The Mandalorian season 2 episode 3, titled "The Heiress", saw the live-action introduction of Bo-Katan Kryze, as well as the acting debut of WWE star Sasha Banks (real name Mercedes Varnado). Now, Banks has talked about her experience on the show, particularly working with Baby Yoda – and whether her character Koska Reeves will return.
Speaking to Comic Book, Banks revealed we won’t be seeing Reeves again this season: “Well, I can only hope that the fans get to know more, I'm only in this episode. It's awesome but we can only hope for more stuff. So, if I can pray and manifest anything, I just hope myself and Katee [Sackhoff], Bo-Katan, can hopefully get the Darksaber one day. But we'll have to see, I don't know.”
In Mandalorian culture, the Darksaber is an important ancestral artefact. Whoever wields the weapon is considered to be the rightful ruler of Mandalore. When last we saw Bo-Katan in animation, she held the Darksaber – but now it’s in the grasp of the chilling Moff Gideon.
As for the internet’s favourite little green creature, Banks shared that Baby Yoda is the star of the show: “If you're saying he's a hungry diva then maybe he's a diva on set as well because he is the centre of attention because he is just so, so, so cute.”
She added: “Everybody, everyone, I'm talking about everybody, always ran up to him, had to look at him, had to see him because it was just so surreal that something could be and look so real. Because it moves, it has facial expressions, it went, "Ah!" and it had teeth! Its cheeks moved! It's just, I don't know how they did it, it just looks so surreal. So he was the centre of attention, and of course, why not? He's Baby Yoda, he's the child, he's so legendary.”
One important aspect of the Star Wars universe will have to remain a mystery, however. When asked how Baby Yoda smells, Banks said: “Oh my gosh, I am not a creep, okay? I have no idea! Ask somebody else that. I'm not doing that, I'm not picking him up and sniffing him!”
With the ending of Chapter 12 showing off Moff Gideon’s Imperial might, we’re certain to see him again before the end of the season, most likely with the Darksaber in hand. Whether Bo-Katan will reappear to fight him in the remaining episodes or not, we’re sure the two will eventually face each other – and hopefully Reeves will be at Bo-Katan’s side.
In fact, when asked how her WWE role and Reeves are similar, Banks teased: “I would say they have almost the same kind of attitude and just the presence of knowing of who's in control and holding her stand to be present, holding her power. I feel like that's what I try to bring to Koska, I wanted to have a little bit of a legit Boss essence. But hopefully, we can discover more in season three.”
