The Mandalorian travels back into Star Wars’ dusty past for the fifth episode of the Disney+ series, called “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger”.
Fresh off the back of their heroics in Sorgan, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Baby Yoda begin the episode being pursued by another bounty hunter.
One dogfight later, their ship, the Razor Crest, is seriously damaged and they make an emergency landing on Tatooine, the desert planet that was famously home to Luke and Anakin Skywalker.
In order to pay for his ship to be repaired by Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), the Mandalorian hunts down a dangerous mercenary called Shand (Ming-Na Wen), with the help of dubious side-kick Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale).
After an unsurprising double-cross, Mando is left chasing down rogue bounty hunter Calican before he absconds with the Child – killing him just in the nick of time.
Here are seven Star Wars references you might not have noticed in episode 5...
1. Tuscan Raiders
The moaning sand-dwellers first seen in A New Hope make a memorable return here, as the Mandalorian travels across the Tatooine desert in pursuit of his bounty. Shown more sympathetically than in the Star Wars films, they are willing to strike a deal with the Mandalorian to ensure him safe passage.
2. The Cantina
The Mos Eisley cantina that featured memorably in the first Star Wars film is seen again here, years later. The bar where Han Solo shot Greedo and met Luke Skywalker is now staffed by EV-series service droids, which fans might remember from Jabba’s Palace in Episode VI.
3. Banthas
The large, furry, horned animals known as banthas have appeared in several films in the saga, and they can be briefly seen here (belonging to the Tuscan Raiders) - as well as dewbacks, their similarly cumbersome reptile counterparts.
4. The Phantom Menace
Mando’s plotline here closely mirrors some of the events of The Phantom Menace: Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi were also stranded on Tatooine while their spaceship was in need of repairs.
5. Pit droids
An invention of the Star Wars prequels, pit droids are the klutzy little robots used on Tatooine to repair vehicles – seen here in Peli Motto’s workshop.
6. Mos Espa
The Tatoonine spaceport visited by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in The Phantom Menace is referenced by Strand.
7. Corellia
Toro says that the speeder bikes he has picked out, which people will likely recognise from the Endor scenes in Return of the Jedi, were made in Corellia – the same planet that produced Han Solo’s beloved Millennium Falcon.
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content.
Disney+ launches in the UK on 24 March 2020.
