'The Mandalorian's Second Season Featured a Few Worms and a Mysterious Pearl

The second season of The Mandalorian kicked off with a bang and introduced us to the Krayt dragon, a creature that has long been a part of Star Wars lore. In the ninth installment of the series, Din Djarin, the Mandalorian at the center of the show, agrees to help the inhabitants of a town called Mos Pelgos and the Tusken Raiders as they deal with attacks from the Krayt dragon. 

There are actually two kinds of Krayt dragon, and the one that viewers see on The Mandalorian looks more like a worm. That type is called a Greater Krayt and uses legs to navigates the dunes on the planet. The other variety is called a Canyon Krayt and apparently resembles a traditional dragon more closely. Although this Season 2 episode features a very prominent use of the creature, a Krayt dragon first appeared in the original Star Wars as a skeleton. 

In The Mandalorian, the Krayt dragon forces an unlikely alliance between the Tusken Raiders and the citizens of Mos Pelgos, who band together temporarily to take on the creature. Ultimately, the Mandalorian agrees to help as well, but only if a Marshal in Mos Pelgos agrees to hand over his Mandalorian armor once the dragon has been defeated. 

Although Krayt dragons are both deadly and dangerous, they also contain something deeply valuable buried in their gizzards. Krayt dragon pearls are round, colored stones that refract light. They are used to help with the digestion of food, which is why they are always perfectly round. In addition to being exceedingly valuable, anyone in possession of one also uses it as proof that they have killed a Krayt dragon. 

Krayt dragon pearls can also be used in the crafting of lightsabers, but only under extremely specific circumstances. The pearls have to be cleaned properly, and then prepared and installed. It's a difficult task, and not the only way that a lightsaber can be created. The pearls come in a variety of colors, including blue, green, red, white, and black. 

Now that The Mandalorian has returned, it has taken over the top spot in the world of Star Wars. The Skywalker saga ended with The Rise of Skywalker, which was a deeply divisive conclusion to a fairly divisive trilogy. Although people will fight about the movies forever, most Star Wars fans agree that The Mandalorian is a great way to make a show set in the world of Star Wars. 

One of the things that The Mandalorian has time for that the movies typically didn't was explorations of little corners of the massive lore that exists around Star Wars. The Krayt dragon has existed in the universe for decades, but The Mandalorian is bringing it to the forefront for many casual fans. Thanks to the show, people now feel obligated to find out what the big deal is with a Krayt dragon's pearl.