Star Wars: The Mandalorian Reimagines an Iconic Vehicle

We're multiple episodes into the sophomore run of The Mandalorian, and it has already been providing a unique and inspired take on the Star Wars mythos. Just in the first three episodes of the season, fans have seen the series canonize some beloved characters into live-action, introduce some major reveals, and potentially set up a major conflict in the episodes ahead. Along the way, there have been bits of worldbuilding that fans might not have been anticipating -- including a new take on one of the Star Wars franchise's most iconic vehicles. Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 3 of The Mandalorian, "The Heiress", below! Only look if you want to know!

The episode opens with Din Djarin/The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) crashing the Razorcrest on Trask, the planet he has been tasked to deliver Frog Lady (Misty Rosas) to. Since the ship is already in a state of disarray following the spider-filled events of the previous week's episode, Mando's landing on Trask is nowhere near as smooth as he would like for it to be, the ship quickly falls into the ocean, and is lifted up by a vehicle familiar to Star Wars fans -- an AT-AT repurposed into a crane.

The AT-AT's appearance in the episode works twofold -- not only does it show how the vehicle can be repurposed across the Star Wars galaxy, but it unintentionally fixes a problem that some fans have had with the craft for decades. In nearly every live-action appearance in the Star Wars franchise - especially in The Empire Strikes Back - the AT-AT has been shown to be incredibly cumbersome, and able to be taken down very easily due to its massive size, slow speed, and overall lack of agility. Using the vehicle as a crane - as well as one in water - allows the vehicle to effectively use its schematics without worrying about easily being taken out by enemy fighters.

The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian, with Gina Carano as Cara Dune, Taika Waititi as IG-11, Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon, Carl Weathers as Greef Carga, Werner Herzog as The Client, Nick Nolte as Kuiil, and Emily Swallow as The Armorer. Thus far, Season 2 has seen the arrival of Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth and Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze.

What do you think of how the AT-AT was used in Season 2 of The Mandalorian? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Season 2 of The Mandalorian will premiere on October 30th exclusively on Disney+. If you haven't checked out Disney+ yet and you want to give it a go, you can do that here.

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