Actor Giancarlo Esposito expects villain Moff Gideon to have a big role in The Mandalorian season 3. Since being revealed as the Imperial leading the hunt for The Child at the end of season 1, fans have been eager to learn more about the mysterious character, but showrunner Jon Favreau has been careful to use him sparingly so far.
Moff Gideon's appearances in "Chapter 7: The Reckoning" and "Chapter 8: Redemption" were enough to establish him as a formidable foe for the show's bounty-hunting hero, possessing a lot of firepower and a dangerous amount of information. While he hasn't been on screen much yet in season 2, a couple of key moments have given fans some insight into his role in the story. In "Chapter 11: The Heiress," the much-discussed darksaber Gideon wields turns out to be an ancient Mandalorian artifact, suggesting a more profound connection to protagonist Din Djarin's people than expected. And in the most recent episode, "Chapter 12: The Siege," a chance raid on an Imperial base reveals Gideon is hunting The Child for his blood, likely in an attempt to make others force-sensitive by transfusion. The episode ends with Gideon standing ominously among a room full of Vader-like suits, speculated to be an army of Dark Troopers.
While viewers of the Disney+ show are eager to see the confrontation foreshadowed by this slow trickle of information, Esposito's recent interview with EW suggests the payoff could be a long time coming. Describing his use in the show as "dangling the carrot," Esposito gives his thoughts on whether he'll be seen more in the back half of this season:
It seems that way. But I have a feeling you'll see more of me next season. More than likely you're going to see a lot of Moff Gideon. I can't be sure of that, but it seems as though this iconic journey that they want you to feel it. I think you're going to start to see other storylines start to creep in. When we start to realize there's such a deep connection [between the show's storylines and] the rest of the galaxy and what's really happening. Maybe you'll get an inkling of what he wants. ... He's playing a long game and I think that's why you see me interspersed in this season the way I am.
Elsewhere in the interview, Esposito discusses his character's motives, careful to position him as a mix of good and evil. Whether he wants an army of super-soldiers or to save the galaxy, Moff Gideon is thinking big, and The Child is just one (important) piece of his plan. Esposito loves that fans have drawn the comparison between his character and Darth Vader, which he describes as "any adult manchild's dream come true," and he sides firmly on the side of Baby Yoda when it comes to eating Frog Lady's eggs. He also hints at a few big battles on the horizon and even uses the phrase "dark troopers," potentially confirming the current theory about the latest reveal.
Fans will surely be divided by Esposito's interview. On the one hand, audiences are eager for the talented Breaking Bad actor to get some real screen time - he already picked up an Emmy nom for Outstanding Guest Performance last season - and the tantalizingly slow reveal of his character only makes it harder to wait. On the other, it's a good thing that The Mandalorian team have the big picture in mind, and the right mix of episodic fun and multi-season storyline could really elevate the series. Only when Gideon's plan is on full display will viewers know if the wait was worth it.
Source: EW