The fifth installment of The Mandalorian's first season, titled "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger," premiered on December 6, 2019. Dave Filoni both wrote and directed this episode, which was available on Disney+.
The episode begins with the Razor Crest being chased. Another bounty hunter, piloting a starfighter, demands via comlink that the Mandalorian surrender the Child. The Razor Crest sustains damage to its left engine. The pursuing bounty hunter threatens to bring him in dead or alive. He attempts to ram the Razor Crest but is unsuccessful. As the enemy starfighter moves into the Razor Crest's forward view, the Mandalorian destroys it with a single laser cannon shot, declaring that the threat is his line. The Razor Crest is left drifting in space with a damaged engine.
The Mandalorian observes that the Razor Crest's fuel levels are dropping, so he cuts power to the starship. The Child remains in his cradle as the Mandalorian activates the emergency power. The Razor Crest then approaches the desert planet of Tatooine. Mos Eisley control tower contacts the ship, granting clearance for hangar 3-5.
The Mandalorian pilots the Razor Crest down to Mos Eisley's desert landscape, landing in bay three-five. He secures the sleeping Child in a safe compartment. Upon landing, three DUM-series pit droids approach the Razor Crest to service it. The Mandalorian, known for droid hating, fires a warning shot, causing the pit droids to retreat. This action angers Peli Motto, a curly-haired human woman, who warns him about damaging her droids.
The Mandalorian instructs her to keep her droids away from his ship. She questions his judgment. Examining his ship, she notes the extensive carbon scoring and deduces that it has been in a firefight, also discovering a fuel leak. She comments on the ship's poor condition and wonders how he managed to land it. The Mandalorian states that he only has 500 Imperial credits.
Peli consults the pit droids, who shake their heads. She believes the credits will barely cover the hangar fees. He assures her that he will pay her, but she expresses skepticism. Annoyed by his presence, Peli considers him a womp rat. The Mandalorian leaves the hangar bay and enters the sandy streets of Mos Eisley, passing several pikes adorned with old stormtrooper helmets.
Later, Peli engages in a game of sabacc with her pit droids, wagering three bolts and a motivator. Their game is interrupted by a noise from the ship's cargo bay. Peli readies her blaster but discovers the Child, wearing a brown coat. Peli picks up the Child, remarking that she will take a good look at him. She asks the Child if the bounty hunter left him alone in that "big, nasty ship." The pit droids inquire in Binary about the Child's species, and Peli admits she does not know what it is, asking them to wait a moment.
She asks the Child if he is hungry and instructs the pit droids to find him something to eat, preferably with bones. She assures the Child that she will care for him until the Mandalorian returns, and then she will charge him extra for babysitting, playfully calling him "bright eyes."
Meanwhile, the Mandalorian enters Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina, where an EV-series supervisor droid bartendress is serving. The bar is frequented by various aliens and even droids, including R5-D4. The Mandalorian informs the bartendress droid that he is seeking employment. The bartendress droid replies that the Bounty Hunters' Guild is no longer active on Tatooine. The Mandalorian clarifies that he is not looking for Guild work. The droid responds that she believes that will not improve his prospects.
A human man observes the Mandalorian and calls the bartendress droid a "tin can," urging her to reconsider. This attracts the Mandalorian's attention. He realizes the Mandalorian is looking for work and invites him to sit down. He introduces himself as Toro Calican, telling the Mandalorian to relax. Calican displays a holoprojector image of a female human bounty, explaining that he acquired this bounty before leaving the Mid Rim. The bounty is [Fennec Shand](/article/fennec_shand], an assassin who has been on the run since the New Republic arrested all her employers.
The Mandalorian recognizes Shand. Calican states that preliminary data suggests Shand is heading towards the Dune Sea and believes it will be an easy task. The Mandalorian wishes him luck and prepares to leave. Calican asks him to wait. The Mandalorian inquires about his Guild experience, and he replies that it has been long enough. The Mandalorian disagrees, stating that Fennec Shand is an elite mercenary who made a name for herself killing for top crime syndicates, including the Hutts. He warns that he will not survive past sunrise if he pursues her before turning to leave.
Calican reveals that this is his first job and offers to let him keep the reward money. He explains that he only wants to join the Guild and cannot do it alone. The Mandalorian tells him to meet him at Hangar three-five in half an hour, bringing two speeder bikes and the tracking fob. Calican hits the tracking fob against the wall and tells the Mandalorian not to worry because he has memorized the data. The Mandalorian reminds him to meet him in half an hour. Calican confidently remarks that the Mandalorian is now stuck with him.
The Mandalorian returns to bay three-five and boards the Razor Crest. He discovers that the Child is missing from his bed. Panicking, he shouts, but Peli tells him to wait. The Mandalorian questions a pit droid, but it cowers in fear. Peli arrives carrying the Child and scolds him for waking the infant, as she had difficulty getting him to sleep. The Mandalorian demands that Peli hand him the Child, but she reprimands him for leaving the Child alone, adding that he has much to learn about raising a young one. The Child shows affection for Peli.
She informs him that she has started repairing the fuel leak but has encountered setbacks. Since she did not use any droids, it took longer than expected. She bangs on the controls to make it work. Peli tells him that she assumed he could afford the repairs since he has an extra mouth to feed. The Mandalorian thanks her. Peli assumes he has found a job and tells him that it costs a lot to keep these droids powered up.
She exits the hangar bay with the Mandalorian to find Calican with the two speeder bikes as promised. The speeder bikes are old and rusty, but Calican claims they are not too shabby. When the Mandalorian inspects his speeder with a look of scorn, Calican says "What do you expect? This ain't Corellia." He also eyes Peli and the Child. The two men mount their speeders and ride into the Dune Sea.
They speed across the Dune Sea, traversing sand and desert mounds. The two stop. When Calican asks what is happening, the Mandalorian tells him to look ahead. Calican dismounts and uses his electrobinoculars. He spots a pair of banthas with two Tusken Raiders and says he has heard the locals talking about them a lot. The Mandalorian explains that the Tuskens consider themselves the locals and everyone else trespassers. Calican believes the Tuskens should keep their distance. The Mandalorian challenges Calican to tell them that himself.
Suddenly, two Tusken Raiders emerge from the desert. The Mandalorian tells him to relax and communicates with the Tuskens using sign language, explaining to Calican that he is negotiating passage across their land. The Mandalorian gets Calican to hand him the electrobinoculars. Despite Calican's protests, the Mandalorian gives the electrobinoculars to the Tuskens as a trade. Calican protests that they are brand new, but the Mandalorian counters that they were brand new. The two continue their journey on speeder bikes through the Dune Sea, crossing vast expanses of sand.
Upon reaching a mound, the Mandalorian dismounts and instructs Calican to do the same. Calican tells the seasoned bounty hunter that he sees a dewback with a rod still attached to an unconscious figure. When Calican asks if it is their target, the Mandalorian says he does not know and will investigate. He orders Calican to provide cover and stay down. The Mandalorian approaches the dewback. He discovers a deceased figure, who is a masked man.
Calican asks if she is dead, and the Mandalorian replies that it is a bounty hunter. Calican asks if he plans to keep it all to himself and asks if he can have their blaster. He finds a tracking fob and warns Calican to get down. Suddenly, an unknown figure fires on the Mandalorian. The Mandalorian runs back and narrowly avoids a sniper bolt. He tells Calican that only an MK sniper rifle could have fired that shot. The Mandalorian reassures Calican that he is unharmed because his beskar armor deflected the blast.
Calican says he does not have beskar and asks what they should do. The Mandalorian asks Calican if he saw where the shot originated. Calican confirms that it came from the ridge. The Mandalorian tells him to wait until dark. When Calican asks what if she escapes, the Mandalorian explains that she has the high ground and will wait for them to make the first move. He says he is going to rest and assigns Calican the first watch, reminding him to stay low.
Their opponent watches and briefly lowers her visor. That night, Calican wakes the napping Mandalorian and mocks him for sleeping on the job. He plays with his blaster, but the Mandalorian asks if he is finished. The Mandalorian tells him to get on his bike and ride towards the rocks as fast as he can. When Calican points out that Shand would snipe them off the bikes, the Mandalorian hands him a flash charge and explains that they will alternate shots, temporarily blinding any scope. He plans to strike Shand using speed and the cover of night.
The two ride their speeder bikes towards the rocks. Shand aims her blaster, and the Mandalorian fires a flash shot, temporarily blinding Shand and forcing her to remove her helmet. She shoots at them but misses. Calican fires the second flash shot, blinding Shand. The two take turns as they approach Shand. Shand manages to shoot the Mandalorian's bike, causing him to fall off. He fires a second shot.
Shand shoots at the Mandalorian, knocking him to the ground. Before she can finish him off, Calican surprises her from behind. Shand throws a knife at him and fights him in hand to hand combat. The Mandalorian stirs while Calican and Shand fight in the sand. Calican manages to distract her long enough for the Mandalorian to arrive and force her surrender. Shand raises her hand while the bruised Calican tends to his wounds. Mando tells Calican to go and find his blaster, and makes Shand put on a pair of stuncuffs.
Shand turns to face the Mandalorian and says that it has been a long time since she has seen one of his kind. She asks if he has been to Nevarro. Shand says she hears that things did not go so well. Calican recovers his blaster and tells Shand that she does not have to worry about Nevarro because they are going to turn her in. He thanks Shand for being his ticket to the Guild, and she says that he is welcome.
The two bounty hunters lead their captive to the remaining bike. Shand taunts her captors by telling them that one of them has to walk. The Mandalorian suggests dragging her. Calican asks what is the plan. The Mandalorian tells him to go and find that dewback they encountered. Calican is unwilling to leave the Mandalorian here with his bounty and his ride. The Mandalorian uses his helmet to locate the dewback and says he will fetch it. He warns Calican not to let her get to the bike because she is no good to them dead. Calican guards Shand while sitting on the bike. She makes eye contact with him.
At dawn, Shand says that it has been a while and that the suns are up. Calican tells her to shut up. She responds that she still has time to make her rounds in Mos Espa. She asks him to take him to it and promises to pay him double the price on her head. Calican says he does not care about the money. She then asks him about the Mandalorian keeping all the money for himself. He says that only because he let him. Seeking to drive a wedge between the two hunters, Shand says that it seems he is calling all the shots. Calican disagrees and says that he hired the Mandalorian to do his job and that bringing her in would make him a full member of the Guild.
Shand points out that he has something more valuable than her but that he does not see it. When he asks what, Shand responds that his armor alone is worth more than her bounty. Calican reiterates that he does not care about the money. Shand asks him to consider what it will do for his reputation. She explains that the Mandalorian shot up the Guild on Nevarro and took some high value target and went rogue. When he asks if it is that Mandalorian, Shand tells him that if he brings the Mandalorian back to the Guild, they will welcome him back with open arms. She tells him that his name will be legendary.
He dismounts from the speeder bike and asks how they can be sure if he is the one. Shand responds that the word is that he still has the target with him; "some say that it is a child." She tells him that she can help him take on the Mandalorian. Shand tells him to take some advice by taking the best deal for himself and surviving. He looks at the horizon and puts his gun back in his holster. He walks towards Shand and she raises her restraints. However, he betrays her by shooting her in the abdomen. As a severely wounded Shand kneels, Calican says that is some good advice and says that if he took those binders off her, he would be a dead man. If the Mandalorian is worth more than Shand, he asks who would not want to be a legend and thanks her for the tip.
Calican then mounts his speeder bike. Meanwhile, the Mandalorian returns to the rocks and spots Shand on the ground, apparently deceased. He finds no sign of Calican and rides back to Mos Eisley, reaching it by nightfall. He returns to hangar three-five where Calican's speeder bike is parked outside. The hangar bay is eerily silent. The Mandalorian sees the pit droids cowering in the office and realizes something is not right.
Calican taunts the Mandalorian that it took him long enough. He appears, holding Peli hostage. Calican boasts he is calling the shots now and demands that the Mandalorian drop his blaster and raise his hands. Calican is also carrying the Child in his left hand. He forces Peli to bind him. The Mandalorian is still holding something in his left hand. Calican mocks the Mandalorian as a Guild traitor and bets that the Child is the target that he helped to escape.
Peli whispers that the Mandalorian is smarter than he looks. Calican says that Fennec was right in that bringing the Mandalorian in would not just make him a member of the Guild but will make him legendary. Before Calican can shoot him, the Mandalorian blinds him with a flash charger. A gun battle breaks out and the Mandalorian shoots Calican, killing him. Calican falls to the ground.
The Mandalorian tells Peli to stay back but she asks where the Child is. She soon finds the Child safe and hiding behind a basket. She lifts him and comforts him, telling him that the shot was really loud for his big ears. Peli hands the Child back to the Mandalorian and tells him to be careful with him.
Peli asks if he did not get paid and sighs. The Mandalorian instead pays Peli, using Calican's credits. Pleased with the Mandalorian, she tells the pit droids to drag Calican's body to Beggar's Canyon. The droids get to work while the Mandalorian departs with the Child aboard the repaired Razor Crest into space.
Meanwhile, an unknown figure wearing tall black boots and a cape approaches the wounded body of Fennec Shand.
Dave Filoni penned the script for this episode, marking the first time someone other than Jon Favreau wrote a The Mandalorian episode. Inspiration was drawn from "Hand on the Gun," an episode of The Westerner. Filming took place from January 9 to February 12, 2019, making it the last episode filmed during the first season's production.