The Mandalorian is set years after the events of Return of the Jedi, in a time of relative peace and prosperity. But if we learned anything from the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, it’s that this peace is doomed to end eventually. And thanks to The Mandalorian: Season 3, we have a much clearer picture of why the New Republic fails to stop the rise of the First Order.
Season 3, Episode 5 lays even more puzzle pieces into place. The final scene both confirms that Moff Gideon has escaped and strongly hints that the Republic is about to come into conflict with the Mandalorians. This episode also serves as the live-action debut of another fan-favorite Star Wars Rebels character – Steve Blum’s Zeb Orrelios.
Here’s a closer look and what we learned, why there seems to be a war brewing and why Zeb and Bo-Katan may be the heroes the galaxy needs right now.
Zeb Orrelios in The Mandalorian
The biggest development in “The Pirate” is easily the unexpected but very welcome cameo from another Star Wars Rebels character. Steve Blum’s Zeb Orrelios joins Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano and Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze in making the jump to live-action. And with Natasha Liu Bordizzo confirmed to be playing Sabine Wren in the upcoming Ahsoka series, we’re getting closer to having every main character from Rebels make that journey.
In Rebels, Zeb was one of the regular crew members of Hera Syndulla’s ship The Ghost (which itself had a brief cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker). He’s a member of the Lasat species, which is inspired by artist Ralph McQuarrie’s original character design for Chewbacca and the Wookiees.
Like all his fellow Spectres, Zeb was a key figure in the early days of the Rebel Alliance. Zeb joined the Rebels after seeing his homeworld of Lasan destroyed by the Empire. Hotheaded by nature, Zeb nevertheless proved his mettle again and again and even wound up befriending the ex-Imperial agent Alexsandr Kallus.
Zeb also happens to be friends with Bo-Katan, a character who played a key role in later seasons of Rebels. That alone suggests his appearance in Episode 5 may be more than a quick nod to Rebels. The Empire is clearly looking to start a new war, and Zeb and Bo-Katan could be the key to foiling that plan.
Moff Gideon’s Escape
The Mandalorian: Season 2 ended with Din Djarin defeating Moff Gideon in a one-on-one duel and winning the Darksaber. Gideon was taken into New Republic custody at that point, and we haven’t seen him resurface yet in Season 3. However, recent episodes hinted that Gideon escaped New Republic custody before he could be brought to a war crimes tribunal.
“The Pirate” confirms as much in its final scene. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Carson Teva comes across a derelict transport shuttle confirmed to be the one carrying Gideon. He finds evidence that Gideon was “extracted” during the attack, leaving us to assume Gideon is now free and back in control of the Imperial Remnant.
The only clue as to the identity of the attackers is traces of Beskar ore left behind on the ship. This would seem to suggest that a group of Mandalorians intercepted Gideon’s shuttle. It’s always possible this was actually the case. Maybe there’s a rogue group of Mandalorians out there who either don’t mind aiding the Empire for the right price or decided to take revenge on Gideon themselves.
However, the more likely scenario is that the Beskar was planted as a red herring. Gideon is a crafty guy, hence why he’s managed to stay in control of the rapidly deteriorating Empire for so many years. With his own resources dwindling, Gideon probably decided the best way to handle his two enemies is to manipulate them into fighting each other.
With “evidence” that the Mandalorians attacked a New Republic vessel and killed several soldiers, the New Republic may have no choice but to go to war against Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and his people.
This conflict comes at an especially awkward time for the Mandalorians. They’re just beginning to reunify under Din and Bo-Katan. They finally have a home again on Nevarro and are no longer so difficult to track down. They may have just painted a target on their backs right as the New Republic is beginning to regard them as a threat. Gideon must be pretty pleased with himself.
Elia Kane: Imperial Spy
“The Pirate” reminds us about another important Season 3 development thanks to the return of Katy M. O’Brian’s Elia Kane. Previously, we learned Kane is among the Imperial soldiers recruited into the Republic’s Amnesty Program, though Episode 3 casts serious doubt on the idea that Kane has genuinely reformed. Her actions in betraying Omed Abtahi’s Dr. Pershing and wiping his mind suggest she’s still working as a deep cover agent for Moff Gideon.
We can see in this episode the subtle ways in which Kane is still trying to manipulate events in the Empire’s favor. She convinces Tim Meadows’ Captain Tuttle not to intervene in the conflict on Nevarro, effectively arguing that Nevarro needs to pay the price for not joining with the New Republic when it had the chance. We may continue to see Kane pop up at key moments, using her position and friendly demeanor to manipulate hapless New Republic officials.
Kane’s return is another uncomfortable reminder that the New Republic is far too guilty of employing the same methods as the Empire. Tuttle didn’t act out of malice – he’s more of a haggard middle manager trying to do too much with too little – but there’s still something deeply troubling about the idea of letting a world suffer before extending a helping hand. And as we saw in “The Convert,” the Republic is relying on the same brainwashing/mental conditioning tech the Empire once used. The New Republic may have nobler intentions in mind, but we all know how the saying goes…
How Zeb and the New Republic’s Rangers Fit In
The Mandalorian is showing us that the Empire is still a real threat to the galaxy at this point in the timeline, even if this organization is a shadow of its former self. And we know that it’s only a matter of time until the Imperial Remnant morphs into the much stronger First Order and brings the New Republic to its knees.
Unfortunately, Carson Teva seems to be the one man in the entire New Republic even remotely aware of this growing threat. We’ve seen him repeatedly allude to a new threat amassing on the far reaches of the galaxy. This episode shows how his superiors turn a deaf ear to his warnings of caution and vigilance.
With Teva being the one to find proof of Gideon’s escape and the supposed involvement of the Mandalorians, it’s enough to wonder if he’s going to become more of an antagonistic figure in the series. Is Teva going to wind up leading the war against the Mandalorians?
Everything we’ve seen of Teva so far suggests not. He’s too smart to be fully convinced by the convenient evidence left behind. He’s had dealings with Din in the past. He knows that the Mandalorians came to Nevarro’s aid when the New Republic wouldn’t. If anything, Teva seems likely to be the one soldier pushing back against a war against the Mandalorians. We may see even more friction between Teva and his commanding officers. Season 3 seems to be setting up Carson and his team as good soldiers struggling to do what’s right in a galaxy where right and wrong are no longer so clearly defined.
This may be where Zeb Orrelios comes in. Teva will probably have his doubts about the Mandalorians’ role in this conflict, but Zeb is someone who can personally vouch for Bo-Katan, having fought the Empire alongside her. If these two characters end up reuniting in Season 3, that could be the alliance that ruins Gideon’s warmongering. And who knows? Maybe their reunion will help set the stage for the Ahsoka series.
It’s also enough to wonder if the show is drawing on plans for the Rangers of the New Republic spinoff series. That show’s fate seems to be in doubt thanks to the firing of Cara Dune actress Gina Carano, but certain plot elements could be working their way back into The Mandalorian now.
Whatever the case, there’s a new war brewing in the galaxy, but it’s not the one the New Republic should be waging. When Mandalorians fight the New Republic, the only one who wins is Moff Gideon. Let’s hope Zeb can save the day once again.
For more on The Mandalorian, find out why the series desperately needs a sense of urgency and learn about a possible link to Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
