Star Wars: Jon Favreau Teases ‘The Mandalorian’ Props Connecting to ‘Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Holiday Special’

With creator Jon Favreau having revealed the title and synopsis of the first live-action Star Wars TV show, he has continued a Lucasfilm tradition of teasing fans with out-of-context photos, leading us to speculate wildly. The producer recently took to Instagram to tease props being used in Star Wars: The Mandalorian that connect to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.

The first photo that Favreau posted looked like an ambiguous piece of technology that has taken on a hilarious reputation for its appearance in Empire Strikes Back.

In the 1980 film, one character was evacuating Cloud City under Lando Calrissian’s orders, carrying the above piece of equipment under his arm.

The unnamed character looked like he was carrying an intergalactic ice cream maker, earning him the nickname “Ice Cream Guy” among the fan community. The character was ultimately given the name “Willrow Hood” and his backstory was elaborated to reveal that the piece of equipment he was carrying was a computer’s memory core containing important Rebel information. While we can’t rule out Hood appearing in the upcoming TV series, Favreau was likely paying his respects to the ways in which his series will incorporate minor details from all corners of the galaxy far, far away.

The most famous Mandalorian is Boba Fett, whose live-action debut was also in Empire Strikes Back. However, his initial debut was in an animated segment of The Star Wars Holiday Special, in which he rode a dinosaur-like creature and wielded a pronged firearm.

Favreau shared an image of a firearm that we first saw in the first official image of the series, which depicted a Mandalorian in traditional armor who had the above weapon strapped to their back.

This appears to be another way in which Favreau is borrowing a number of small details from minor but beloved corners of the Star Wars saga.

“The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic,” says the series’ official synopsis.

The Mandalorian is currently filming and will debut sometime next year on Disney’s new streaming platform.

Are you excited to see Favreau include these references? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T Star Wars News Net]