Season 3 of The Mandalorian is off to an interesting start. The series has been relatively true to form until recently, with the later half of the third episode feeling more like a part of sister series Andor. Fans have had plenty of great things to say (and plenty of not-great things) about the tonal shift, but more are stuck on the emergence of a impressive armada of imperial ships and the subsequent destruction of Bo-Katan’s ridiculously huge and ludicrously empty castle. While the episode may be scattering clues of Moff Gideon’s return, fans remain unconvinced with many taking to social media to debate the other potential masterminds behind the subterfuge.
Most fans are rejoicing at the potential introduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn. first appearing canonically in Star Wars: Rebels, Thrawn is much like Gideon. Shrewd, calculating, and ruthless, he was known for his unparalleled ability to root out rebel cells and destroy them. He was an incredible tactician, frequently out-matching unfortunate dissidents. His knack for destruction could make him a devastating combination with Gideon, a team-up that other fans are rooting for.
Moff Gideon has been hammered repeatedly throughout the episodes we’ve seen so far. That sort of repeated presentation for a villain that has antagonized Mando and Grogu seems unnecessary. With the reestablishment of the Mind Flayer and the insinuation that Gideon himself has been brainwashed, he may very well be a red herring. The tactics used during the tie fight were well practiced, and had some fans convinced it was a sign of Thrawn’s devastating strategy.
But for every fan who thinks the show is bamboozling us, there is one more Gideon stan awaiting his arrival. One fan is postulating their own unlikely team-up, saying that Elia Kane, the amnesty officer responsible for getting Dr. Pershing brainwashed, is Gideon’s daughter and noting that a better spy couldn’t exist.
With Ahsoka set to be released in Fall of 2023, it does make sense for The Mandalorian to plug some of the upcoming bad guys. Thrawn isn’t a stranger to the series, he’s has been mentioned in several episodes of the show already. Ahsoka says in season 2 she is aware of his activities, and fans theorize that her show will follows the former Jedi on her quest to locate Thrawn for information on Ezra Bridger. The two disappeared at the conclusion of Rebels when Ezra utilized the purrgil to send Thrawn and his flagship, as well as himself, into the unknown recesses of space.
In the series’ epilogue Ezra’s close ally, Sabine Wren, says that he never returned, and the series closes with the two women leaving in search of the missing Bridger. Ahsoka and Sabine are still seeking Ezra during the events of The Mandalorian. While there isn’t anything saying he couldn’t still be with Thrawn more than 10 years after his disappearance, it would be a disservice to reveal Thrawn’s return before Ahsoka has had time to explore the story behind how he made his way back. If, as some fans have theorized, Ezra has turned to the dark side, and is helping his former nemesis (very unlikely, as Ezra is a good boy), to take that reveal away from Ahsoka hopefuls would hurt the reception for the show, a lesson Disney should have learned after killing off Black Widow before her solo movie premiered.
From a character standpoint, even if Thrawn did return without Ezra, the Admiral was an avid collector of artifacts from dying cultures. The Mandalorians have suffered deeply since… well, for quite some time. There is little left of the people, and even less of their culture remaining. There is no way that Bo-Katan, princess of Mandalore, abandoned every piece of her illustrious family’s history. With the Mandalorian home world a crumbling ruin and so many of the people scattered across the Galaxy, there is no doubt that Thrawn would have found a way to save those precious few artifacts. He is a particularly vindictive man and has used family heirlooms to his advantage before, but against rebels who had crossed him personally.
Dr. Pershing’s reemergence could make it plausible that the armada was seeking the missing Grogu to finish the experiments from season 1, but the absolute devastation of the facility makes that less likely. The destruction of Bo’s palace seems much more personal; she has no followers, no armada, and until recently she didn’t even have a reason to get out of her throne in the morning. Whoever just tried to assassinate the princess may have imperial ships, but Thrawn is far too logical to expend resources on the sad, lonely queen of nothing.
