The Mandalorian & Grogu will be teeming with life of many Star Wars species when it hits theaters on May 22. Directed by Jon Favreau and co-written with Dave Filoni, the film picks up after the events of The Mandalorian Season 3, with Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and Grogu enlisted by the New Republic to deal with scattered Imperial warlords threatening a fragile galaxy.
But beyond its plot and exciting visuals, the sheer number of creatures the trailers put on display is worth talking about. Very few human faces appear front and center. Instead, the screen fills with aliens of every shape, some obscure, and others you instantly recognize from early Star Wars animation. It just shows how deep into Star Wars lore Favreau and Filoni are reaching.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Will Feature 18 Star Wars Species
Human
Humans remain the anchoring species of The Mandalorian & Grogu, just as they do across the broader Star Wars saga. Din Djarin is himself human, a Mandalorian warrior raised by the covert, bound to a strict creed that long forbade removing his helmet in the presence of others. The trailers notably show Din unmasked for a stretch of the film, a significant evolution for a character whose face was hidden for most of his Disney+ run. Despite his face being shown, the film still breaks an interesting 47-year-old Star Wars rule.
Sigourney Weaver's Colonel Ward, a former Rebel Alliance pilot now leading the New Republic's Adelphi Rangers, features prominently in the trailer. So does Hemky Madera, who appears as a member of the Imperial Shadow Council. Interestingly, Hemky's character appears to be on a snowy planet similar to the one seen in the divisive The Mandalorian & Grogu Super Bowl trailer.
Yoda's Species
Nearly 90 years after Yoda first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, his species still carries no official name. George Lucas deliberately kept the species nameless to preserve Yoda's mystery, and that tradition holds in canon to this day. Grogu, formally adopted by Din Djarin and given the name Din Grogu at the end of Season 3, is the most prominent living member of this species in the current timeline.
Grogu was born around 41 BBY, raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and survived Order 66 before spending decades hidden from the Empire. Grogu is around 50 years old during the events of The Mandalorian Season 1, but he still appears to be a toddler. This is a reflection of his species' extraordinarily slow maturation. In the Mandalorian & Grogu trailer, Din even admits that Grogu "will live centuries beyond me."
Hutt
The Hutts have shaped galactic crime since their debut in Return of the Jedi. Massive, slug-like beings from Nal Hutta, they built criminal empires that rivaled governments in reach and ruthlessness. Jabba the Hutt is undeniably the most famous of them.
Three Hutts appear in The Mandalorian & Grogu. Jeremy Allen White plays Rotta the Hutt, Jabba's son, introduced as a baby in the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Now grown into a jacked alpha-male, Rotta appears to work as a gladiator and fights in the arena. The Hutt Twins, Brother and Sister Hutt, also return, first seen in The Book of Boba Fett.
Lasat
The Lasat are a large, powerfully built humanoid species from Lira San, known for their prehensile feet, formidable physical strength, and warrior heritage. The species was nearly wiped out during the Imperial era, an event that deeply shaped Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, the Lasat warrior first introduced in Star Wars Rebels.
Zeb made his live-action debut in The Mandalorian Season 3, and the new trailer confirms he's back, now flying for the New Republic.
Anzellan
The Anzellans are one of the tiniest sentient species in the galaxy, small, rodent-like beings with an extraordinary aptitude for technology and repair. They first appeared in The Rise of Skywalker via Babu Frik, the beloved droidsmith who helped the Resistance reprogram C-3PO. The Anzellan species returned in The Mandalorian Season 3, working from a shop on the planet Nevarro.
In The Mandalorian & Grogu trailer, three Anzellans team up with Grogu, riding around with him. This shows they're going to play a key role at some point in the film. For a species defined by their small stature, they sure punch above their weight.
Rodian
Rodians are one of Star Wars' most recognizable species, green-scaled, large-eyed reptilians with antennae and snouts, native to the planet Rodia. They've appeared across the franchise since the very beginning, most famously through bounty hunter Greedo, who met his end in the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope. Senator Onaconda Farr of the Galactic Republic was also a Rodian.
The most charming Rodian in The Mandalorian & Grogu is a baby. At the 1:41 mark in the latest trailer, a frightened infant Rodian sits in a floating carrier during a creature breakout. He's whisked away by his mother as she senses the danger, and Grogu promptly hijacks the hover-carrier to jet through the chaos.
Kyuzo
The Kyuzo are a reptilian species from the planet Phatrong, distinguishable by their distinctive flat-topped helmets and pale, wide-eyed faces. They speak their own language, Kyuzo. In Star Wars lore, they're synonymous with elite mercenary work, and no Kyuzo better represents that reputation than Embo.
Embo first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, becoming a fan favorite through a combination of terrifying competence and an iconic wide-brimmed metal hat that doubled as a weapon, shield, and, memorably, a sled on the icy planet Scipio. The Mandalorian & Grogu trailer confirms his long-rumored live-action debut, showing a shadowy Embo, seemingly hunting Din Djarin on behalf of the Hutts.
Ardennian
Ardennians are four-armed, fur-covered beings first introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story through Rio Durant, the cheerful pilot voiced by none other than Jon Favreau himself. The species is native to the planet Ardenn and is known for its agility. Their four arms make them exceptional at piloting and mechanical work.
In The Mandalorian & Grogu trailer, an Ardennian shopkeeper is asked a question by Din Djarin about a Hutt's whereabouts. He hilariously shuts the shop down the moment Din reveals who he's looking for. The shopkeeper is voiced by legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese.
Mantellian Savrip
The Mantellian Savrip also features in The Mandalorian & Grogu. Hailing from the planet Ord Man, Savrips are hulking reptilians who wear simple clothing and were historically hunted on their homeworld, despite being sentient beings.
The film's trailer shows a Savrip as it escapes into a crowded city street and tears the door off a shop labeled "Weathers Apollo" in Aurebesh, a tribute to the late Carl Weathers, who played Greef Karga across all three seasons of The Mandalorian before his death in early 2024. The Savrip first appeared as a holographic creature in the very first Star Wars film back in 1977. Seeing it fully realized and rampaging through a city street is a very nice callback.
Anooba
Anoobas are pack-hunting mammals found throughout the Outer Rim, on Tatooine, Nal Hutta, and beyond. They travel in packs of ten to twelve, use their chin tusks to stab prey, and can be domesticated by skilled handlers. They look something like a hyena crossed with a horned lizard, and they are not to be underestimated.
The most famous anooba in Star Wars canon is Marrok, Embo's loyal pet and hunting companion from The Clone Wars. Marrok died before the events of The Mandalorian, but the trailer confirms an anooba still accompanies Embo into The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Dragonsnake
Dragonsnakes are enormous, predatory serpents that lurk in the murky waters of swamp planets, most famously Dagobah, where one attempted to swallow R2-D2 in The Empire Strikes Back. They also inhabit Nal Hutta, the Hutt homeworld.
If memory serves you well, you'd recall one attacked Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Clone Wars episode "The Hunt for Ziro." Large, fanged, and essentially untameable, dragonsnakes are ambush predators who hide beneath muddy water and strike fast. Mandalorian & Grogu trailer shows Din Djarin facing a white dragonsnake in what appears to be a sewer setting.
Amani
The Amani are a tall, slender species from the Outer Rim planet Maridun, flat-bodied beings with long arms, large hands, and yellow-and-green skin coated in slime.
The most famous Amani in canon is Amanaman, a bounty hunter who worked for Jabba the Hutt and appeared in Return of the Jedi. In footage for The Mandalorian & Grogu, an Amani who doesn’t look like a good guy at all is seen stalking through neck-deep water in an underground cave. His terrible hissing makes him an unpleasant fella to come across.
Iktotchi
The Iktotchi are a humanoid species from the moon of Iktotch, in the Expansion Region. They are recognizable by their large, down-curved cranial horns and thick, weathered skin.
The most prominent Iktotchi in Star Wars is Jedi Master Saesee Tiin, a member of the High Council during the Clone Wars era. Iktotchi are also renowned as gifted pilots. The trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu features an Iktotchi among the mix of alien faces populating the film's city environments.
Ng'ok
The Ng'ok is a dejarik piece come to life. In the holochess game first seen in A New Hope, it appears as a claw-snapping predator of unknown origin. The Ng'ok is an ill-tempered creature with razor-sharp claws and wide jaws.
Footage from The Mandalorian & Grogu features an Ng'ok. The creature is seen snapping its claws with its jaws wide open, ready to attack during a fierce battle in the arena with Din Djarin and other dejarik creatures.
Kintan Strider
The Kintan Strider is another dejarik classic, a silicon-based lifeform from the planet Kintan, classified as one of the most formidable pieces on the board. In-universe, the Kintan Strider death gambit is a well-known tactical maneuver in the game. In The Book of Boba Fett, the name carried over to a swoop gang on Tatooine, the Kintan Striders, a gang Boba Fett defeated.
The creature itself now appears in the flesh in The Mandalorian & Grogu, entering the arena wielding a club, just as its holochess version does. Footage for the film showed the Kintan Strider attacking a Mantellian Savrip that Din was riding, knocking both to the ground.
Molator
The Molator comes from Alderaanian mythology. It's a creature said to protect the Alderaanian royal family.
Alderaan's destruction made the Molator a ghost of mythology, a creature whose world no longer exists. Its appearance among the dejarik creatures in The Mandalorian & Grogu brings one of Star Wars' old cultural symbols into the action.
K'lor'slug
The K'lor'slug rounds out the film's collection of dejarik creatures made real. With suction cup-like mouths and sharp teeth, K'lor'slugs are likely from the Outer Rim Territories. Its appearance in The Mandalorian & Grogu just shows how wild the film's dejarik gallery is. Between the K'lor'slug, Monnok, Ng'ok, Kintan Strider, Mantellian Savrip, and Molator, the film brings more dejarik creatures to life in a single story than any Star Wars film before it.
BONUS: Monnok
The Monnok is a sentient biped from the desert planet Socorro, a primitive-looking species that uses spears and staves and is considered an elite hunter on its homeworld.
In The Mandalorian & Grogu, footage confirms Din Djarin faces a Monnok in combat, wielding its signature weapon from its dejarik representation. Like the Savrip, Kintan Strider, and Ng'ok, the Monnok's appearance in this film marks the first time the creature steps out of the board and into a live-action Star Wars film.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
