'The Mandalorian' is just one of many new 'Star Wars' universe projects that Disney has under way for release on its new streaming platform in the coming years. The series will be set after the fall of the Empire but prior to the rise of the First Order (so within the timeframe between 'Return of the Jedi' and 'Force Awakens'). The official synopsis released by creator, writer, and producer Jon Favreau declares that it will follow "the travails of a lone gunfighter [Pedro Pascal] in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic" and will also feature Omid Abtahi ('American Gods'), Emily Swallow ('Supernatural'), and Gina Carano in roles as completely new characters.
While for the human cast Favreau has already confirmed that we won't be seeing the return of any known faces from existing 'Star Wars' canon, he recently shared an image on Instagram hinting at the return appearance of a classic character from the original 1977 film: R5-D4.
This droid only made a short appearance in 'A New Hope': it was one of the stolen droids being sold by the Jawas on Tatooine, alongside R2-D2 and C-3PO. Luke Skywalker and his Uncle Own originally purchased R5-D4 with C-3PO, leaving R2-D2 with the Jawas, but when D4's motor broke down within minutes of purchase, he was exchanged for R2-D2 who was thus able to carry out his mission and deliver the Death Star plans to Obi Wan Kenobi.
Of course, while the image looks very similar to the classic character, it may not actually be the same droid, especially considering the already worse for wear state of R5-D4 in 'A New Hope'.
'Star Wars': A New Generation
Anthony Daniels, who has played the role of C-3PO ever since 1977, recently tweeted a farewell speech to the character to commemorate his last day on set for the upcoming 'Star Wars: Episode IX'. The finality of this farewell seemed to suggest that this will be the character's last appearance in the franchise.
'Episode IX' sure is the last instalment of the Skywalker trilogy, as, other than the 'Han Solo' stories, the other announced projects in the franchise focus on entirely new characters, stating that 'Star Wars' is moving away from its original storyline.
'The Mandalorian' does not have an official release date, but it will begin streaming on Disney+ at some point in 2019.
