WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 1, "Chapter Nine: The Marshal," available now on Disney+.
In the Season 2 premiere of Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Din Djarin sets off on a new quest to find other Mandalorians who can help him locate what's left of the Jedi. After visiting one of his old contacts, the title character is pointed in the direction of Tatooine, a planet he previously visited in the Disney+ series' first season. Once he's back on one of the Star Wars franchise's most popular planets, Din reconnects with an old friend. And it's during this visit that the television series confirms that A New Hope's R5-D4 is alive and well on the desert planet -- in fact, he's now under the care of Peli Motto.
R5-D4 may not have had the biggest role in the original Star Wars movie, but fans know the character all too well. The droid was originally bought by Luke Skywalker and his uncle Owen from the Jawas, alongside C-3PO. However, after R5's motivator blew up, the droid was left lifeless just outside of Luke's home. As R5-D4 was useless, C-3PO instead suggested Luke purchase R2-D2 instead, setting the events of the film -- and the entire saga -- in motion.
However, the fate of the poor little malfunctioning R5 was never revealed beyond that. Did the Jawas use him for scrap metal? Did they fix him and sell him to someone else?
Fans got a partial answer in the first season of The Mandalorian, when R5-D4 briefly appeared as an Easter egg among the crowd of the cantina Din Djarin visited in "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger." The droid still had traces of his malfunctioning motivator, which confirmed that it was definitely him. This brief appearance revealed that R5 was indeed alive after the events of the Original Trilogy. And now, we finally know who his owner is.
When the Mandalorian visited Tatooine in "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger," he docked at the hangar of Peli Motto, a mechanic who proved to be a trustworthy friend. Therefore, when the title character returns to Tatooine in the Season 2 premiere, he once again docks at her hangar. There, he asks for help locating Boba Fett, another Mandalorian who was last seen on the desert planet.
She advises him to visit Mos Pelgo, a small town that doesn't appear on any current map of Tatooine. To help the Mandalorian, she calls a droid from her hangar: R5-D4, who projects a map of the town's location. This confirms that Peli Motto is now the owner of R5.
The character made only a brief appearance in A New Hope, but he's still important to the overarching Star Wars saga. Without his malfunction, Luke would never have gotten R2, and the droid would not have passed on Princess Leia's message to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Still, it's nice to know R5-D4 lived on, and that he now has a good owner.
Created by Jon Favreau, Star Wars: The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, with guest stars with guest stars Gina Carano, Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito. Directors for the new season include Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed and Robert Rodriguez.