Disney+ has made huge efforts to invite celebrities to do guest appearances in “The Mandalorian,” with actors like Tim Meadows and Jason Sudeikis dropping by to do one-off roles in the series. However, the latest episode in the series broke all records for celebrity guest appearances this week with three surprising cameos from people we didn’t expect to see in the “Star Wars” franchise. From actor/singer Jack Black to rapper Lizzo, this week’s “The Mandalorian” was a cameo fest on the set. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the actors who made special appearances in this week’s “The Mandalorian.”
Spoilers Ahead
Jack Black
Of all the people you could imagine would turn up in a Star Wars spin-off show, Jack Black would probably be at the bottom of the list. The rock teacher from “School of Rock” has quite a few accolades under his belt, from voicing the martial arts expert panda in the “Kung-Fu Panda” trilogy to the goofy archaeologist in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” but this is his first venture into a galaxy far, far away. Black stars as Captain Bombardier, an ex-Imperial officer who served the Empire as a facilities planning officer. He had arrived on the planet Plazir-15 as part of the Amnesty program that cleaned his slate and gave him a fresh chance to do something better with his life, and he made good on that promise.
Bombardier joined hands with the Duchess of the Planet, whose family had ruled Plazir for centuries but came under ruin during the war with the Empire. This caused a lot of damage to Plazir, but the former Imperial officer helped create a society where life flourished better than ever because Bombardier was able to utilize the skills he learned as an Imperial and help repurpose multiple things. Not only do we see former battle droids serving as goods carriers in the episode, but also the palace guards are wearing repurposed Stormtrooper uniforms, thereby not wasting anything and getting the best out of situations. He also oversaw the repurposing of droids, which turned them into menial workers helping the citizens of Plazir live a better life and making sure peace was maintained on the planet at all costs.
However, given his Imperial background, Bombardier, now a Duke, was unable to maintain an army, which is why he had to hire Mandalorian mercenaries from outside to stand guard against any incoming threats. He offered Mando and Bo the possibility that Plazir would recognize Mandalore as a sovereign state, and if his jovial nature says anything, he’ll be one to keep his word. However, his methods weren’t appreciated by a high-ranking official, whom we shall soon meet.
Lizzo
The three-time Grammy-winning singer, Lizzo, has another achievement to add to her resume, as she’s the newest celebrity appearance in “The Mandalorian” on Disney+. The rapper/singer has already starred in movies like “Love, Lizzo,” “UglyDolls,” and Hustlers,” but this is also her first time starring as a character in the franchise that George Lucas created. Lizzo plays the character of the Duchess in the sixth episode, and she’s married to Captain Bombardier (Black). The Duchess is the heir to the dukedom of Plazir that her family has been ruling, although she and her husband inaugurated democracy on the planet for the first time and were elected as its rulers by the people.
The Duchess is a fan of showy ornaments and doesn’t mind having a little too many flowery holograms to show off her position and power, but that comes from being in a family of rulers for generations. She does have several redeeming qualities, including her love for children. When Mando, Bo-Katan, and Grogu arrive at the high table of the royals, the Duchess requests to hold the little green guy in her arms, but Mando warns her he’s not too comfortable around strangers. However, all the Duchess needs to do is lure a fish in front of the carnivorous Baby Yoda, and he leaps into her lap in no time. For the remainder of the episode, Grogu is left with the Duchess, who scratches his little head and later helps him play space polo as well. It seems Grogu really loves the fish because he secretly uses the Force to help the Duchess pass the ball through four hoops.
Lizzo’s character is stern but understanding, and she doesn’t hand out too severe a punishment when the one who was turning the droids rogue is apprehended, at least by this galaxy’s standards. Whereas the punishment for a treasonous act like this would be swift death, the Duchess sends the convict to serve a sentence in Paraquat. However, given how kind-natured she appeared, she might soon recall the convict because of his past loyalty. She presented the heroes with the Key to Plazir and also knighted little Grogu, probably out of her love for this little green guy.
Christopher Lloyd
Who doesn’t remember Doc Brown from the “Back to the Future” franchise? The eccentric scientist is also credited with being among the handful of actors who’ve been present in both “Star Wars” and the “Star Trek” franchise, owing to Lloyd’s presence in “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.” In this episode of “The Mandalorian,” we first meet Lloyd as Commissioner Helgait, the head security officer in charge of handling the droids, and he informs Mando and Bo-Katan that some droids have begun malfunctioning, and it’s up to these Mandalorians to seek out and put down the dysfunctional droids until they can handle the situation.
However, it’s later revealed that it was Commissioner Helgait himself who was reprogramming the droids and making them turn rogue, and his motives go back at least three decades in the “Star Wars” lore. As we learn from his speech, he was a loyal Separatist who followed Count Dooku and was a resident of Plazir, which was initially a Separatist planet. However, Helgait himself isn’t a fan of the word “separatist” and considers it an insult. He favors the droids and wants them to rise up from their servile status among the organic inhabitants of Plazir.
When the culprit Helgait is taken before the Duke and Duchess, he shows his disgust for the Duke, who has brought so many changes to his planet and personally overseen the repurposing of the droids. He does appear apologetic before the Duchess, and if he’s being sent to the Paraquat Moon, it might not the last we see of the Separatism loyalist.
