Episode 8: "Redemption"

The first season of The Mandalorian has come to a close, and it's time for Mando and Baby Yoda to move on. Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of The Mandalorian. If you're not caught up on the Disney+ Star Wars show, avert your eyes ir all hope will be lost. Episode 8, titled "Redemption," gets the gang all back together as Mando, Cara Dune, Greef Karga, and IG-11 take on Moff Gideon and his army of Stormtroopers and Deathtroopers.

Throughout the episode, there were plenty of moments that connected back to the animated series The Clone Wars. Why? Well, that series did a lot of the legwork when it came to the history of Mandalore and Mandalorian tribalism. Also, it's a fantastic series that you should watch. The average Star Wars fan is going to miss a lot of the connections to this series, but don't worry, we got you covered.

Going through Episode 8, we found 11 Easter eggs and references that you need to know more about. This is especially true with that final scene with Moff Gideon. Because without extensive knowledge of the Clone Wars animated series, that final scene will be more confusing than anything else.

Now, let's get onto breaking down some of the key things we noticed from "Redemption." Then, if you've missed them, make sure to check out our Easter egg guides to Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and Chapter 7.

1. Bored Scout Troopers

Rarely do we get to see what Stormtroopers do in their off time. However, a couple of Scout Troopers guarding Baby Yoda have a bit of free time while Moff Gideon and company have Mando pinned down. Like previous episodes, these rolls are played by comedic actors you probably know. One is Adam Pally--reprising his role from Episode 7--and the other is Jason Sudeikis, who you probably know from Saturday Night Live or the movie Horrible Bosses.

2. A familiar heavy blaster

The E-Web Heavy Repeating Blaster, which Gideon threatens our heroes with has actually appeared in Star Wars canon before. Early on in Empire Strikes Back, a Snowtrooper was setting one up during the Battle of Hoth.

3. Another person from Alderaan

Moff Gideon sure does know way too much information about our heroes. He reveals that Shock Trooper Cara Dune was originally from Alderaan. That's the planet where Leia Organa grew up on… also, it's the first planet the Death Star blew up in A New Hope.

4. Mando's name finally revealed

Although actor Pedro Pascal accidentally revealed Mando's true name during an interview, Gideon officially revealed his name in Episode 8, and it's Din Djarin. You'll hear that name a few more times throughout the episode.

5. Night of a thousand tears

The Mandalorian series has a ton of connections to the Clone Wars animated series, and the "Night of a Thousand Tears," which is a reference to the Siege of Mandalore, when the Jedi came to Mandalore to dispose Darth Maul (he was still alive, and better than ever) of his rule on the planet. During the siege, Order 66 took place--that moment where Palpatine decided all the Jedi needed to be killed. It was a coup in the middle of a siege on a planet that was already going through some tough times. This is also promoting the new season of The Clone Wars, as the Siege has been mentioned but never shown, and Season 7 will cover this battle--which takes place at the end of that show's timeline.

6. "Mandalorian isn't a race"

When the expanded universe was a thing, you could be a Mandalorian but not born on Mandalore. This is back in the day when Boba Fett was still considered part of the tribe. Here, the series goes back to those roots when it's explained that Mandalorian isn't a race. It is a creed. As long as you follow the code, you can be one. But again, we've alluded to the fact before that this tribe may be sect of Death Watch (from Clone Wars) who hold tradition above anything else, which means they may be willing to accept outsiders. This is getting deep into Clone Wars and Rebels lore, mixed with some speculation.

7. Blue Mandalorians

Obviously, this isn't a bunch of blue Boba Fetts running around, saving Din from Separatist droids--because Boba was a child at that time too. So why do all these Mandalorians wear the same colors? As we've mentioned in other Easter egg pieces, armor color is very important to Mandalorians. It signifies something about that. Because these Mandos seem to be wearing blue, that means they are reliable. You probably need reliable soldiers when facing battle droids.

8. Flame Troopers

Here's a new Stormtrooper for live-action. Flame Troopers have appeared in Star Wars Battlefront as well as on the Clone Wars TV series--the clone version. This is the first time in live-action we get to see one of them though.

9. No one knows what the Force is anymore

If you think about Star Wars in the grand scheme of things, people not knowing what the Force is or the Jedi are in the Mandalorian is pretty weird. Order 66 happened in Revenge of the Sith, 30 years prior to the events of this episode. So Din being confused about Jedi is pretty bizarre, especially when the Vizsla house has already been established in Episode 3, and one person from that house is Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi--more than a thousand years prior to this episode. You don't just forget about one of the ruling bodies of the galaxy over the course of half of a lifetime.

10. A weird R2 Unit

We've seen a lot of R2 units throughout the years, but this is the only one--that we can think of--that had long legs and arms. It just looks weird.

11. Darksaber

The biggest moment of the season finale is easily the most confusing to the average Star Wars fan. Gideon gets out of his crashed TIE fighter, holding what looks to be a lightsaber that's black. This is called a Darksaber, and everything about this moment connects back to The Clone Wars TV series.

The Darksaber was created by the previously mentioned Tarre Vizsla--the first Mandalorian Jedi, a thousand years before the Battle of Yavin. After Tarre's death, it was stored in a Jedi Temple until someone from House Vizsla stole it and handed it down through the generations. The last time was saw it on Clone Wars, the Darksaber was in the hands of Pre Vizsla, as he led Death Watch. During Rebels, it popped up again in the hands of Sabine Wren, and she handed it over to Bo-Katan Kryze to fight the Empire.

How Gideon got the Darksaber is unknown. He may have stolen it from Paz Vizsla--the blue Mandalorian Din fought with in Episode 3--as Pre could be his father. This is never confirmed on the series. Gideon has an artifact that is deeply rooted in Mandalorian history that belongs specifically to one of the houses.