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Although the next Star Wars movie has only just kicked off production, Lucasfilm wasted no time giving fans and journalists a first look at The Mandalorian & Grogu at this year’s D23. The first Star Wars film since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker is a continuation of the Disney+ series and picks up after the end of The Mandalorian season 3, which ended with Din and Grogu settling down on Nevarro. But from the looks of the teaser footage shown at D23, the vacation is over and our beloved bounty hunting duo is back on the road.
Den of Geek was at the Honda Center in Anaheim for all the big Star Wars D23 announcements and saw firsthand as Din and Grogu came face to face with the Empire once again, this time in a particularly chilling location. Unfortunately, the teaser was released exclusively for the D23 audience, so for those of you who couldn’t make it out to the event this year, here are all the big things we spotted in The Mandalorian & Grogu teaser and what it all might mean…
Grogu, Bounty Hunter in Training
Grogu made an important choice in The Book of Boba Fett, leaving Luke’s fledgling Jedi academy to return to Din Djarin’s side. Then The Mandalorian season 3 showed Grogu taking his first steps to becoming a proper Mandalorian warrior like his adoptive dad. Grogu not only acquired a few new tricks and armor that will surely come in handy in future adventures but also helped liberate Mandalore from Moff Gideon.
So it’s really no surprise that Din Djarin refers to Grogu as his official bounty hunting apprentice in the sizzle. In the footage, Din says that he’s being more selective with his missions, presumably to better train Grogu. We know from this footage that at least one of those bounties will eventually lead to another confrontation with the Imperial Remnant.
The Razor Crest Returns!
As you might expect, the internet is full of “Somehow, the Razor Crest returned” jokes now. But yes, Din’s ship from the first two seasons of The Mandalorian is somehow back, just in time for the movie. Although the original gunship was blown to smithereens by the Empire about midway through Mando season 2, it seems Din and Grogu used the downtime between season 3 and the upcoming movie to acquire a new version.
But what happened to Din’s N-1 starfighter? Perhaps it was growing too cramped for the bounty hunting duo? You can’t exactly bring back prisoners on such a tiny ship. Whatever the case, we wouldn’t be surprised if the movie spent at least a minute or two explaining how the Razor Crest is back. Hopefully, it won’t involve any cryptic messages via Fortnite.
Zeb Orrelios Reporting for Duty
Yes, that’s Zeb Orrelios hanging out with Din and Grogu in the cockpit of the Razor Crest. Best known as one of the main characters in the Star Wars Rebels animated series, the character made the jump to live-action in The Mandalorian season 3. We learned in season 3 that, after the fall of the Empire, Zeb joined the New Republic as a pilot. The last time we saw him, he was stationed on Adelphi with New Republic rangers Carson Teva and Trapper Wolf.
Zeb’s appearance on Mando wasn’t much more than a cameo, but hopefully he’ll get more to do in the movie, which presumably has a lot more budget for the CGI required to bring the Lasat soldier to life. He’s certainly due some screentime, considering he didn’t appear at all in Ahsoka, despite that show featuring the rest of Zeb’s Rebels crew. It’ll be interesting to see whether Zeb’s role in The Mandalorian & Grogu ties into the events of Ahsoka at all. Surely, the New Republic at large has heard about the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn by now? Zeb would surely look up his old pals as soon as he learned the news.
Snowtroopers, AT-ATs, and Hoth?!
The meat of the footage takes us to an ice planet crawling with Imperial forces, including the iconic Snowtroopers and a pair of hulking AT-ATs. Is this all meant to tease a Din and Grogu adventure set on the planet Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back? A return to that frozen wasteland would certainly track, considering how nostalgic the Mando franchise is for the Original Trilogy in general.
But what would Din and Grogu be doing on Hoth so many years after the end of the war? One possibility is that the duo are trying to locate some sort of MacGuffin at the old Rebel base that could help the New Republic in the battle against Thrawn. We see the planet crawling with Imps so surely there’s something of importance there.
Of course, it’s also as likely that this isn’t Hoth at all, but a new location, or a different ice planet from Star Wars‘ past. Maybe it’s Ilum, the mysterious planet that will one day be transformed into Starkiller Base. Bring Din and Grogu to this planet would be a way for The Mandalorian & Grogu to continue to bridge the gap between the Original and Sequel Trilogies. The planet is also rich in kyber crystals, so perhaps this is all eventually leading to Grogu becoming a lightsaber-wielding bounty hunter? No, maybe that’s a little too fan fiction-y…
Baby Yoda Hangs With Babu Frik’s Species
A final shot shows Grogu hanging out with a pair of Anzellans, the same species as the beloved droidsmith Babu Frik from The Rise of Skywalker. This isn’t the first time Grogu has crossed paths with Anzellans. In season 3, we met a whole crew of them on Nevarro, where they worked to fix IG-11. Speaking of which, we have to wonder whether IG will pop up in the movie? From the looks of this footage, Din and Grogu will need all the help they can get before the end.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters on May 22, 2026.
The post Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu D23 Trailer Breakdown: Zeb, Razor Crest, AT-ATs, Hoth?! appeared first on Den of Geek.
