While details may be scarce about Jon Favreau’s upcoming ‘Star Wars’ TV series ‘The Mandalorian’ set to debut on the Disney+ streaming service, he has been letting little bits of information out to tantalize the fans. The latest bit of information comes to us by way of the man’s Instagram account, where the man posted a picture of an iconic droid from ‘A New Hope.’ Check it out for yourself below:
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Sorry for anyone thinking we might be talking about R2-D2 here, that is a bit too obvious, plus R2 is tied up in the main storyline of the saga, and not really available story-wise for shows like ‘The Mandalorian.’ No, we’re talking R5-D4 here, the little red droid that Luke and Uncle Owen were originally going to purchase from the Jawas along with C-3PO, whose unfortunate malfunction led to them choosing R2-D2 instead (and of course, saving the galaxy). If the old Legends canon is to be believed, R5-D4 deliberately malfunctioned at the request of R2 in order to force Luke and Owen to choose R2 instead, thus proving R5 to be just as resourceful as R2 himself, as well as revealing him to be a team player as in the story R2 convinces him to help using citing his need to stay near C-3Po because they were on a mission to save the galaxy.
Of course, R5-D4 is not the only droid rumored to appear in Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian,’ as it was also reported that fan-favorite IG-88 would also be making an appearance in the series, hopefully finally showing off what he is really capable of in live-action, especially since we saw him do literally nothing in ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ and have only seen him in action in comics, novels, and the ‘Shadows of the Empire’ video game. Perhaps R5-D4 and IG-88’s inclusion hints at some kind of droid sub-plot in the series, something sinister where droids are being used to spy on the titular hero or hunt him down, or maybe even the droids themselves are banding together to form their own rebellion after years of abuse in the galaxy. Who knows? At this point, ‘The Mandalorian’ is nothing but possibilities.
Do you have any interesting theories as to how R5-D4 might fit into the series? Or do you think he might just roll by in the background? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
