Why The Names In The Mandalorian Chapter 10 Sound So Familiar
Contains major spoilers for The Mandalorian season 2, episode 2
In The Mandalorian season 2, "Chapter 10: The Passenger," Mando (Pedro Pascal) and the Child go on quite the trip. As they continue their search for other Mandalorians — which hasn't been going well so far — Mando is forced to take on a new side mission. Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), Mando's consistent ally who has been helping them in their search, says she has a potential contact. But in order to gain the new information, Mando must transport this individual, an amphibian creature referred to as the Frog Lady (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), and her eggs to the planet where her husband is waiting.
There's a language barrier between Mando and the Frog Lady, but thankfully, Motto is available to translate. She relays to Mando, "She said her husband has settled on the estuary moon of Trask in the system of the gas giant Kol Iben."
While those names, Trask and Kol Iben, might seem inconsequential in the moment, they actually hold a lot of symbolism. Adding to the growing list of The Mandalorian season 2 Easter eggs (like the appearance of Dr. Mandible in this Peyton Reed-directed episode), the names of the moon and gas giant call back to the ever-expanding Star Wars universe in a very small yet clever way.
The meaning behind the names of Kol Iben and Trask
Both names refer to a character in the extended Star Wars universe. The first one might be more familiar for fans: Kol Iben, the name of the gas giant planet, is a reference to Kol Skywalker, a prominent character in the Star Wars: Legacy comic book series by John Ostrander, published by Dark Horse Comics from 2006 to 2011. Kol is a Jedi Master, and a descendant of Anakin and Luke Skywalker. His main storyline revolves around his son, Cade Skywalker, as Kol tries to help him remain on the path of light as he grows more powerful. Sound familiar? It's clearly a common issue for the Skywalker family. It's unlikely that Kol's story is canon, as it's considered part of the expanded Star Wars Legends universe, but those stories are constantly inspiring or being brought back into the new continuity.
Another lesser-known figure in the expanded universe, the moon Trask is a reference to a character named Trask Ulgo, a brave and loyal officer who fights for the Galactic Republic against the Sith Empire in the Jedi Civil War. Trask is featured in the 2003 roleplaying game called Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Though it was originally released for Xbox and desktop computers, the game was rereleased in 2013 for smartphones.
Keep an eye out for more deep references to Star Wars history through the rest of season 2 of The Mandalorian.