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The Mandalorian And Grogu's Opening Credits Sequence Is A Classic TV Show Tribute

By Bryan Young

May 25, 2026 7:30 am EST

Lucasfilm

"MAS*H" is a highly influential (and groundbreaking) TV sitcom. It's even eclipsed the Robert Altman film that came before it (though that movie still holds sway among cinephiles). Running from 1972 to 1983, the show follows the surgeons and infantry of the 4077th Mobile Army Field Hospital as they do their best to keep people alive during the Korean War. It deftly walks the line between comedy and drama and boasts one of the most iconic opening credit sequences and theme songs in small screen history.

As you watch "The Mandalorian and Grogu" and its own opening credit sequence (the first in the history of theatrical "Star Wars" films), think back to "MASH," and you'll find a lot of similarities. Indeed, one of the signature moments in the "MASH" introduction involves choppers coming in through some hills and arriving at a temporary field hospital in the middle of nowhere. The shots aren't glamorous (they were filmed on a 1970s TV budget), but they're quite stunning for the time.

Compare that to "The Mandalorian and Grogu" and its opening shots of various spaceships (mainly X-Wings) as they approach Adelphi Base, which looks very much like it could be a mobile hospital like the one audiences got to know and love so much on "MAS*H." The hills near the base likewise recall those from that show's credits.

More than that, play back the familiar guitar riff from the "MAS*H" theme song, "Suicide is Painless," in your mind. It's surely no accident that composer Ludwig Göransson uses a guitar riff that sounds a whole lot like it in his music here. This sets a tone for the rest of the film that falls between maudlin melodrama and a comedy set against a wartime backdrop. "The Mandalorian and Grogu" delivers that in spades.

The Mandalorian and Grogu tips its hat to MAS*H in more ways than one

Lucasfilm

The opening credits aren't the only way that "The Mandalorian and Grogu" pays homage to "MASH." The communal officers bar where Colonel Ward (as portrayed by "Alien" legend and Grogu super-fan Sigourney Weaver) offers her briefings to Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) strikes the same vibe as the bar where Captain "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) and company would spend their downtime on "MASH." This is also where the Adelphi pilots hang out here, among them Lucasfilm Co-President and creative head Dave Filoni's X-Wing pilot Trapper Wolf (who previously appeared in the original "Mandalorian" TV show as well).

If that name rings a bell, it's because it's an obvious nod to "Trapper" John McIntrye (Wayne Rogers), who was one of the 4077th's surgeons on "MASH." And with Filoni having served as both a producer and second unit director on "The Mandalorian and Grogu" on top of reprising Trapper Wolf, it's quite reasonable for us to assume that all these "MASH" tributes were deliberate. But that makes sense: "MAS*H" is such a beloved show that it's not at all surprising to see artists continue to tip their hats to it, even to this day.

"The Mandalorian and Grogu" is currently playing in a wide theatrical release.