The Newbie’s Guide To The Star Wars Lingo In The Mandalorian

Since Star Wars takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, they don’t use the same words for things that we do.

You’re probably familiar with concepts like the Jedi and the Force, and you might even know to always let a Wookiee win, but the Disney+ series The Mandalorian adds even more Star Wars vocabulary to the already impressive list. But if you're feeling lost when star Pedro Pascal drops some spacey terms, take solace in the fact that lots of the new material is still a mystery — even to Star Wars superfans.

The Mandalorian takes place shortly after Return of the Jedi, in a time and place that has largely been unexplored on screen. As we navigate this new territory, here’s a rundown of the new words that pop up in The Mandalorian, as well as a refresher on some of the basic Star Wars terminology that appears in the series as well. 

A race of humanoid people from the planet Mandalore. They speak a language called Mando’a. You can tell a person is a Mandalorian by their armor. They often work as mercenaries and bounty hunters, though it looks like one Mandalorian character in the series is an armorer of sorts.

A nickname for Mandalorians that kinda feels like it may be offensive. Pascal's Mandalorian seems to take the name in stride, but this is a race of people we’re talking about, after all. 

The people of Mandolore practice a polytheistic religion that partakes in ritual combat and believes in a collective soul called the “manda” that you join when you die. So when The Mandalorian says having weapons is his religion... it kind of is.

This one's easy: it's money. We learn in The Mandalorian that there area few kinds of currency at this point in Star Wars history. There are Imperial Credits, left over from the days of the Galactic Empire’s oppressive rule. There’s also Calamari Flan, which likely comes from the Mon Calamari alien race. (If you know the “It’s a trap” Star Wars meme, that guy is a Mon Calamari.)

A rare form of metal, like vibranium in the Marvel universe, specifically used to make traditional Mandalorian armor. In episode 1, The Mandalorian is paid in Beskar.

A portable hologram that displays the Mandalorian’s (or any bounty hunter, for that matter) job assignments. 

A portable device that gives the Mandalorian the location of his asset, by beeping faster and faster, the closer he gets. For (almost) every assignment, bounty hunters get a puck and a fob. 

More formally, the Bondsman Guild. Star Wars Bounty Hunters are in a Union! You love to see it. 

A Wookiee cultural celebration similar to Christmas or Hanukkah that was first introduced by the Star Wars Holiday Special, which is not on Disney+, though whether that’s fortunate or unfortunate may depend on your point of view..  

This is most likely referring to Order 66, a catastrophic event carried out by Emperor Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker. At the end of Revenge of the Sith, they wipe out the Jedi order. Only a handful of Jedi survive, and they go into hiding. With the peacekeeping warriors gone, Palpatine was able to let the Dark Side rule the galaxy. 

The armorer asks if the Mandalorian’s signet has been revealed and he says no. “Soon,” she replies. His signet seems to be akin to a less magical version of a wizard's patronus in the Harry Potter-verse — a symbol that has to do with his destiny or true self. 

The shoulder piece that the armorer makes the Mandalorian is called a pauldron, which is basically just a type of armor that denotes military outfit and rank. 

This seems to be a generic name for an orphan child. Children are often called “younglings” in Star Wars, and we are shown images of the Mandalorian as a child in a warzone in episode 1 shortly after the armorer says his Beskar will help other foundlings. Certainly seems like we're talking about orphans.

The creature that looks like a rhinoceros plus a tadpole that the Mandalorian learns how to ride in other to reach his mysterious asset in episode 1. They're vicious... until they're not.

The Mandalorian symbol, which we see over the armorer's cave, is the head of the Mythosaur. As we learn in episode 1, Mandalorians used to ride the creatures, which are essentially like dragons from the Outer Rim, or the far reaches of the Galaxy.

Hooded aliens known for yelling "Ootini!" that appear in the original Star Wars films. They can be found selling and refurbishing junk — and tearing The Mandalorian's ship apart in episode 2. In The Mandalorian they don grey robes instead of brown ones.

The Mandalorian’s spaceship is called this; it's a former military transport.

It's the bathroom. Remember? The alien looking for it in the pilot said he needed it to “evacuate”... gross.