Season two of The Mandalorian is finally here! The second season opener for the hit Star Wars series dropped on Disney+ today and fans are certainly loving it.
The episode contains a ton of Easter eggs and references to other canon Star Wars material from the printed page to the small screen. It's in this new episode that fans can see the return of a potentially familiar Star Wars species on a very familiar Star Wars planet.
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At roughly the midway point of the episode, the titular Mandalorian, Din Djarin encounters a vicious looking, dog-like beast followed closely behind by some Tusken Raiders.
These beasts (which can be seen in the image above) are actually Massiffs or Tusken Dogs. According to Wookieepedia , Massiffs are classified as reptiles and the spines which protrude from their backs help determine their age. They're also typcially found in desert climates such as on Geonosis and Tatooine.
Massiffs made their first appearance in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones , the second episode in The Skywalker Saga. They showed up in the Tusken encampment where Anakin Skywalker finds his mother.
The quadrupedal creatures then cropped up in a few episodes of the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and were also referenced in a 2019 audio book before appearing in the season 2 premiere of The Mandalorian. A comparison between their animated and live-action looks is available below.
These beasts appear violent initially in their Mandalorian appearance but Din Djarin is quickly able to calm them and they actually turn out to be quite friendly!
The season two premiere of The Mandalorian is available to stream now on Disney+. The Next episode will drop on Friday, November 6, 2020.
