless conversations about the mysterious baby alien, the Jawas love of The Egg, and how the show will fit into the larger Star Wars canon. The rapport between Nick Nolte's no-nonsense Ugnaught named Kuiil and Pedro Pascal's unnamed Mandalorian has also captivated us, but we've already seen this duo before. Kind of.

Reddit user GlarthirLover33 (big ups to the Elder Scrolls 5: Oblivion nod) posted a screenshot on r/gaming that looks a lot like the duo from Jon Favreau's show - he even titled it The Mandalorian (2019). It's not though, it's a screenshot from the 2002 GameCube and PS2 game Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, which tasked you to hunt down Dark Jedi Komari Vosa as the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett. But you can't deny the parallels here, just look at the picture. There's an Ugnaught looking cranky and a Mandalorian bounty hunter crouched next to him. Insert a floating baby stroller and you've got concept art for The Mandalorian.

(Image credit: LucasArts/Reddit user GlarthirLover33)

Bounty Hunter is a prequel to Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, which featured Jango Fett as the original template from which all the clone troopers were photocopied. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire but before the emergence of the First Order, five years after the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. So yes, I'm aware that Star Wars: Bounty Hunter and The Mandalorian have nothing to do with each other, but the pairing of Ugnaught and Mandalorian from 17 years ago is too good to ignore. Imagine if that game had blurrgs, though?

Vague, mostly unrelated Star Wars connection aside, we've got some Black Friday game deals that are worth all the credits in the galaxy.

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.