The Mandalorian Season 2 Easter Egg: Apollo 13 Scene Referenced in New Episode

By Andrew Gilman Posted: November 14, 2020

The beauty of film is that creators can pay tribute to others' work in new, yet familiar, ways. Star Wars has been both on the doing and receiving end of this, giving references to George Lucas' greatest influences and serving as inspiration for filmmakers of younger generations.

Sometimes the stars align and there's the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to something very personal. Ron Howard took over the director's chair when Solo: A Star Wars Story's production took a disastrous turn, putting together a fun and compelling heist for Han Solo . His daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, has now directed two episodes of The Mandalorian , and her roots as the daughter of a cinematic legend have not been forgotten...

NEWS

Bryce Dallas Howard has confirmed via Twitter that the opening sequence of The Mandalorian "Chapter 11 - The Heiress" was an homage to Apollo 13. A comparison of the reference, which sees the Razor Crest free-falling similarly to the space craft in Ron Howard's classic film, can be seen below:

Like father, like daughter! @BryceDHoward, don’t think I didn’t catch that awesome homage paid to your dad! Considering that Apollo 13 is my favorite-favorite movie, I caught it right away! 🤩 @themandalorian I know I can’t be the only one who geeked over this! #TheMandolorian pic.twitter.com/GQwokapkM9

Howard's response:

Nice catch!! 100% correct:) https://t.co/J1LSdvetYJ

WHAT THIS MEANS

Projects set in space seem to be a Howard family trademark, as both father and daughter have made their marks on the vast territory beyond. Apollo 13 is an iconic piece depicting the perils of real-world space travel, and The Mandalorian has taken note of that in displaying Din Djarin's struggles as he attempts to fulfill his quest.

The Razor Crest has taken an absolute beating in Season 2. Whether the ship is crashing into ice, being blasted out of the sky by X-Wings, or falling prey to an enormous spider, Mando can't seem to catch a break... and the only way to fix the literal breaks was with fish nets.

Bryce Dallas Howard's first entry in The Mandalorian , "Chapter 4 - Sanctuary," was solid, but "Chapter 11" took the series to new heights. Howard's work in the directorial field continues to improve, and a nod to her father's great film is the perfect way to acknowledge her background while producing excellent entries in the Star Wars universe.