The Mandalorianhas so far succeeded in telling one of the most engaging live-actionStar Warsstories in years, but a fair part of what keeps fans coming back to the misadventures of Din Djarin andBaby Yodaare the references to other parts of the franchise. The Disney+ series hasn’t shied away from offering up plenty of fanservice, and that continues with the latest episode’s nod to another beloved piece ofStar Warsmedia,Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
More than just being remembered for being incredibly solid RPGs, the 2003 BioWare game and its sequelThe Sith Lordsopened upStar Warsin a big way by letting players explore its galaxy thousands of years before the Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance. In the process, the games also introduced some of the franchise’s most memorable characters, one of which was indirectly referenced in this week’sMandalorianepisode, “Chapter 13: The Jedi.”MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW FOR BOTH THE EPISODE ANDKOTOR.
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FollowingThe Mandalorian’s other reference toKnights of the Old Republicfrom earlier this season, Chapter 13 sees Din Djarin come across fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano on the planet Corvus. It’s there that he learns that the local magistrate, Morgan Elsbeth, is out to kill Ahsoka, and in the process, it’s revealed that Elsbeth is guarded by a pair of HK-87 assassin droids.
These will be very familiar toKOTORfans, as the HK (“Hunter-Killer”) designation made its first appearance in the game with HK-47, an ill-tempered droid and one of the characters players could recruit to their party. HK-47 has gone down as one ofKOTOR’s most memorable characters for his personality and connection to the player character’s backstory, landing him multiple appearances in subsequentOld Republicgames.
While the HK-87 droids are hardlyThe Mandalorian’s most blatant Easter egg, they are still both a nice callback to theKOTORgames and a reminder of just how fondly-remembered BioWare’s original RPGs are. To this day, fans continue to hope thatKnights of the Old Republic 3will happen someday, while others have petitioned BioWare and EA to remake the original game.
Either of these happening is probably a longshot in the best case, but it can’t hurt to keep hoping. If nothing else, in the meantime there’s at least a good chance theKOTORreferences inThe Mandaloriancould continue throughout the remainder of Season 2 and thethird season coming in 2021.
