WARNING: The following contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian season 1 is now finished, but viewers still do not know what Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) wants with Baby Yoda; however, between his mysterious intentions to get his hands on the child and him having the Darksaber, it's possible that the new Star Wars villain is attempting to become the next Darth Vader.

Created by Jon Favreau, the first live-action TV series from the space opera takes place five years after the events of The Return of the Jedi. It introduces us to lone gunslinger Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) who becomes the caretaker of the 50-year-old Force-sensitive infant from the same species as Jedi Master Yoda. After taking a procedural approach in episodes 1 – 6, the show's overall story became more apparent with the introduction of Moff Gideon, who's now expected to be the big bad of The Mandalorian; however, the question remains: what's the character's plan?

Related: The Mandalorian Season 1's Ending Explained (In Detail)

Given his late debut, The Mandalorian has yet to delve into Moff Gideon as a character. The Imperial remnant's motivations are unclear, and likely that storyline will be further explored in season 2. Considering what audiences do know about him thus far, ending up as galaxy's next Darth Vader may be his ultimate goal.

Moff Gideon Has The Darksaber

The Mandalorian Moff Gideon Darksaber

Just when everyone thought that Din successfully got rid of Moff Gideon when he crashed his TIE fighter, the former Imperial Governor emerged from his aircraft with the use of the Darksaber, effectively revealing that he's in possession of the important Mandalorian weapon. For context, the black-bladed light saber mainly played a part in the Star Wars animated series  Star Wars: The Clone and  Star Wars RebelsIt was owned by the first Mandalorian Jedi Tarre Vizla, but after his death, it was passed through different hands including Pre Vizla and Darth Maul. It's last known owner is Bo Katan Kryze, who Ghost Crew member Sabine Wren gave it to during the final season of Rebels.

It's unclear how Moff Gideon got his hands on the Darksaber in The Mandalorian. Theories suggest that he may have swiped it from its owner when he/she was killed — whether or not that was Bo Katan remains to be seen. Audiences know that Gideon worked as the Imperial Security Bureau officer during The Purge, so he has had previous entanglement with Mandalorians in the past. Aside from the Mandalorian implications of  Moff Gideon wielding the Darksaber, it also gives him Jedi-level type of authority, regardless of his actual capacity to use it skillfully.

Moff Gideon Wants Baby Yoda

The Mandalorian Moff Baby Yoda

It wasn't until the penultimate episode of The Mandalorian season 1 that viewers learned that Moff Gideon was the one who ordered the Client (Werner Herzog) and Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi) to find Baby Yoda. He made it clear that getting his hands on the mysterious infant is of personal importance to him, telling Din: "it means more to me than you will ever know." Sadly, The Mandalorian season 1 finale still didn't reveal the reason why he was after Baby Yoda. However, considering the infant's ability to tap into the Force, it's not difficult to imagine that Gideon's motivations are in connection with the child's impressive skills.

Related: Star Wars: The Darksaber Powers, History & Future Explained

When Dr. Pershing briefly got his hands on Baby Yoda in Episode 3 "The Sin," it appeared as if he was harvesting something from the Child. Din didn't learn what Dr. Pershing was doing with the Child, as he opted instead to grab the infant and flee. However, considering that The Mandalorian is putting great emphasis on Baby Yoda's ability to tap into the Force, including the ability to Force Heal (which ties into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), perhaps Moff Gideon is trying to collect midichlorians in the hopes of having them transferred to him. That way, he too could be Force-sensitive and perform special skills only those who are able to tap into the mystical power are able to do. Whether or not this would actually work is anybody's guess at this point, but it's definitely an interesting notion to ponder as the series continues.

Theory: Moff Gideon Wants To Be Darth Vader

The Mandalorian Moff Gideon traps Din and the heroes in Season 1 Episode 7

Between his possession of the Darksaber and potentially becoming Force-sensitive through a transfer of midichlorians, it's possible that Moff Gideon is attempting to become the galaxy's next Darth Vader. At the time of The Mandalorian, it's been half a decade since the fall of Galactic Empire and the death of Darth Vader. Based on what we know about Moff Gideon, he's a former Imperial governor whose life drastically changed after the Battle of Endor. He's desperately trying to hold onto what little power he still has by leading an Imperial remnant group. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility if Moff plans to expand his clout by becoming a symbol of power for the Empire like Darth Vader was.

While The Return of Jedi chronicled Darth Vader's redemption by saving his son, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) from Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), he remained an Imperial icon — so much so, that when it was discovered that Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) is his secret daughter, it effectively ended her political career and paved the way for the rise of the First Order, as well as the Resistance. Given this, it's not difficult to imagine that staunch supporters of the Empire like Gideon would want to become the personification of the evil organization in the hopes that it would unite remaining Imperial sympathizers and spark their renaissance.

Aside from wielding his own lightsaber, not to mention the possibility of him gaining Force powers, it's also worth noting that Moff Gideon is dressing similarly to Darth Vader. Typically, Imperial officers don't sport capes as to make an easy distinction between them and Darth Vader — only Rogue One's Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) was the exception, and even he opted to go with a white ensemble instead. But it appears that Moff Gideon's choice of wardrobe is intentional, on top of the all black get-up and a cape to match, he's sporting what appears like a chest piece reminiscent of Darth Vader's as well. If anything, Moff Gideon's look is also similar to Kylo Ren's (Adam Driver) aesthetic, and we all know how much of a devoted fan his grandson was to Darth Vader.

Assuming that this theory comes to fruition, it would be interesting to see how Din's story clashes with Moff Gideon's. It's a clever way to build on the established Star Wars lore while also focusing on entirely new characters. Fans would just have to wait to learn what's next for these characters when The Mandalorian returns for season 2 next fall.

More: The Mandalorian Season 2 Will Answer BIG Star Wars Questions