Upcoming Disney Plus series The Mandalorian explores a period in the Star Wars timeline that the live-action films have so far left untouched, setting its story five years after the events of the Original Trilogy and twenty-five years before the Sequel Trilogy gets started.
What’s more, the show is also expected to introduce us to a whole new environment, journeying to the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. Here, remnants of the old Empire can still be found, and if one fleeting shot from the latest Mandalorian trailer is anything to go by, then the location will also feature some reminders of the turbulent Prequel Trilogy years.
At the 1 minute and 4 second mark of the recent promo, you’ll notice what appears to be the blurry image of a CIS HMP gunship. This formidable vessel, previously seen in Revenge of the Sith, was created by the Geonosians and used by the droid armies during the Clone Wars. They were armed with missile pods and laser cannons, and were often used to transport troops.
What exactly a CIS HMP might be doing here, roughly twenty years after the end of the Clone Wars, remains unclear, but after the droid armies were suddenly deactivated across the galaxy, perhaps it only figures that some smugglers and criminals would take the opportunity to claim some unsupervised technology.
In any case, if a Clone War ship can survive for this long in the outer reaches, then you have to wonder what other fan-pleasing pieces of Star Wars history are still waiting to be discovered in The Mandalorian. Keep your eyes peeled when the show comes to Disney Plus on November 12th.