The Mandalorian Creators Might Have Taken Inspiration From An Unexpected Source

The Mandalorian Season 3 is currently streaming on Disney Plus after a long wait for fans.

With the second episode released last week, some of the fans pointed out some pretty interesting similarities between it and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, specifically between the devastated planet of Mandalore and the underground kingdom of Moria.

Spoilers for The Mandalorian ahead.

When Din Djarin arrives on Mandalore to immerse himself in the planet's Living Waters and atone for his sins before the members of his religious cult, the Children of the Watch, he must traverse the planet's surface, which has been devastated by Imperial bombing.

And it is there that the similarities begin to appear. The now subterranean ruins of Sundari, the planet's capital, eerily resemble the destroyed dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, or Moria.

Both were once great civilizations teeming with life, their now abandoned halls a mass grave for their inhabitants. The next thing that can be compared to both cities is their current inhabitants.

Sundari is now overrun by Alamites, a sentient but primitive humanoid species that once lived in the desolate wastelands beyond the cities before migrating to the ruins after the Purge.

According to Bo-Katan Kryze, they were known to eat humans.

Similarly, Moria is now home to countless orcs and goblins who arrived after its former inhabitants dug too deep and awakened an ancient terror beneath the city, forcing them to flee after a failed attempt to confront it.

Both cities were built over the mines of a precious and very rare metal.

The mines of Mandalore were a source of Beskar, also known as Mandalorian Iron, which in its purest form was strong enough to withstand a direct blaster shot and could repel lightsaber strikes.

Moria sits on top of the mithril deposits, a very light but immensely strong silvery metal that was used to make the finest armor.

Speaking of ancient horrors, the dwarves unearthed a Balrog of Morgoth, a terrible creature that would eventually be the end of their kingdom.

The Living Waters deep within the Mandalorian Mines contain an equally rare and terrifying beast, a legendary mythosaur long thought extinct.

Though Din's encounter with it did not end as violently as the Fellowship's encounter with the Balrog, he was fortunate to avoid becoming the legendary creature's dinner.

All of this could be just a coincidence, but four similar things in a row made fans curious if the show's creators were inspired by the fantasy classic.