Star Wars recently confirmed that one creature that hasn't been seen in live-action since The Empire Strikes Back will return to the franchise in 2026's The Mandalorian & Grogu. Based on the official synopsis for The Mandalorian & Grogu, as well as the official trailers that have been released for the upcoming film, Star Wars fans are in for a trip down memory lane, as the film is set to distinctly showcase some of the most iconic creatures from the galaxy far, far away.
A brand-new full-length trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu was recently released by Star Wars, and one shot from the footage included Pedro Pascal's helmetless Din Djarin face-to-face with a vicious-looking snake-like creature in some body of water. The trailer did not give away what will happen in the scene, but, most notably, the creature in the shot is none other than a dragonsnake, a reptile that first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back.
Specifically, in the 45-year-old movie, a dragonsnake was featured on the planet Dagobah. Just after Luke Skywalker crashed his X-Wing into the swamp and jumped out of the cockpit, fans will remember R2-D2 falling into the water. As he tried to navigate his way out, some reptilian creature pulled him under, and then, moments later, spat him back out.
This creature on Dagobah was a dragonsnake, the same species of monster that was featured in the Mandalorian & Grogu trailer. The planets of origin for dragonsnakes are Dagobah and Nal Hutta. The shot from the upcoming film's trailer did not appear to be Dagobah, so it is possible that the planet in the footage was either Nal Hutta or somewhere else.
The Empire Strikes Back was the first time a dragonsnake appeared in Star Wars, and it is still the only time one has been featured in live-action. However, a dragonsnake did appear on-screen in the animated Clone Wars series.
Specifically, in a Season 3 episode titled "Hunt for Ziro," Obi-Wan Kenobi encountered a dragonsnake on Nal Hutta while searching for Ziro the Hutt. The dragonsnake in that show appeared to be a younger one, as it was not nearly as large as the dragonsnake seen in The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Considering a dragonsnake has not been showcased in live-action since 1980's The Empire Strikes Back, many fans likely were not expecting to see one pop up in The Mandalorian & Grogu, especially not in the way that one appeared. In Empire, the dragonsnake was barely even seen, with its head and most of its body hidden underwater.
So, even though The Mandalorian & Grogu will include a dragonsnake for the first time in 45 years (this is not the first time The Mandalorian has featured something from The Empire Strikes Back), it will actually also be the first time in Star Wars history that the creature will have been seen in full in live-action.
The full trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu can be seen below:
Din Djarin's Massive Advantage Against the Dragonsnake
The trailer that was released for The Mandalorian & Grogu teased that there will be a massive confrontation between Din Djarin and the dragonsnake. However, hardcore Star Wars fans already know that Din possesses a massive advantage against the dragonsnake, and it will be hard for the creature to beat him.
As seen in The Empire Strikes Back, dragonsnakes cannot eat or digest metal, hence why the dragonsnake on Dagobah spat R2-D2 out after trying to eat the droid.
Luckily, Din Djarin is armored in one of the strongest metals there is — Beskar. Dragonsnakes cannot digest normal metals, so they definitely would have no luck trying to digest Beskar.
Most likely, Din Djarin will have quite the fight on his hands when he faces off against the dragonsnake in The Mandalorian & Grogu. Dragonsnakes are considered to be one of the most dangerous and ferocious beasts in the galaxy. He may not even beat the dragonsnake straight up. For example, the beast might swallow him.
However, since he is covered in Beskar, the film might feature Djarin blasting his way out of its stomach, or it may spit him out just as the one in The Empire Strikes Back spit R2 out, which could give Djarin the opportunity to deal a killing blow.
