Why The Mandalorian Chapter 9 Holonet Scene Means More Than You Think

The first episode of The Mandalorian season 2 has dropped on Disney+, and there's a lot for Star Wars fans to get excited about. In addition to some excellent world-building, the series has also done a tremendous job in providing plenty of fan service to people who have been with the franchise from the very beginning. The latest episode contains a fun little Return of the Jedi Easter egg, and a fan-favorite character makes a return during the episode's final moments.

Jawas and even Tusken Raiders have returned, but there are certain details you'd really need an expert attention to detail to notice. For example, there's one moment during the episode in which Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) has a flashback to the day the second Death Star was destroyed. We see the townspeople of Mos Pelgo celebrating the destruction, but at the bottom of the Holonet, you may have noticed some text in the Star Wars galaxy's Aurebesh writing. As it turns out, that wasn't just a bunch of scribbles meant to fill in the frame — one viewer translated the writing and found a fun little Easter egg that also happens to open up a plot hole.

Thanks to We Got This Covered, we now know what the text says, and it turns out it's part of the opening crawl to Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. The writing states, "Little does Luke know that the GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly begun construction on a new armored space station even more powerful than the first dreaded Death Star." It's a fun Easter egg and a nice callback to the original trilogy. However, it does pose some questions. 

The text discusses the construction of the second Death Star that pushed the plot forward in Return of the Jedi. The only problem is that the townspeople are watching the climax of that film, when the second Death Star blows up. It doesn't make sense for the broadcast to include dated information, and while it messes up the timeline ever so slightly, it's probably not the biggest deal in the galaxy, considering it was only meant to be a subtle Easter egg for anyone willing to translate it. 

It's safe to say the remainder of The Mandalorian season 2 will continue to focus on references to the Star Wars mythos, such as bringing Ahsako Tano (Rosario Dawson) into the cast. Still, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for subtler details, as there are sure to be a lot of them.