Star Wars: The Mandalorian’s Scary New Creatures Were Originally Designed for Empire Strikes Back

Friday mornings have become something of an event for Star Wars fans, as each week brings the […]

November 6, 2020, 1:59pm

Friday mornings have become something of an event for Star Wars fans, as each week brings the debut of a new episode of Star Wars: The Mandalorian. She series has seemed to unite fans of the franchise over the last couple of years, as many of the feature films have done the exact opposite. Well this week, Star Wars fans were united in fear by a terrifying race of creatures that made their live-action debut on The Mandalorian. This is the first time most have seen these beasts, but they were actually designed to debut back in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back.

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We won’t get into any spoilers from the new episode of The Mandalorian, but “The Passenger” sees Mando come face to face with a horde of spider-like creatures that hatch from xenomorph-looking eggs and have a long mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. These creatures are called Krykna, and their horrifying design was created by concept artist Ralph McQuarrie.

Did you know? The Spiders in #Mandalorian are called Krykna and first appeared as concept art from Ralph McQuarrie for ESB, and we used in Star Wars Rebels. #ThisIsTheWay pic.twitter.com/DXOAgbyUTq
— StarWarsSteveo (@SteveoWars) November 6, 2020

The Krykna were originally supposed to debut on the planet of Dagobah, where Luke finds Yoda in hiding during Empire Strikes Back. As we know now, they weren’t used in Empire or on Dagobah, but The Mandalorian executive producer Dave Filoni (who has a cameo in this episode) ended up utilizing them in Star Wars Rebels.

Here’s where things get interesting: Sabine Wren took on the Krykna when they appeared in the second season of Star Wars Rebels. If you recall, Sabine is rumored to be appearing in The Mandalorian this season, played by WWE superstar Sasha Banks. If that’s the case, the Krykna could offer some connective tissue to her and Din Djarin, even if it’s only as deep as sharing stories of fighting giant spiders.

And for those wondering, no, The Mandalorian doesn’t take a trip to Dagobah in the new episode. The planet filled with Krykna is covered in ice and nothing like the humid swamp where Luke ran into his Jedi master.

What did you think of the new creatures on The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments!

New episodes of Star Wars: The Mandalorian are released every Friday on Disney+.