'The Mandalorian' trailer 2 reveals a classic enemy from the prequels

The second and final trailer for The Mandalorian just dropped, and it looks freaking awesome. The first live-action Star Wars series is shaping up to be the most exciting thing on Disney+ at launch (sorry Jeff Goldblum), and a new trailer only confirms our suspicions. It also reveals the return of a classic baddie from the Star Wars prequels — but blink and you might just miss it.

We don’t think this counts as a spoiler for The Mandalorian since it’s in the trailer, but Disney isn’t exactly making it obvious either. So consider yourself warned.

As eagle-eyed Star Wars fans on Twitter were quick to point out, the new Mandalorian trailer features the return of the Super Battle Droid, a powerful fighting robot used by the Trade Federation in the back half of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. You may also recognize these droids from the Clone Wars animated series or the Star Wars: Battlefront games, where they played a more prominent role.

[Read even more about the new Mandalorian trailer and how it connects the Star Wars prequels.]

Anyway, here’s the Super Battle Droids in The Mandalorian:

And here they are in the prequels:

In the prequels, the Super Battle Droids are introduced after the Federation gets their butts handed to them at the Invasion of Naboo. If you haven’t totally blocked out the memory of The Phantom Menace, you’ll remember that the Federation last after young Anakin Skywalker blew up the Droid Control Ship, rendering the entire robot army totally useless.

In response, the Super Battle Droids were designed to be more independent. They don’t need a command signal to operate, though they forget about their target as soon as they can no longer see it. Still, it makes sense that in the post-revolution world of The Mandalorian (the show is set after Return of the Jedi and before Force Awakens) these droids would still be hanging around and doing damage.

The Super Battle Droids were also made from “duranium,” a fictional metal in Star Wars with a goofy name that implies durability. And they have automatic laser cannons mounted on their right arms. So these droids will definitely put up a fight in The Mandalorian.

Overall, it’s interesting to see these long-forgotten robot soldiers making a comeback in the Disney+ series. It makes sense that some Super Battle Droids would still be kicking around in the galaxy after Return of the Jedi, and the real question is who (or what) is commanding them. We’ll find out soon, but until then, we’ll leave you with this screenshot of Bill Burr’s Mandalorian character, who was also revealed in the new trailer.

The Mandalorian premieres November 12 on Disney+.