Trust is the most precious commodity to the Mandalorian, and in chapter 5 of his Disney+
series, what little trust he can invest pays few dividends.
A brief layover on the most familiar of planets Tatooine ends with Mando getting little more
than he started with, beyond a fixed ship and a blaster-scorched chestplate.
The biggest twist occurred during the last moments, so beware: we're about to enter major
spoiler territory.
In The Mandalorian's fifth chapter, entitled "The Gunslinger," we saw Toro Calican seemingly
kill Fennec Shand after she attempts to manipulate him into releasing her and accompanying her
back to one of Tatooine's spaceport cities, Mos Espa.
At first, we consider that maybe she was just stunned, and will eventually wake up, but
several shots cut back to her to underline that yes, Shand is most likely dead.
In the last five seconds of the episode, black boots and a cape approach Shand's body.
Who could it be?
After Chapter 4's heavy focus on Mando and his personal motivations, chapter 5 is more
interested in stepping back perspective to be less about him and more about the greater
circumstances of the world in which he lives.
Mando may be its center, but the universe that orbits around him sometimes takes greater
precedence, leaving him to be an actor within it.
The galaxy is getting bigger and bigger with each new episode of The Mandalorian, and Mando
is slowly losing control of it.
The apparent death of Fennec Shand and the aftermath of the incident made up the biggest
plot twist of episode 5.
Ming-Na Wen is one of the most recognizable actors who was publicly attached to The Mandalorian
prior to its release, but we still don't know much about her role on the show.
Secrecy around the series has remained tight, we don't know exactly how many episodes Wen
is supposed to appear on.
After all, she's got one heck of a backstory, and it'd be a shame to just leave it all behind
after one show.
"Fennec Shand is an elite mercenary.
She made her name killing for all the top crime syndicates — including the Hutts."
Also, Star Wars has a history of bringing characters we thought were dead back to life,
sometimes going through a whole lot of hoops to justify a hero or villain's continuing
survival.
The obvious question is this: Who's the dude swaggering on up to Shand's body?
Our best guess is that it's whomever she was supposed to meet with back at Mos Espa.
Remember, that was the exact deal she pitched to Calican:
"Take me to it, and I can pay you double the price on my head."
But why was Shand on Tatooine at all?
From the information Calican presented, she's been using the planet as a hideout.
We don't see Shand in the middle of some other job out in the desert wilds, either.
Who is she going to meet while on the run that's going to pay her?
Chapter 5 takes the time to explicitly mention that the New Republic has cut off a lot of
Shand's usual contractors by defeating the Empire and its subsidiaries.
Mando is taking commissions while on the run, too, and Chapter 5's whole premise is built
around this need.
Maybe Shand picked up the job that will make her flush and able to get off-world at last.
However, Shand's an assassin.
Mando kills people as necessary for cash, but his general job description is to bring
them in alive and up until recently, that was done according to a code of ethics required
by the guild.
Assassins have different, and far less patient contractors.
It's possible that the aerial dogfight that opens the episode and Shand being on Tatooine
are related.
Does the twist lie in the planet being a honeypot to ground Mando?
Was Shand somehow contracted to separate Mando from the Child and kill him?
She clearly prioritizes killing Mando during the fight so much so that Calican easily sneak
up on her and threaten to shoot, which is pretty sloppy on her behalf.
That possibility might be a little contrived, but the fact that Shand is aware of everything
that happened at Nevarro is a bit suspicious.
"I hear things didn't go so well there but it looks like you got off easy."
The order in which she pitches her deals to Calican is telling, too.
She tries to get herself free without mentioning the high price attached to Mando, but later
feels forced to mention the possibility of splitting the reward for killing Mando.
She presents this meeting at which she'll be paid and the bounty attached to Mando as
two separate things, but there's no guarantee that's true.
If so, Shand definitely came out the losing end in this bargain, and there would be severe
consequences for her, if she's still alive, as well as whomever contracted her, and, of
course, Mando and the Child.
How any of this ties back to Mando is completely inscrutable for the moment, but we know it'll
all come together eventually, regardless of whether or not Fennec Shand is alive.
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