One Star Wars villain didn’t get a proper portrayal in The Mandalorian, which might create problems for the fan-favorite series.
Credit: Lucasfilm
In The Mandalorian Chapter 23, “The Spies” fans got to see Giancarlo Esposito’s return to the series. Moff Gideon’s long-awaited reveal in the penultimate episode of the series was great for fans who were eager to see what the villain was up to. Instead of revealing a plan to take out the New Republic, Gideon appears in front of the Imperial Shadow Council, a group formed in the “Aftermath” Trilogy by Chuck Wendig.
The Shadow Council includes notable characters like Pellaeon, who served as Thrawn’s right-hand man in Star Wars Legends while also serving as a Captain in Star Wars: Rebels. Brendol Hux also appears in the council and is in control of Project Necromancer, implying that cloning is still a first priority for the Empire and explains why Palpatine could suddenly appear in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
In this Shadow Council, one character is absent that should’ve been there. Grand Admiral Rae Sloane. While the character also first appeared in the “Aftermath” Trilogy, she led the Empire into the Unknown Regions with Brendol Hux to create the beginning of the First Order. She was pivotal in saving the Imperial Remnant from doom and would be the highest-ranking Imperial commander and yet she is nowhere to be seen.
Sloane’s absence is concerning as the character is a great source of inspiration for women of color. Sloane isn’t like most of the Empire, who are committing war crimes for their own personal ambition. Instead, she is dedicated to saving what’s left of the Empire and won’t allow the New Republic to destroy everything they worked hard to do.
It would be very easy for Grand Admiral Thrawn to overshadow Sloane as the main leader of the Imperial Remnant, but the two characters already have connections. The Chiss Admiral mapped out the Unknown Regions for Sloane to navigate, giving the First Order an easier way to hide in the shadows as the New Republic began to disband its military.
While Thrawn is obviously more popular to fans than Sloane, both characters deserve time in the spotlight, and it seems Sloane won’t be getting any time to shine soon. One explanation for why Lucasfilm didn’t include Sloane could be that Hux served as her representative at the meeting, leaving her to work while the council convened. If this is the reason why fans couldn’t see Lucasfilm, then it is passable, but if Disney has no interest in including the character, it’s not going to look good for the franchise.
Not including one of Star Wars’ essential women of color in the series could be detrimental to the company as it feels like the Galactic Empire is being whitewashed to include less diversity. Aliens are well-known to have no role in the Empire as the villainous faction is xenophobic but never seen as a racist group.
Do you think Sloane will appear in The Mandalorian or even Ahsoka? Let Inside the Magic know what you think!
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Credit: Lucasfilm
