The Mandalorian episode 5 theory: Those boots at the end belong to…
The latest episode of The Mandalorian ended with the introduction of a mysterious character.
(Spoilers follow for episode 5, “The Gunslinger.”)
The final shot of Friday’s installment of the Disney+ series showed a figure wearing black boots approach the discarded body of the assassin Fennec (Ming-Na Wen), who may or may not be dead.
But who is the figure? There’s a whole galaxy of possibilities. The most obvious possibility is that it’s former Imperial Governor Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) — a new Mandalorian character the show has yet to reveal this season. But here’s another theory that’s perhaps far-fetched, but also highly intriguing, and there’s a bit of evidence to support it: Boba Fett.
First, this episode takes place on Tattooine. Some have dismissed the episode’s location as mere fan service. But it’s also the last place Star Wars fans saw the infamous bounty hunter, after he fell into the Sarlacc Pit in Return of the Jedi, presumably to digest for 1,000 years. But what if he escaped? Boba Fett, with his array of weapons, somehow escaping the Sarlacc Pit sure makes more sense than some character returns (like Darth Maul surviving being bisected and dropped into endless shaft, only to turn up in Clone Wars).
The reveal would make sense, as Fennec was being tracked by bounty hunters and Boba Fett is, after all, a bounty hunter.
But there’s also a specific clue in the scene that could be a nod in the direction of Boba Fett: the rather distinctive jangling sound of the character’s boots, which almost sound like cowboy spurs. Listen to the episode’s ending again, then watch this video around 2:46 as Boba Fett enters the room:
This would be a huge reveal and rather perfect. Since the launch of The Mandalorian, fans have wondered why Disney didn’t just do a show about Boba Fett when the lead character was so clearly inspired by him. Having Pedro Pascal’s Mando allows the show to create its own character with a different personality, and Pascal’s take on a bounty hunter has been distinctive and engaging. But what if the plan was also to re-introduce Boba Fett as an antagonist for some Mando-vs.-Mando action? Pit our hero against the most formidable and popular bounty hunter in Star Wars?
The move would also redeem what’s been considered a “bad death” in the canon — many fans feel Boba Fett deserved a more fitting send-off than the abrupt and somewhat goofy way he was casually dispatched by Han Solo. The move also wouldn’t be entirely unlike how Clone Wars — which is from this episode’s writer and director, Dave Filoni — brought back Maul from his abrupt death to give him a more extensive final act.
For more, listen to this week’s Star Wars Untold Stories podcast; the new episode is coming soon.
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