'The Mandalorian' to Feature Classic Droid From 'A New Hope'
The upcoming "Star Wars" live-action series "The Mandalorian" is tapping into some original trilogy magic.
Executive producer Jon Favreau has been teasing fans with pictures of props and other items from the set of the Disney+ series. Now, he's revealed that a callback to "A New Hope" in the form of the classic droid R5-D4.
As you may recall, R5-D4 appeared near the beginning of the movie when the Jawas on Tattooine were selling droids to Owen Skywalker. He selected R5-D4 — which his nephew called "Red" — but then the droid malfunctioned, so they chose R2-D2 instead. And "Star Wars" history was made.
"The Mandalorian," which stars Pedro Pascal as the titular gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, is set after the events of "Return of the Jedi." So could this be the very same R5-D4?
If so, his canon backstory makes the droid all the more interesting. In the story anthology "A Certain Point of View," author Rae Carson wrote "The Red One" from R5's point of view. Turns out he malfunctions on purpose so that R2 can go with the Skywalkers. This droid is a hero!
Perhaps he was repaired and shipped off to new owners. Or perhaps this is a different model, and the callback is meant to just be a fun Easter egg for fans.