One of the biggest unsolved mysteries of The Mandalorian at this point is Moff Gideon, his affiliation, and the power of the Imperial remnants in the galaxy.
Of course, Star Wars: Aftermath has already shown us that the Empire is still at large after the Battle of Endor. And it takes the Rebel Alliance more than just a single battle to defeat them and set up the New Republic. But Jon Favreau has confirmed that his show takes place in 9 ABY (after the Battle of Yavin), which is 4 years after the Battle of Jakku, the decisive event that sent the remaining Imperial fleets to the Unknown Regions, where they reunited with Palpatine’s servants and created the First Order.
Essentially, Moff Gideon’s forces should be a forgotten regiment, at best. In fact, when he displayed a show of force in the season 1 finale, there were only a couple dozen stormtroopers and a TIE fighter. This obviously turns the odds in the favor of our favorite bounty hunter and his adorable sidekick Baby Yoda, but what if a greater adversary is pulling the strings from behind the curtains?
For months, fans have speculated that Gideon may be working for Darth Sidious and now, a new Topps card from The Mandalorian Static Series 2 set shows an Imperial cruiser surrounded by TIE fighters, implying that even if the phantom Emperor isn’t involved, there must be more to this splinter group than we initially thought.
As you can see above, the escorted ship is an Arquitens-class light cruiser. Granted, it’s not as menacing or dangerous as a Star Destroyer, but it can still pose a real problem if it indeed turns out to be the thing that Mando and Baby Yoda will be going up against.
And since these cards are approved by Lucasfilm as official merchandise, we can expect the cruiser to eventually pop up in the ongoing second season of The Mandalorian.
