'The Mandalorian' (and Baby Yoda) revisits iconic 'Star Wars' planet and Twitter is loving it

Ethan Alter
·Senior Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated
Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) and Mando (Pedro Pascal) race through the Tatooine desert in the latest episode of 'The Mandalorian' (Photo: Disney+)
Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) and Mando (Pedro Pascal) race through the Tatooine desert in the latest episode of 'The Mandalorian' (Photo: Disney+)


Warning: This post contains spoilers for “The Gunslinger” episode of The Mandalorian.

Tatooine has always loomed large in Star Wars mythology. After all, it’s the planet where Anakin Skywalker was born and C-3PO was built; where Luke Skywalker grew up and Ben Kenobi grew old; and where Han Solo ended up in Jabba’s palace and Boba Fett got ingested by the Sarlacc beast. But there are plenty of other planets to explore in the Outer Rim of the far, far away galaxy, so recent Star Wars movies have mostly steered clear of the desert world where the Skywalker Saga began.

That’s why it was a delightful surprise when fugitives Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Baby Yoda took the franchise home again in the fifth episode of The Mandalorian, “The Gunslinger.” After narrowly avoiding having his ship reduced to space debris, the bounty hunter landed the wounded Razor Crest at Tatooine’s own Mos Eisley spaceport... the same place where Luke previously hitched a ride on the Millennium Falcon en route to becoming the Rebel Alliance’s new hope. That sound you heard was millions of voices crying out in joy at this sudden, and unexpected, homecoming.

The above observation about the similar placement of Tatooine’s moon in the opening scenes of Episode IV and “The Gunslinger” was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to New Hope flashbacks. Written and directed by beloved Star Wars content generator Dave Filoni, the 35-minute episode is packed with homages to the 1977 movie, as well as The Phantom Menace.

The episode also shows how life on the planet has changed since the Skywalkers brought down the Empire. Many noted, for example, that the strictly enforced “no droid” policy at the Mos Eisley cantina has been relaxed considerably.

One thing that hasn’t changed in that hive of scum and villainy is the presence of charming space pirates lurking in dark corners of the cantina. While looking to score some credits to pay spaceport gearhead, Peli Motto (a hilarious Amy Sedaris) for repairing his ship, Mando crosses paths with aspiring bounty hunter, Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale). Armed with a roguish smile and a casual slouch, Toro reminds us of someone — just can’t put our finger on who.

As the episode goes on, of course, Toro started sounding less like Han Solo and more like the Schofield Kid — the in-over-his-head amateur outlaw that Clint Eastwood’s William Munny schooled in the classic 1993 Western Unforgiven. Striking a deal with Mando to capture ace assassin Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) in the hopes of proving his mettle to the Bounty Hunter Guild, Calican instead reveals his inexperience almost immediately. He makes an even bigger mistake when he attempts to double-cross his partner, which only results in a one-way trip to an early grave. Fennec also takes a laser blast in the course of the episode, but smitten fans are wishing Wen a speedy recovery.

Those wishes will apparently be granted. The final shot of “The Gunslinger” shows a figure kneeling down next to Fennec’s prone form, cutting to black before we can see their identity. While odds are likely this Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), an ex-Imperial governor who will presumably factor into the final three episodes, fans are hoping that it’ll turn out to be none other than Boba Fett, back from the dead.

It’s no secret that Star Wars has been trying to resurrect the original Mandalorian-armor wearing bounty hunter for awhile, first as the star of a spin-off movie that has since been abandoned. With such characters as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cassian Andor scoring Disney+ shows, the streaming service seems like an ideal place for Boba to re-emerge out of Great Pit of Carkoon. He’s gonna have to find a sidekick that’s as adorable as Baby Yoda, though.

The Mandalorian is currently streaming on Disney+

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