Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian brought back the E-Web heavy repeating blaster, a Star Wars weapon first seen in The Empire Strikes Back. The final episode of the show's debut season dropped December 28 on Disney+ and was directed by Taika Waititi. Following suit with the preceding episodes, "Redemption" included a slew of Star Wars Easter eggs.
Trapped inside the tavern in the outpost town on Nevarro, Mando (whose real name was revealed to be Din Djarin), Cara Dune, and Greef Karga had limited options for making it out of the situation alive. Thankfully, IG-11 came to the rescue, taking out many of Moff Gideon's troopers stationed around town. During the commotion, the group wandered out of the building and opened fire. Reuniting with Baby Yoda was a priority but killing as many troopers as possible was also key. To do so, Din jumped at the chance to use the stormtroopers' E-Web turret.
The E-Web, also known as the Heavy Blaster, was essentially a high-powered machine gun that was capable of obliterating targets. The weapon was traditionally used by Imperial snowtroopers as revealed during the 1980 Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. Imperial forces used E-Webs during the Battle of Hoth when they invaded Echo Base. The weapon was also used when the troopers tried to prevent the Millennium Falcon from escaping the base. Nearly 40 years later, the E-Web was brought back into live-action with Gideon's Imperial Remnant.
Moff Gideon's Troopers Possessed An Updated Model Of The E-Web Blaster
While Din and his allies took refuge in the tavern, Moff Gideon threatened the group from outside. Along with revealing much of their past, he reinforced his arsenal by ordering his troopers to big out their largest weapon. As seen in The Empire Strikes Back, it took multiple troopers to carry and set up the Heavy Blaster. To use the weapon, one trooper would fire while the other fed the E-Web its power while preventing any overheating.
The E-Web possessed by Moff Gideon, however, was an updated model. Before the stormtroopers had a chance to use it, Din took ahold of the weapon when IG-11 came to the rescue. He countered its weight and swung it around, taking out numerous troopers in a hail of blaster gunfire. The modified version of the E-Web may have made it easier for Din to use without a co-operator. Either way, Moff Gideon put a stop to Din by blowing up a nearby transformer, severely injuring the bounty hunter.
The use of the E-Web might be rare in Star Wars canon but a number of variations of the blaster have appeared in the EU. Upgrades to the weapon were made to create the F-Web and EWeb(15). There was also a portable version called the E-Web rifle. In addition, an EWHB-12 was used during the Clone Wars. For now, the E-Web in The Mandalorian marks just the second live-action appearance by the Imperial blaster.