Warning: Spoilers ahead for ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ episode 5.
It feels like a lifetime since we last saw Pedro Pascal’s beloved Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin on our television screens — or December 18, 2020, to be exact. Following The Mandalorian‘s epic, mind-blowing season 2 finale, the series went on a hiatus as The Book of Boba Fett took over its normal end of the year premiere slot on Disney+ in 2021.
Picking up where the aforementioned show left off, The Book of Boba Fett has worked to pull back the curtain on fan-favorite character Boba Fett, including an explanation as to what happened after he tumbled to his supposed death in the Sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi. The delayed return of Din Djarin was a tough pill to swallow, but the story of Boba Fett has been a long time coming. Despite his overall lack of screen time in the films, the infamous bounty hunter has had a rapid fan following for decades.
Patience pays off, though. With the same creative team for The Mandalorian holding the reigns for The Book of Boba Fett, the series was bound to come bearing surprises. At the end of episode 4, “The Gathering Storm,” Boba Fett and Fennec Shand were discussing their need for help against the Pyke Syndicate. Fennec noted, “Credits can buy muscle if you know where to look,” which was followed by the iconic notes of Din Djarin’s theme. From the get-go, we were all hoping to see a cameo from the Mandalorian in the show, but “Return of the Mandalorian” was even better than anyone could have ever expected. Like a gift from a galaxy far, far away for all of us who have been seriously missing Din, episode 5 was — essentially — just an episode of The Mandalorian.
Taking place sometime in the aftermath of Din’s tearful goodbye when he handed over Grogu to Luke Skywalker, “Return of the Mandalorian” details what he’s been up to as he settles back into the life of a childless bounty hunter. In celebration of this epic episode, we’ve gone through and listed some of the best moments from Din Djarin’s return.
“I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold.”
If you didn’t get chills when Din repeated his iconic line that started it all in the first episode of The Mandalorian, you’re lying. The opening scene contained other callbacks to the episode as well: Din walking through the plastic curtains mirrored his entrance in the bar on Pagodon (where he spoke the aforementioned line to his bounty). And when the Klatooinians surrounded him, it was reminiscent of when Din was surrounded by stormtroopers when he went to accept his next job from the Client (at which point he said, “I like those odds.”)
Din wields the Darksaber
The same scene confirmed that not only did Din hold onto the Darksaber after besting Moff Gideon in battle, but he has chosen to start fighting with it himself as well. Fans wondered if there was a chance we would see a glimpse of the weapon in The Book of Boba Fett, so it was satisfying to see it immediately from the start (and a nice added touch watching his silhouette extinguish it from behind the curtains after the fight).
The return of the Armorer and Paz Viszla
After the battle on Nevarro in The Mandalorian season 1, where the Mandalorians revealed themselves to help with the rescue of Grogu, Moff Gideon’s troops massacred the Tribe. Din manages to find their new covert on another planet, and the Armorer and Paz Viszla are the only two that remain as they work to rebuild.
A gift for Grogu
After the Armorer chides him for carrying a beskar spear, because it has the ability to pierce through beskar armor (despite the fact that it can also block a lightsaber blade), Din asks her to forge it into something for a foundling. But not just any foundling … Grogu. The final product isn’t shown, but it appears that it’s likely a piece of armor made from beskar chainmail. And if you were paying close attention, you’ll notice the cloth bag resembles the shape of Grogu’s head!
“Din Djarin”
For those that didn’t catch that 2019 Pedro Pascal interview where he revealed it early (oops), fans had to wait until the season 1 finale of The Mandalorian to find out that his character’s name is Din Djarin. (We all also finally learned how to spell it that day as well — remember the days of Dyn Jarren?) Din holds his name close to his chest, and thus everyone on the show generally refers to him as the Mandalorian or “Mando.” Give the infrequent use of his real name, it was exciting to hear the Armorer refer to him not once, but twice, as Din Djarin.
Din beats Paz Viszla in battle
From the moment that Din pulls out the Darksaber, Paz’s body language is immediately on edge. The Darksaber was created by his ancestor — Tarre Vizsla, a Mandalorian and a Jedi — and thus he feels entitled to it. Din is sparring with the Armorer, who is trying to teach him how to properly wield the Darksaber instead of struggling to control it, when Paz challenges him to a fight for the blade. It’s a harrowing battle, and thing’s aren’t looking good when Paz gets his hands on the Darksaber, but he’s not able to control it either. Din eventually gains the upper hand and bests him, retaining his ownership of the weapon.
A Mandalorian no longer
Starting with the necessary removal of his helmet at the end of season 1 of The Mandalorian, Din has found himself conflicted and confused about the Mandalorian Creed. Meeting Bo-Katan Kryze, Axe Woves, and Koska Reeves on Trask turned his world upside down when they removed their helmets without a second thought. Bo-Katan informed Din that he was a Child of the Watch, which she called a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society. Season 2 then saw Din remove his helmet two more times — during the mission on Morak and for his emotional goodbye with Grogu.
So when the Armorer asks Din if he has ever removed his helmet, he’s silent for a moment before he admits that he has. Immediately, she tells him that he is no longer a Mandalorian, and the only way he can redeem himself (as per the Creed) is in the living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore, which were destroyed. This was a bittersweet moment for viewers, because it was likely difficult for Din to be cast out by his people and the way of life that he was raised with from a young age. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, this now gives him so much room to grow, develop, and change as a character. Looking toward season 3 of The Mandalorian, we will likely see Din try to decide between fighting for his past or moving forward (and hey, another glimpse at Pascal’s face under the helmet wouldn’t hurt.)
“I’m a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of my religion.”
Sorry Din, but that excuse won’t help you get on a commercial flight. Watching Din huff and puff in annoyance as he’s forced to remove all of his various weapons to be stowed away for the journey was easily one of the most humorous moments from the episode — “I know everything that’s in there” — though it was also quite nerve-wracking to see him temporarily let go of the Darksaber.
The Mandalorian does public transit
Alright, did anyone have “Din Djarin forlornly staring out the window into the depths of space as he’s forced to take public transit” on their bingo card?
A BD unit appears!
First revealed in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, BD units are explorer droids. Players were introduced to the adorable BD-1, who accompanies the main character Cal Kestis on his journey. While this type of droid has since made a few comic appearances, today’s episode marked the first live-action appearance of one! This particular unit works with Peli Motto at her hangar on Mos Eisley. While it doesn’t quite appear to be the BD-1, this droid was just as endearing (especially as it tried to assist Din with its light while he worked on the starfighter).
N-1 starfighter
Also known as the Naboo starfighter, an old, scrapped N-1 ended up being Peli Motto’s substitute ship for Din Djarin in the wake of the destruction of his beloved Razor Crest. As per Peli Motto, these ships were handmade for the royal guard and commissioned personally by the Queen of Naboo. This moment was a fun callback to the prequel trilogy, as the ships were first seen in The Phantom Menace (and later edited into Return of the Jedi).
Peli Motto dates Jawas
“Very furry.” Enough said.
“Dank Farrik, she’s fast. And as smooth as a gonk’s scomp jack.”
While Din is initially apprehensive about the starfighter, he warms to the ship after Peli explains all of the various benefits of flying with it. And it’s fast. Very fast. As an added bonus, Peli did away with the need for an astromech on the ship. So the little compartment behind Din is obviously the perfect seat for Grogu (although he’s going to need to figure out a way to clean him up if he throws up mid-flight again).
Captain Carson Teva
While zipping through space to test drive his new ship, Din is stopped by two New Republic X-wing pilots, one of which is none other than Captain Carson Teva (who first appeared in The Mandalorian). What follows is an amusing exchange as he recognizes Din’s voice (how could you forget it?), at which point he decides that he wants to bring him in for questioning, but the bounty hunter takes off in the blink of an eye.
Din agrees to help Boba Fett and Fennec Shand
When Din returns from his test flight, Fennec Shand is waiting for him at Peli’s hangar. She asks if he’s looking for work, and she tosses him a bag of credits as payment. However, when she tells him that she and Boba Fett just need him as muscle, Din hands the payment back and tells her it’s on the house. Boba Fett and Fennec Shand were key in assisting Din with rescuing Grogu in season 2, so it’s no surprise that he would opt to help his friends free of charge.
“But first, I got to pay a visit to a little friend.”
After Din tells the Armorer that he wants to forge something for Grogu, she reminds him that Jedi must forego all attachments when training to master the ways of the Force. Din has trouble reconciling with this, because it goes directly against the Mandalorian Creed. The fact of the matter is, he wants to see him and make sure he’s safe. He may be a Jedi in-training under the wing of Luke Skywalker himself, but he’ll always be Din’s tiny green sidekick.
Hopefully, we’ll get a glimpse of Grogu in the next episode (Jon Favreau, I am begging you.) But beyond that, does anyone else feel robbed that we didn’t get to witness Boba Fett interact with the Child? After seeing what a soft pushover he is for the various creatures in The Book of Boba Fett — including his new pet rancor — the world deserves nothing more than to see him go full “Uncle Boba Fett” with Grogu.
Don’t miss the next episode of The Book of Boba Fett when it premieres exclusively on Disney+ on Wednesday, February 2!
