The MandalorianintroducedStar Warsfans to a brand new villain named Moff Gideon, the leader of a remnant of Imperial forces who sought the asset known to viewers as ‘The Child’ (aka Baby Yoda). The character was portrayed byBreaking Badstar Giancarlo Esposito, who recently discussed details about Gideon’s role in the second season of the Disney+ series.
Moff Gideon made his first appearance in the penultimate episode ofThe Mandalorian’s first season, which concluded with the titular bounty hunter and his cohorts being held up in a facility on the planet Navarro while surrounded by former Imperial forces. Although Gideon demanded that theysurrender Baby Yodaor face certain death, the band of heroes was able to escape through a sewer grate and fight their way through the battalion of stormtroopers waiting for them at the end of a lava river, though not without the self-sacrifice of the droid IG-11. While Gideon managed to track the team down and pursue them in his TIE fighter, the Mandalorian made use of his jetpack to bring the spacecraft down, seemingly killing the former Imperial officer.
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However, unbeknownst to our heroes, the final shot of the series revealed Gideon survived the crash as heemerged from the vessel wielding the Darksaber. During an interview on Good Morning America, Esposito noted that Gideon’s pursuit of Baby Yoda will continue whenThe Mandalorianreturns for its second season. “My character, Moff Giddeon, is the warden of the galaxy, " said Esposito. “He is a remnant of the Imperial Empire and he is still searching for his quarry, which we hope he’ll find.”
Esposito added that he’s happy to be part of a series that depicts a story about humanity and heroism, empowering themes that he believes are important today. WhileBaby Yoda has garnered attention for his cutenessand the mystery surrounding his origin, The Child will also play a crucial role in allowing viewers to look inward throughout the second season ofThe Mandalorian, according to Esposito. “He’s going to make this show and allow us to take a journey spiritually to who we really are inside,” he said.
While Disney has not officially ordered additional seasons ofThe Mandalorianbeyond the second, Esposito previously indicatedthe series will lay the groundworkfor a potential third and fourth outing. In the meantime, the second season of theStar Warsseries is expected to provide more insight into Baby Yoda’s past and how Moff Gideon acquired the Darksaber.
WhileThe Mandalorianstory is currently a part of Disney and Lucasfilm’s television plans for theStar Warsfranchise, the creative team behind the series has expressed interest inbringing the adventure to the big screen one day. According to showrunner Jon Favreau, the concept of aMandalorianfilm isn’t outside the realm of possibility on account of there being “no rulebook” for the series at this time.
The Mandalorianseason two premieres exclusively on Disney+ on October 30th, 2020.
