A surprising character inclusion in The Mandalorian season 3 managed to pay off a plot point from the original Star Wars from over four decades ago.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 8.The Mandalorian season 3, episode 8 managed to pay off a plot point that was established over four decades ago by the original Star Wars film. This was done through the inclusion of a droid character that was first seen in 1977's A New Hope: R5-D4. R5 was the astromech droid that Owen Lars initially intended to purchase from the Jawas before a faulty motivator led R2-D2 and C-3PO to fall into Luke Skywalker's care.
In The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2, R5-D4 was shown to be part of the droid workforce assembled by Amy Sedaris' Peli Motto on Tatooine. As Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin needed a droid's aid upon his return to Mandalore, R5 was offered by Peli as another member of Din and Grogu's traveling party. While R5-D4 had been involved in the story of The Mandalorian season 3 throughout, it was The Mandalorian season 3, episode 8 that managed to truly pay off a plot point established at the very beginning of the Star Wars franchise.
R5-D4 Has Always Been A Hero - But Never Like This
Throughout the droid's appearances in The Mandalorian season 3, it has been confirmed that R5-D4 actually served in Star Wars' Rebellion against the Empire. From Peli Motto's comments on his Rebel Alliance history to Carson Teva describing R5 as his old comrade, the droid's history as a Star Wars hero was confirmed. This was only furthered when R5 was responsible for confirming Mandalore was once again inhabitable. Similarly, R5 was an important part of the Mandalorians' liberation of Nevarro from Gorian Shard's pirates after alerting Teva to the secret location of the Children of the Watch's covert.
Despite this already heroic history, The Mandalorian season 3, episode 8 portrayed R5-D4 as a hero like never before. As Din Djarin and Grogu fought their way toward Gideon's chamber, R5 was instrumental in the success of their mission. From providing Mando with the map to Gideon's command center to disabling the shield barriers that allowed the titular character to face down multiple Imperial supercommandos, it is safe to say R5-D4 played a crucial role in Gideon's defeat.
R5-D4 Performed The Artoo-Detoo Role In The Mandalorian Season 3 Finale
This story for R5-D4 in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 8 provided favorable comparisons to R2-D2. Across the Skywalker Saga, R2 is often one of the unsung heroes of each film. In A New Hope, R2 was vital in helping the central trio of Luke, Han, and Leia to survive the Death Star's trash compactor. Some other moments of heroism from R2-D2 include saving Padme's ship in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and providing Luke with his lightsaber in Return of the Jedi so that Han and Leia could be rescued.
With The Mandalorian season 3, episode 8, R5-D4 is given a similar role. Without the astromech, it is unlikely that Nevarro would have been saved from the pirates or that Din would have reached Gideon's chamber, with the latter point being vital to the season finale. All of this just goes to show how important droids truly are to Star Wars stories and how regularly they can become major heroes of the franchise, something that The Mandalorian's R5-D4 proves alongside other iconic astromech droids like R2-D2.
All episodes of The Mandalorian are now streaming on Disney+.
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