Caution: spoilers ahead for The Book of Boba Fett episode 5
The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 – or, if you prefer, The Mandalorian chapter 17 – boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Star Wars Easter eggs and references. Star Wars has enjoyed a fruitful run on Disney+, but The Book of Boba Fett is proving more reminiscent of the sequel trilogy’s divisive fallout. Critics’ overriding problem lies in how Boba’s solo Star Wars TV show just isn’t as strong as Din Djarin’s. Fitting, then, that The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 is an episode of The Mandalorian in all but name, with the entire 50 minutes focusing on Djarin, and Boba getting only a brief mention in the final few seconds.
Picking up shortly after The Mandalorian‘s season 2 finale, Din Djarin is back to bounty hunting, tracking down intel on his clan’s new hiding place. Reunited with The Armorer, Din faces repercussions for slipping off his helmet a few times, and gets shown The Way… to the exit door. Mando’s sorrows are quickly forgotten, as he joins Peli Motto crafting a replacement for his Razor Crest, takes her for a spin (literally), and returns in time for a future team-up with Boba Fett and Fennec Shand.
Titled “Return of the Mandalorian,” The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 drops a procession of Star Wars Easter eggs and callbacks, including video games connections, major tributes to The Phantom Menace, and hair-raising lessons in Jawa biology. Here are all the Easter eggs in The Book of Boba Fett episode 5.
Mando’s Comeback Mirrors His Star Wars Debut
Din Djarin is back in beskar, and, characteristically, wastes no time getting down to business. His epic comeback in The Book of Boba Fett deliberately mirrors The Mandalorian‘s very first episode, where Djarin appeared as a silhouette in a doorway before coolly strolling toward his target. This time, Mando’s familiar shadow emerges in the entrance of a Klatoonian meat-packing factory, as a prelude to Pedro Pascal’s masked man stepping impressively into shot. Djarin’s familiar, western-tinged musical theme is heard on both occasions.
The Bounty Hunter’s Transponder From The Mandalorian
Currently major players in The Book of Boba Fett, Klatoonians first featured during Return of the Jedi‘s opening sequence, but Din Djarin is seeking a specific one by the name Kaba Baiz. To track Baiz, Djarin is using a twin-pronged transponder alongside a small disc containing his bounty’s wanted poster. Both devices were introduced by The Mandalorian‘s series premiere as equipment used by the Bounty Hunter’s Guild.
Din Djarin Repeats His “Warm Or Cold” Line
With Kaba Baiz not budging, Mando warns, “I can bring you in warm… or I can bring you in cold.” Din Djarin spoke this exact same line in The Mandalorian premiere’s opening scene, drawing yet another parallel between the 2019 effort and The Book of Boba Fett episode 5’s meat factory.
BOBF Episode 5’s Title Nods To Return Of The Jedi
The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 is titled “Return of the Mandalorian,” which will naturally draw comparisons to George Lucas’ third Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi – but there’s a deeper meaning behind those similar titles. Din Djarin’s latest adventure explores the thematic clash between Mandalorian and Jedi cultures, with Grogu’s Jedi training separating him from loved ones, but Djarin’s Mandalorian Way decreeing tribes show loyalty and solidarity. Book of Boba Fett episode 5 also spotlights the Darksaber – a weapon that epitomizes the coming together of Jedi and Mandalorian cultures, so rephrasing Return of the Jedi into “Return of the Mandalorian” is a clever switcheroo of conflicting Star Wars religions.
Luke Skywalker’s X-34 Landspeeder
As Din Djarin exits Kaba Baiz’s (former) place, a landspeeder cruises past in the background. This vehicle looks like the same X-34 model Luke Skywalker drove as a Tatooine moisture farmer in A New Hope.
The Alien In Mando’s Awkward Elevator Ride
Everyone hates an awkward one-on-one elevator ride, but spare a thought for the poor Caskadag who must endure the (presumably) foul smell of a Klatoonian’s bloody decapitated head. The Caskadag species has been part of Star Wars mythology since 2015’s The Force Awakens, and turns up throughout the Disney era.
Every Alien In Book Of Boba Fett Episode 5’s Party Scene
Din Djarin delivers Kaba Baiz’s noggin to a mystery client hosting some kind of glamorous party, and a raft of familiar Star Wars aliens can be glimpsed mingling among the guests. As Mando enters, there’s a three-eyed Gran – a species that debuted alongside the Klatoonians as part of Jabba’s mob in Return of the Jedi. Mando then walks past a bat-like Chadra-Fan, which dates further back to A New Hope‘s iconic Mos Eisley cantina. Din Djarin’s client is an Ishi Tib, accompanied by a squid-esque Quarren, and a purple-skinned Theelin. All three come from Return of the Jedi.
Mando Spies A Mythosaur Sigil With Heat Vision
Seeking Kolzoc alley, Din Djarin activates his helmet’s heat vision – a feature first shown in The Mandalorian season 1. The bounty hunter keeps looking until he spies a Mythosaur sigil – the symbolic logo of the Mandalorians, worn on their armor.
The Armorer & Paz Vizsla Return
Reuniting with the remains of his clan for the first time since The Mandalorian season 1, Din Djarin comes face-to-face with The Armorer once again. Played by Emily Swallow, The Armorer remained absent throughout the entirety of The Mandalorian season 2, but makes a welcome return in The Book of Boba Fett. She’s accompanied by another of Din Djarin’s tribe – Paz Vizsla, who also skipped The Mandalorian season 2 after making his debut the season prior. Paz was previously portrayed by Tait Fletcher, but voiced by showrunner, Jon Favreau. Fletcher is once again credited as Paz Vizsla in The Book of Boba Fett, meaning an uncredited Favreau likely found himself back in the vocal booth.
Din Djarin Mentions The Mandalorian’s Nevarro Incident
As Paz Vizsla patches up him up, Din Djarin thanks his fellow Mando for helping out on Nevarro. The apology calls back to The Mandalorian season 1, when Djarin’s tribe emerged from their hiding place on Nevarro to help keep Grogu safe from Imperial Stormtroopers. The Book of Boba Fett reveals many Mandos died during that scuffle. Now only three tribe members remain.
The Armorer’s Darksaber History References Star Wars Rebels
The Armorer gives a brief history of the Darksaber for any viewers unfamiliar, explaining how the weapon bestows its owner with the right to rule Mandalore – but only if won via combat. She back-shadows how a leader accepting the Darksaber without a fight places a curse upon Mandalore and its people, referencing events from both Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian. Bo-Katan Kryze was handed the Darksaber by Sabine Wren (who herself gained it without defeating Darth Maul), and she then attempted to seize control of Mandalore. Shortly after, the planet was decimated by the Empire’s Great Purge, proving The Armorer’s hindsight is 20-20 under that mask.
The Armorer Name-Drops Tarre Vizsla
As Din Djarin marvels at the quality of beskar (the tough metal used to craft Mandalorian armor) within the Darksaber’s construction, The Armorer explains how the weapon was designed by Tarre Vizsla – former head of the proud House Vizsla, and the only Mandalorian Jedi in history. Tarre featured in flashbacks during Star Wars Rebels season 3.
BOBF Episode 5 Answers Mandalorian Season 2 Finale Questions
The Armorer makes reference to Din Djarin’s “quest,” harking back to her telling him Grogu should be reunited with his own kind (from The Mandalorian season 1). Mando completed that mission when he handed Baby Yoda over to Luke Skywalker in season 2’s finale. Paz Vizsla then questions how Djarin obtained the Darksaber, prompting a retelling of the Moff Gideon story. Emily Swallow’s Armorer claims the “blood of millions of our kind” is on Gideon’s hands, and this accusation alludes toward the Empire’s Great Purge of Mandalore, which Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff commanded. Finally, Din Djarin confirms Moff Gideon was arrested by New Republic soldiers – something we didn’t see in The Mandalorian season 2’s finale.
The Armorer Speaks Of Star Wars “Legends”
Always prone to talking in riddles, The Armorer begins waxing lyrical about Mandalore’s fabled Mythosaur, lamenting, “Sadly, it only exists in legends.” This line could be construed as a subtle Star Wars pun. The Mythosaur symbol features in official canon, but Mythosaur history has been fleshed-out by Star Wars‘ expanded universe – in other words, it “only exists in Legends.”
The Armorer’s Equipment From The Mandalorian
Din Djarin and Paz Vizsla lug The Armorer’s circular forge into position – the same flaming grill she used in The Mandalorian. Emily Swallow’s masked metalworker also keeps her tools in an ornate upright compartment painted bright orange; this too deriving from her earlier appearances. How she salvaged such heavy gear whilst fleeing Nevarro is anyone’s guess.
Din Djarin References Ahsoka Tano
The Mandalorian inquisition continues, as Din Djarin is asked where he acquired a beskar spear. He recounts how it was gifted to him by “a Jedi.” This unnamed Jedi is, of course, Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano, who starred in an episode of The Mandalorian season 2.
Bo-Katan Kryze’s “Mighty House”
As The Armorer once again delves into the “cautionary tale” of Bo-Katan Kryze, she alludes toward House Kryze as a “mighty” presence on Mandalore. Sure enough, Bo-Katan wasn’t the first of her people to take power. Duchess Satine Kryze led the planet (somewhat better than her younger sister) during the Clone Wars.
Concordia Connects Din Djarin To Star Wars: The Clone Wars
According to The Armorer, Din Djarin’s tribe survived the Great Purge by virtue of being on Concordia when the attack commenced. As told in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Concordia is where Satine Kryze banished the Mandalorian warrior rebels following the planet’s bloody civil war. The moon was later ruled by Pre Vizsla (of the same house as Paz), and became a base for the Death Watch. Din Djarin and the Children of the Watch were apparently there also.
Book Of Boba Fett Shows The Sundari Bombed By TIE Bombers
After talking about the Great Purge and Night of 1000 Tears for so long, live-action Star Wars finally gives a taste of what this landmark Mandalorian event looked like. In flashback scenes, a huge fleet of TIE bombers lays waste to the planet’s surface. The massive domed structure in The Book of Boba Fett‘s Great Purge flashback is the Sundari – the capital city of Mandalore shown in live-action for the very first time following numerous appearances in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
BOBF’s “Terminator” Flashback Shows Familiar Imperial Droids
In a shot clearly intended as a Terminator homage, the burning landscape of Mandalore is swept clean by a lineup of Imperial droids. Stalking the ground, we have KX security droids (from Rogue One), and floating through the air are probe droids – the same model Darth Vader used to scour the snowy climes of Hoth for Rebels.
Grogu’s Present Looks Just Like Grogu (& Grogu’s Theme)
The Armorer is a woman of many talents – leader… blacksmith… gift wrapper? After Din Djarin requests she forge a mystery gift for young Grogu, The Armorer wraps the item in a piece of cloth. In a move that would have Rowan Atkinson’s character from Love Actually going green with envy, the knot looks exactly like Grogu’s head. Over the top of this image, Grogu’s theme from The Mandalorian plays.
The Armorer Counts In Mandalorian Language
The Armorer assists Din Djarin by conducting training sessions with the Darksaber. As they spar, she repeats the words “solus,” “t’ad” and “ehn.” These are Mandalorian numbers – 1, 2 and 3.
Din Djarin’s Training Echoes Sabine Wren’s
Din Djarin complains how the Darksaber feels heavy, dragging him down with the weight. The Armorer explains he’s “fighting” the sword, and advises her student to master his feelings in order to master the Darksaber. Their exchange is a close copy of when Kanan Jarrus was teaching Sabine Wren about the Darksaber – also through sparring – in Star Wars Rebels. Even the line about the blade’s heaviness carries through to live-action.
Paz Vizsla’s Personal Combat Shield
Challenging Din Djarin for the Darksaber, Paz Vizsla activates a small shield from his gauntlet – not one we’ve seen Mando or Boba Fett whip out before. These shields have, however, been frequently wielded by Mandalorian characters in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Din Djarin’s Helmet Comes Back To Haunt Him
Admitting he might’ve removed his helmet once or twice, Mando’s Mando status is officially revoked, giving Disney’s branding department a huge headache ahead of The Mandalorian season 3. Din Djarin’s confession references the multiple times he’s removed the shiny head gear – almost dying against Moff Gideon, sneaking into an Imperial base, and saying goodbye to Grogu.
Aliens & Droids At The Space Port
A sulking, ship-less Mand…er, Din Djarin is forced to rely on public transport, and as he queues alongside the other passengers, we see a Nikto directly behind, and a Snivvian to his left. These species derive from Return of the Jedi and A New Hope, respectively. The droid giving Din the pat-down is an RX series, similar to the croupier in The Book of Boba Fett‘s Sanctuary.
Someone Stole A Solo Range Trooper Coat
After Din Djarin finally finishes unloading his considerable stash of weapons (and failing to use his Mandalorian religion as an excuse to carry them aboard), he walks up the ship’s ramp next to a passenger wearing a furry white coat. This is the same coat worn by Imperial Range Troopers, as seen in Solo. With the Empire finished, perhaps we’ll see more ex-Imperial clothing becoming everyday fashion.
Din Djarin Meets A Rodian Child
There’s nothing worse than being sat near an annoying kid during a flight, but the Rodian child on Din Djarin’s starliner is actually quite cute. Rodians are, of course, famous thanks to Greedo the bounty hunter, but the narrative purpose of The Book of Boba Fett‘s child is reminding Din of Grogu.
A BD Droid From Jedi: Fallen Order
Arriving on Tatooine, The Book of Boba Fett introduces a BD droid – the same model as BD-1 from Jedi: Fallen Order, who accompanied Cal Kestis during his video game adventures. Perhaps this droid actually is BD-1?
Peli Motto (& Her Droids Return)
Following her blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from The Book of Boba Fett episode 4, Amy Sedaris returns as Tatooine mechanic, Peli Motto. She’s once again accompanied by her gaggle of Pit droids, R5-D4 (from A New Hope), a WED-15 Treadwell droid, and an MPH power model.
The Womp Rat’s Live-Action Debut
For as long as Star Wars has been a thing, Womp Rats have been part of Tatooine’s fauna – famously used for target practice by Luke Skywalker . Despite such longevity, however, Womp Rats have never appeared in a live-action Star Wars setting. The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 finally cuts the Womp Rat a break, as one of the rodents assails Peli Motto in her hangar. A clearer Womp Rat shot is included later during the N-1’s first flight.
Motto Mentions Din Djarin’s Krayt Dragon & Fennec Shand
Greeting Din Djarin, Peli Motto jokes, “Here to slay another dragon? Chasing down some elusive bounty?” This line nods toward two separate episodes of The Mandalorian set on Tatooine – season 2’s premiere when Mando helped Cobb Vanth defeat a Krayt Dragon, and “The Gunslinger,” when Djarin and Toro Calican went hunting for Fennec Shand. A little later, Motto mocks Djarin with the line, “‘Fix my blaster holes’” which is a throwback to their very first encounter.
A Naboo N-1 Starfighter From The Phantom Menace
Peli Motto’s “replacement” for Din Djarin’s destroyed Razor Crest (from The Mandalorian season 2’s “The Tragedy”) is a Naboo N-1 starfighter, which debuted back in 1999’s The Phantom Menace. One of these was famously piloted by a young Anakin Skywalker as he destroyed the Trade Federation blockade and saved his future-wife from a droid army. The N-1 hails from the days of the Galactic Republic (as opposed to current regime, the New Republic, or the ancient regime known as the High Republic).
A Rare Reference To The Last Jedi’s Canto Bight
Promising to get the N-1 shipshape in no time, Peli Motto says it’ll be “faster than a Fathier.” Fathiers are the racing animals Finn and Rose Tico encountered on Canto Bight in The Last Jedi, setting them free in a storyline that had absolutely no bearing upon the film’s central plot.
Docking Rings For Hyperspace Travel
As Peli Motto continues her Star Wars Easter egg-laden monologue, she mentions how the N-1 can hit hyperspace without a docking ring. Attack of the Clones fans will remember docking rings from Obi-Wan Kenobi’s prequel trilogy ship, which attached to a giant detachable circular dock.
Peli Motto’s Jawa Description Supports Star Wars Legends Canon
Peli Motto claims to have dated a Jawa in the past (because of course she has), and describes their physiology under the robe as “furry.” Though Star Wars has never officially revealed what Jawas look like under their hoods, Legends canon describes them as rodent-like and foul-smelling. Chuck Wendig’s canon Aftermath novel also compared Jawas to rats, so Motto’s hairy recollection fits with the few details we already know.
Din Djarin Likes Droids Now
When The Mandalorian began, Din Djarin could barely bring himself to be around droids after losing his family to the robotic Separatist army during the Clone Wars. Peli Motto reminds the audience of this mechanical aversion, but when Mando tells her BD unit, “Thanks, little guy,” The Book of Boba Fett demonstrates how far Djarin has come. BD’s adorable reaction is all the character development payoff we need.
The Jawas Find A New Hope Death Star Prop
Din Djarin asks the local Jawas to go find a “cryogenic density combustion booster.” Star Wars fans might know this contraption better as “the long pole Luke Skywalker uses to prop open the walls of the Death Star’s trash compactor.” This old favorite has popped up previously in The Mandalorian, and continues coming around as a top-level Star Wars Easter egg.
Din Djarin Follows The Phantom Menace’s Podrace Route
In a visual feast for The Phantom Menace fans, Din Djarin takes his new N-1 for a test drive, and follows virtually the exact same route as Anakin Skywalker’s Boonta Eve podrace sequence from 1999. He passes the field of strange rock towers, then takes a trip through Beggar’s Canyon (which was initially mentioned in A New Hope). Best of all, however, Djarin’s new ship passes the gate Anakin’s podracer smashed through when he rocketed into the sky and slammed down to beat Sebulba.
“Spinning… THAT’s A Good Trick”
Unable to resist another tribute to Jake Lloyd’s young Anakin Skywalker, Din Djarin takes the N-1 starfighter spinning through Tatooine’s orbit. This maneuver is a subtle nod to Anakin’s aforementioned prequel trilogy ride in a Naboo ship, when he quipped, “I’ll try spinning, THAT’s a good trick.”
The X-Wing Police Accost Din Djarin… Again
Back in The Mandalorian season 2, a pair of X-Wing fighters pulled Din Djarin’s Razor Crest over, flying side-by-side with the bounty hunter as they requested his credentials. Exactly the same thing happens to Djarin during the N-1’s maiden flight in The Book of Boba Fett episode 5.
Both X-Wing Pilots Are Familiar Star Wars Faces (Or Voices)
Both New Republic rangers will be familiar to Star Wars fans one way or another. The more senior pilot is The Mandalorian‘s Carson Teva, portrayed once again by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. His young companion is Max Lloyd Jones, who played Luke Skywalker’s double during The Mandalorian season 2’s finale. Teva references an “incident involving Imperial remnants” on Nevarro, referencing the final episode of The Mandalorian season 1.
Wizard! Anakin Gets Another Easter Egg
Squeezing one more The Phantom Menace Easter egg in before the final credits, Din Djarin describes his N-1 experience as “wizard!” In the 1999 prequel trilogy opener, Anakin Skywalker’s friend dropped the infamous line, “This is SO wizard, Annie.” Robot Chicken had their fun with this scene, with Darth Vader asking why no one says “wizard” any more, but Anakin needn’t feel alone. In Din Djarin, he has a kindred spirit who not only shouts “wizard” when he’s excited, but enjoys nothing better than spinning in an N-1.
The Book of Boba Fett streams Wednesdays on Disney+.
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