Warning: If you haven't seen The Mandalorian's Chapter 18, this article contains SPOILERS so read at your own risk!
The Mandalorian Season 3's latest episode just put the spotlight on a forgotten Star Wars droid that has been part of the lore since the franchise's inception. The show's eighteenth chapter, titled "The Mines of Mandalore" not only reintroduced audiences to R5-D4 but also gave the droid its long overdue redemption arc.
First seen in A New Hope, the red and white astromech droid was nearly purchased by Uncle Owen although Luke Skywalker has been quite adamant about getting R2-D2. Fortunately for the future Jedi Master, R5-D2's or Red's motivator exploded and it left Owen without a choice but to get R2-D2 instead.
Since then, the droid hasn't left Tatooine and has been under the care of Peli Motto who insisted on selling him to Din Djarin after learning about his plans to pay Mandalore a visit and his desire to get a droid that will accompany them to the uncharted territory.
Given how Mando wanted to bring IG-11 with him and was just after some spare droid parts from Peli, he was understandably dubious of the R5-D4's capabilities and so was Red who obviously wanted no part of the mission. However, it turns out that he isn't a scrappy droid after all and despite Din's initial hesitance, he was able to help him and Grogu test the planet's atmosphere. Now, how's that for redemption?
Also Read: Jon Favreau Uncertain About The Mandalorian's Future After Season 4
It may have taken Lucasfilm nearly 50 years to give R5-D4 a significant role but hey, it's better late than never, right?
The first two episodes of The Mandalorian Season 3 are now streaming on Disney+.
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