Star Wars’ Next Movie Proves The Mandalorian Season 3 Made One Major Mistake With This Character’s Fate

The Mandalorian made one major mistake in The Mandalorian season 3 ending, and it’s likely too late for Star Wars to do anything to fix it. The Mandalorian is easily one of Star Wars’ best TV shows, and several characters from the show are among Star Wars’ best characters—Din Djarin and Grogu in particular. The show perfectly combines elements that cater to the intense nostalgia most viewers feel for the franchise and brand-new concepts and storylines that make the show stand out among Star Wars’ movies and TV shows.

That doesn’t mean that The Mandalorian is without its faults, though. There are some harsh realities about The Mandalorian season 3 in particular, which led many to argue that season 3 ‘ruined’ The Mandalorian. While this incredibly popular Star Wars show is far from ruined, there was one shocking decision in The Mandalorian season 3 finale that was definitely a mistake, particularly in light of Star Wars’ upcoming movies.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Killed Off Moff Gideon

Moff Gideon Proved To Be A Fan-Favorite Villain, But His Story Is Now (Seemingly) Over

Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon first appeared toward the end of The Mandalorian season 1 and was revealed to be the villain trying to obtain Grogu’s blood. Although he was after the already beloved Grogu, then only called The Child in the show and ‘Baby Yoda’ by many viewers, Esposito’s charismatic performance and the compelling nature of the character made him a hit. He also went on to prove how formidable a character he was, at one point even wielding the Mandalorian Darksaber.

While he didn’t win the Darksaber in battle, as is typically required to wield the iconic weapon—he instead convinced Bo-Katan Kryze to give it to him during the Purge of Mandalore—this was symbolic of how great a threat he had become. This was made all the clearer when it was revealed in The Mandalorian season 3 that Moff Gideon had been developing clones. Like Palpatine, Moff Gideon had specifically wanted to create Force-sensitive clones of himself.

Sadly, many of these intriguing plot points connected to Moff Gideon died with him in The Mandalorian season 3. In the finale, Gideon faced off against Bo-Katan, Din Djarin, and Grogu, but after a light cruiser crashed into the base, causing a fire, Gideon was engulfed in flames and burned to death. This is a particularly disappointing turn of events, not only because it means Moff Gideon’s time in Star Wars is seemingly over, but also because it means Moff Gideon almost certainly won’t appear in The Mandalorian & Grogu.

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Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon Deserves A Movie Spotlight Treatment

Esposito Is A Brilliant Actor, Full Of Passion And Love For Star Wars

With The Mandalorian TV show making the jump to the big screen in The Mandalorian & Grogu, it is truly a shame Moff Gideon (and Giancarlo Esposito) will likely not be part of the cast of characters. In addition to Moff Gideon being an excellent character, Giancarlo Esposito is an amazing actor who truly loves Star Wars, and he deserves to have his movie moment as Moff Gideon. In fact, in August 2024, Esposito confirmed that he continues to have love for his character even after his death in The Mandalorian season 3.

Giancarlo Esposito surprised the audience at FAN EXPO Chicago’s “Mark Hamill Live” event by appearing on stage fully in character as Moff Gideon. In a video posted by va.va.vera on TikTok, Esposito walks onto the stage chanting “Long live the Empire!” and introduces himself as Moff Gideon.

Clearly, Esposito remains a major Star Wars fan, and he still cares deeply about The Mandalorian and Moff Gideon, making it all the sadder that The Mandalorian & Grogu will likely happen without him.

There are of course ways Star Wars could still incorporate Moff Gideon into the movie, including in flashback, although that wouldn’t quite be the same. Star Wars could also make the controversial choice to reveal that Moff Gideon didn’t die after all, which would be in keeping with the franchise’s many resurrections, most notably Emperor Palpatine’s in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Darth Maul, Boba Fett, and Asajj Ventress have also had shocking returns). Particularly given the way Moff Gideon died, though, this would be a questionable decision, to say the least.

Will The Mandalorian & Grogu Bring Gideon Back – & Should It?

Star Wars Is Known For Miraculous Resurrections, But This Would Be The Wrong Move

As mentioned, Star Wars has had a number of resurrections over the years, including of characters who seemed to definitely be dead. Even so, it would be a mistake for The Mandalorian & Grogu to reveal that Moff Gideon didn’t really die in the fire. It simply wouldn’t be believable that Gideon survived such a gruesome death, and this would continue a trend that has proven largely unpopular among the fanbase. With Star Wars still recovering from “Somehow, Palpatine returned,” this would be the wrong choice.

The only slightly more believable way The Mandalorian & Grogu could bring Moff Gideon back would be to reveal that the version of Moff Gideon who was incinerated in The Mandalorian season 3 ending was a clone. However, this would be a bit of a stretch, and it would be too close to repeating the exact explanation for Palpatine’s return. Sadly, Star Wars may need to accept that Moff Gideon’s death in The Mandalorian was a mistake that can no longer be fixed.

Source: va.va.vera

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  The Mandalorian is set after the Empire’s fall and before the First Order’s emergence in the ever-growing Star Wars universe. The series follows the travails of a lone gunfighter named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. Acting as the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian has become incredibly popular on Disney+, partly due to Mando’s relationship with Grogu, which the internet dubbed “Baby Yoda” upon his introduction in season 1.

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  The Mandalorian & Grogu is a Star Wars movie directed by Jon Favreau that continues Disney+’s immensely popular TV Show, The Mandalorian. The film will replace The Mandalorian season 4 to bring the franchise back to the big screen and follow Din Djarin and his adventures with Grogu. The Mandalorian & Grogu is the first Star Wars film to be released since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.