Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 2, episode 7, “Chapter 15: The Believer.”
In a surprising move, The Mandalorian season 2 includes a secret Poe Dameron cameo in an affectionate call-back to the sequel trilogy. But rather than tying a younger version of Oscar Isaac’s fan-favorite character into the narrative (which may yet come in the massively expanded Star Wars TV universe coming to Disney+ very soon), he was used in a way that suggests the team behind the show’s look know exactly how popular Poe is.
Penultimate episode “The Believer” actually has several thematic ties to the sequel trilogy. The reintroduction of Bill Burr’s former Imperial sharpshooter Mayfeld and the information extraction mission to Morak offered an opportunity for a Vietnam allegory following the sequel trilogy’s focus on the emotional scars of war in more real terms. Even more specifically, Mayfeld’s story sees him reimagined as an unhappy scrapper, turning Rey’s initial job in The Force Awakens and making it as a punishment in the supposedly post-Imperial world.
Poe Dameron’s “cameo” is more simple. In the usual fashion, “The Believer” included concept art from the episode’s biggest moments that played out over the credits, and Oscar Isaac appears twice in the place of pirate aliens. The concept art reveals a couple of looks at the pirate attack on the Juggernauts (including Din Djarin and Mayfeld in their normal clothes and not the transport crew disguises strangely) and a close look at the barges they fly to attack the convoy. In place of the distinctive aliens, however, the artists have included the very familiar figure of Oscar Isaac’s swash-buckling Rebel leader.
Quite why the artists have chosen to include that Easter egg is unclear, but it seems like something of a frivolous but enthusiastic opportunity to grab some fan enjoyment. The same can be said of one piece of concept art from season 2 episode 2 of The Mandalorian, which showed Peli Motto playing cards, but recapturing the famous pose of Han Solo in his face-off with Greedo, complete with a scorch mark on the wall exactly where Greedo shot (first). It’s touches like that that really confirms who John Favreau and his creative team are making The Mandalorian for.
Nostalgia that manifests in the likes of Ahsoka Tano’s live-action debut or Boba Fett’s return is one thing, but The Mandalorian goes further on a number of levels. Not only is there a concentrated effort to expand the Star Wars universe beyond just hitting new planets and instead encouraging the growth of lore and supposedly smaller stories, but the show embraces Legends in exactly the right way and also features these more playful little moments. And long may that strategy continue as Disney+ seeks to expand the Star Wars catalog even further with new shows like Ahsoka, Rogue Squadron, and Lando.
Originally from https://screenrant.com/mandalorian-poe-dameron-cameo-easter-egg-star-wars/