The Mandalorian season 2 Easter eggs: the 10 biggest Star Wars cameos and references in Chapter 12

The Mandalorian season 2
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

So far, The Mandalorian season 2’s Easter eggs have been nothing more than cute nods or references to all three Star Wars trilogies and the wider offshoots and spin-offs in a galaxy far, far away. Those found in “The Seige” still do that to be sure, but the arrival of more lore-heavy Easter eggs is a welcome one.

With that in mind, our rundown of the 10 biggest Mandalorian season 2 Easter eggs contains some pretty big spoilers. Potentially some of the biggest in Mando’s short history, in fact. Of course, there’s still your usual batch of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it callbacks to Star Wars’ storied past too. And if you missed out on all the recent fun, here’s our look at the major Easter eggs in every other episode so far.

The Mandalorian season 2 Easter eggs: Chapter 12

Dank Farrik

Dank Farrik

(Image credit: Disney)

WTF is Dank Farrik? It’s been a phrase used in The Mandalorian since way back in its debut episode last year. There, the Mythrol (who also makes an appearance on this list) exclaims it while being chased by Mando. In Chapter 12, Cara Dune says it after seeing the Mythrol fumble with trying to get the Imperial base's door open. There's no official explanation as to its meaning. If we had to guess, it’s probably Star Wars’ equivalent of a swear word or exasperated curse. Think "FFS" and you’re on the right track.

M-Count

The Mandalorian midi-chlorians

(Image credit: Disney)

No, The Mandalorian didn’t actually mention it by name. Instead of outright saying midi-chlorians (the cells that help certain species have an elevated control over the Force depending on its power), the scientist in the video message on Navarro simply said the “M-count”. That surely means the Empire is looking for someone powerful in the ways of The Force – and might be an inexplicable link between Baby Yoda and Snoke.

The Mythrol

The Mandalorian Mythrol

(Image credit: Disney)

Remember the bounty that Mando was tasked with bringing in (and covered in carbonite) way back in the first episode? He returns, and is seen under the employ of Carl Weathers’ Greef Karga – for around another 350 years or so.

Snoke

The mandalorian snoke

(Image credit: Disney)

No, that’s not a typo. It sure seems like there’s a big reference to Supreme Leader Snoke in this episode. During “The Siege”, Mando, Greef, and Cara chance upon some shadowy Imperial experiments.

Upon listening to a video message to Moff Gideon, they discover that tests are under way to help transfer blood from a species with high midi-chlorians to a host body. That, when coupled with the Snoke-like figures in the lab’s pod certainly points to this being the early origins of Snoke. Plus, there’s another clue…

A Force Awakens audio cue

Snoke Mandalorian

(Image credit: Disney)

Fire up the episode and head to the 19:00 mark. Hear that creepy chanting? It’s actually a superb nod and replication of “Snoke”, the John Williams track from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That’s two-for-two in the “Snoke origins” pile.

Dark Troopers

The Mandalorian Dark Troopers

(Image credit: Disney)

Hands up, who’s played 1995 shooter Star Wars: Dark Forces. Anyone? No? Moff Gideon seemingly has, as the Force-wielding exoskeletons (and, on occasion, droids) known as Dark Troopers were introduced there. They’ve mostly stayed on the fringes of canon, an appearance in Battlefront here or there is really about as far as it’s gone. But, by the episode’s end, it appears Gideon will be using the shadowy soldier shells to help bring Imperial control back to the galaxy.

A background blunder

The Mandalorian season 2, episode 4 features a random man!

(Image credit: Disney Plus)

This might just be an Easter egg Mando fans will talk about for years to come. In a shootout on the Imperial base, you can see a crew member in  t-shirt and jeans in the background of one shot. Unless he’s an intern who hasn’t adhered to the dress code, we can put this one down as a serious goof.

Alderaan

The Mandalorian

(Image credit: Disney)

“Did you lose anyone?” the New Republic pilot asks Alderaan’s Cara Dune this week. Maybe he should’ve brushed up on his Star Wars history. Alderaan was completely destroyed by Darth Vader and The Death Star in A New Hope. Dune is but one of a handful of its people off-planet during its destruction, including Princess Leia. Awkward.

A tribute on Navarro

The Mandalorian easter eggs

(Image credit: Disney)

Taika Waititi might not be back in The Mandalorian anytime soon – but he’s here in spirit. At the 8:25 mark you can very briefly see an IG-11 statue in the square on Navarro. The droid, voiced by Taika Waititi, sacrificed himself to save Mando and The Child in The Mandalorian season 1 finale so it’s nice to see him get some recognition.

Teacher droid

The Mandalorian Easter eggs

(Image credit: Disney)

No, that’s not C-3PO but, rather, a standard protocol droid teaching the class near the beginning of The Mandalorian season 2, episode 4. There’s nothing in the manual to help it control Baby Yoda, though, who uses his Force powers to slide a classmate’s snacks his way. Cute.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.