It’s now safe to say that Disney+ has a bonafide hit on its hands with their new Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, and it’s pretty easy to see why. The gritty worlds depicted in the series are ripe with believable characters, well shot and choreographed action sequences, and of course, an adorable (and highly meme-able) character just begging to become a hit toy this Christmas. I’ll admit, as the sort of guy that tends to prefer Kirk over Solo, I wasn’t all that excited ahead of time about The Mandalorian,  but three episodes in, it’s safe to say that I’m a convert.

Some Technology Depicted in the Mandalorian May Be Within our Reach

What won me over? Well, I’m a sucker for space westerns (I am, after all, a card-carrying Browncoat). But it’s not just the “shootout at the OK Corral” vibe of the show that gets me; it’s also the weapons tech. Star Wars may take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Still, the technology depicted in the franchise has always been more about the future than the past, and much like Star Trek: The Next Generation.

On the other hand, The Mandalorian is choke-full of technology that may seem at home in the 24th century. But it is actually on the verge of becoming a reality right here and now.

While I’ll try my best to avoid them, here’s a fair warning: spoilers ahead.

What sort of tech is that? Well, there’s…

(Disney)

Weapons That Can See Through Walls

In Episode three of The Mandalorian, Mando is doing a bit of reconnaissance on a building he may want to blow his way into (trying my best to avoid spoilers here), so he shoulders his breach-loading doom-rifle and syncs it with his helmet, using the rifle to help him see the heat signatures of people through the walls of the building. This sort of gear would certainly come in handy for galactic bounty hunters, yet, it is also finding its way into use with first responders and the U.S. military already.

Systems like Lumineye will soon allow soldiers to use a handheld device to identify targets and locate potential threats on the other side of an opaque barrier using wall penetrating radar.