Mando’s Biggest Monster Is A Star Wars Deep-Cut That’s Been Hiding For 46 Years
A terrifying creature in The Mandalorian and Grogu has a long history.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is full of creatures: Hutts, Anzellans, basically all the holochess pieces, and, of course, Grogu himself. But one of the most interesting creatures in the movie is the Dragonsnake, a Basilisk-esque monster who was revealed in the trailers before the movie even premiered.
You may not remember, but Star Wars fans have actually seen this alien before: a Dragonsnake is shown on Dagobah when Luke first arrives on the planet in The Empire Strikes Back. But, like most creatures who appeared in the original trilogy, the Dragonsnake actually has a long and storied history both in and out of canon.
The non-canon Dagobah Dragonsnake is more dragon than snake, unlike its Nal Hutta variant.
In canon, Dragonsnakes are reptilian creatures who live in swamps. While it appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, it didn’t actually get a name until “Hunt for Ziro” in Season 3 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, when Obi-Wan Kenobi encountered one on Nal Hutta. Aside from that, it's only other canon appearance is as a skull in another Clone Wars episode.
Outside of canon, however, we know a lot about these creatures, especially because of reference books like The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide. Thanks to that, we know Dragonsnakes are omnivores with razor-sharp fins who enjoy sunning themselves on rocks.
But in the 2010 graphic novella Star Wars Adventures: Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes, we actually learned something about the social structure of the Dragonsnakes. The one that actually tried to eat R2-D2 was actually the King of the Dragonsnakes, who rules over Dragonsnake Bog with an iron fin. This actually becomes part of Luke’s training: Yoda makes him confront and bond with the King of the Dragonsnakes using the Force.
The Nal Hutta Dragonsnake was first seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
However, the Dragonsnake seen in The Mandalorian and Grogu is a little different from the ones in Legends who lived on Dagobah. That creature lives under the palace on Nal Hutta, and the Nal Hutta Dragonsnake has a much different physiology, as proven by the one who attacked Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Hunt for Ziro.” These creatures don’t have fins at all, and also lack the dragon-like ears of their Dagobah counterparts.
We don’t actually know much at all about this specific subspecies, meaning The Mandalorian and Grogu is our best look at just how it acts. Who knows, perhaps this is the second appearance of many for this reptilian alien.
