Credit: Lucasfilm Things aren’t always clear in The Mandalorian, and Chapter 21, “The Pirate,” ends with a haunting twist that might create some serious problems for Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) as they try to reunite all Mandalorians.
Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon has been hiding in Season 3. At first, fans thought the Imperial warlord was stuck on Coruscant inside a New Republic prison facility. Whispers about the leader circulated Season 3, with some saying he never made it to Coruscant or that his trial never happened, or that his trial was a farce.
Finally, at the end of Chapter 21, Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) finds proof that Moff Gideon never made it to Coruscant as his transport was ambushed. His body is nowhere to be found, but Teva finds Beskar on the shuttle, making him think that Mandalorians were involved in the rescue operation.
Related: The Prequel Trilogy Receives A Glaring Retcon That Damages the ‘Star Wars’ Franchise
For those who don’t know, Moff Gideon served as Moff over Mandalore after the Purge and was initially an ISB agent. This meant that Moff had a lot of knowledge and a network to help him secure his role as leader of Mandalore. He bested Bo-Katan for the Darksaber and held the planet with a tight fist.
Now, Gideon is free, but the Empire does have Mandalorians in its control. In Star Wars: Rebels, fans see Gar Saxon lead the Imperial Super Commandos, a group dedicated to fighting with the Galactic Empire against their own people. After fighting against the Republic while serving Maul and the Shadow Collective, Gar Saxon switched sides for his next fight.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Needs to Abandon Original Trilogy Myth For Future Projects
It’s not hard to believe that a few Imperial Super Commandos existed and that Gideon could’ve had them help him escape. Another idea is far more sinister, as Gideon might be planting a decoy to mess with the New Republic. By making the Mandalorians look responsible, the New Republic might stay out of a fight against the Empire if Gideon tries to take Nevarro once again.
Gideon might be done with the Child, but Mandalorians are obviously something of a threat to his plans, so he could be using this opportunity to try to kill Bo-Katan and the covert and help extinguish any chance of the nation of Mandalore returning to their homeworld.
Related: Two Years Later, ‘The Mandalorian’ Finally Replaces Gina Carano
This would also make the New Republic not trust Mandalorians, which could cause major problems later on in the series. While Din Djarin might not care for the New Republic, having them on his side could be useful if his fight against the Empire becomes serious.
Moff Gideon is definitely up to something evil and after being gone for half of the season, The Mandalorian will have to make sure the Imperial Warlord has enough time in the spotlight to make up for his long absence.
Do you believe Moff Gideon will be setting up the Mandalorians? Do you think Mandalorians actually saved him?