The way the All Terrain Scout Transport made its appearance in the last episode of The Mandalorian may have rung a bell to many fans of the sci-fi genre. That big footprint and the pursuit in the woods led many fans to draw a comparison between the bipedal walker of the Galactic Empire and a Tyrannosaurus Rex from Jurassic World. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard explained that the production’s intention was actually to pay homage to the Jurassic franchise.
“I never felt like I’d seen an AT-ST really be as scary as it could be given its stature and power,” Howard said. “I was first thinking, “What’s the scenario where there’s a village of people and there’s some monster in the woods?” and not knowing exactly what that monster is but it’s a threat.”
Right now, Howard is focusing on her directing career. In the past, though, she starred in many films, including 2015’s Jurassic World and its sequel Fallen Kingdom.
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Howard then revealed that the Jurassic reference is not the only homage she paid to some of her previous works.
“There’s a shot behind Omera (Julia Jones) and Mando (Pedro Pascal) when they’re looking out at the children when they’re inside the cottage,” she explained. “We did French overs for that, which is a tiny homage to a scene that I had with Joaquin Phoenix in The Village. And then, of course, with all the AT-ST stuff, Jurassic is definitely a really great reference for that — when you’re on the run from a monster in close proximity and that monster is thirty-feet high.”
You may argue that the AT-ST hasn’t got that many sharp teeth. But we are pretty sure it makes up for the absence of them with those lethal lasers.
The next episode of The Mandalorian will be available starting December 6 on Disney+. What do you think about the presence of the AT-ST in the last episode? Let us know in the comments section below.
