The Mandalorian Season 3 had one of the show's most exciting season finales to date, but for some who watched with their Disney+ subscription, it might've been bittersweet. Sure it was great to see Din and friends win the day and Mandalore get one step closer to being rebuilt, but it might've come at the expense of one of the coolest villains on television. We're led to believe that Moff Gideon perished in a massive battle, but is that really what happened?
If you're someone who is suspicious that Moff Gideon actually died at the end of The Mandalorian Season 3, you're in good company. In fact, I'm more or less convinced that he's still alive in some form, though I'm undecided on how exactly he escaped his fate. Below are some of the major reasons I'm so convinced Giancarlo Esposito's character is still alive, as well as some speculation as to how he might've avoided what seemed like a certain death.
Moff Gideon Had A Bunch Of Clones On Standby
The Mandalorian showed that while Moff Gideon called out Brendol Hux for his clone experiments, he too was dabbling in cloning. Din Djarin managed to find a number of bacta tanks with Gideon clones waiting to be activated, and made sure that they never got the chance to live. Gideon lost a lot of clones in one fell swoop, but are we really going to sit here and pretend that a brilliant villain would have just one stash of clones?
It's more believable to me that Gideon would have a few cloning facilities with copies of himself over just the one on Mandalore, and I think there's even a chance that was a clone Gideon that the heroes fought. Maybe the actual Moff Gideon was elsewhere,and this one was keeping watch on Mandalore all in an effort to slowly build Gideon's foothold on the galaxy. That's what I'd do if I was an evil Imperial!
Beskar Armor Is Ridiculously Strong
We all saw Moff Gideon seemingly get incinerated and crushed by that Mandalorian cruiser, which should leave no doubt that the villain is dead, right? Wrong. Beskar armor is the among the most resilient armor in Star Wars, and its durability has been shown time and time again by Din Djarin. Is it really so crazy to believe that Moff Gideon's armor somehow kept him alive through all of that punishment?
Since I'm willing to suspend my disbelief a pretty long way when it comes to Star Wars, I'm going to say yes. It's possible that viewers didn't see Gideon make some sort of sly escape, or that his armor had some sort of survival mechanism that we didn't know about. Remember, this armor was created for combat, and not just to keep him alive, like Vader's armor did. I'm sure even Beskar has its limits, but so far, we have yet to see them.
Characters Routinely Return From The Dead In Star Wars
Can we all be honest with ourselves for a second? If we found out Moff Gideon was alive immediately after the reveal that he had died, not many Star Wars fans would be surprised. This is a franchise that absolutely struggles to keep its characters down, especially if they're villains. Anakin bounced back, Maul bounced back, and the Emperor bounced back.
If Moff Gideon, with his beskar armor and clones, somehow was killed off in the Season 3 finale of The Mandalorian and is never going to return, I would be absolutely gobsmacked. That's just not how things play out for villains in Star Wars, especially ones as cool as imposing as Moff Gideon. If he was some chump like General Grievous I'd say there's no chance we'll ever see him again, but let's be honest, Moff Gideon is way cooler than Grievous.
The Mandalorian Hinted At Gideon Being A Rival To Thrawn
I find the shadow meeting of the Imperial warlords interesting, mainly because of all the things I felt it set up for Star Wars. Obviously we're seeing the formation of what became the First Order, but is that all we're seeing established? I found it interesting that Moff Gideon seemed to challenge the idea that Grand Admiral Thrawn should be the next natural leader of the Empire while they waited for the experiments that would lead to the Emperor's return. Gideon clearly has his own ambitions, and one has to wonder if it's setting him up for a confrontation with Thrawn.
Of course, if Moff Gideon is dead, then there's not going to be a feud with Thrawn. That seems like a colossal waste to me, especially when Thrawn doesn't really have a connection to The Mandalorian outside of any interactions he had with characters who previously appeared in Star Wars Rebels. These are two power players in the remnants of the Empire who look like they could cause some real issues for each other if they aren't on the same page. Truthfully, I'd still take Thrawn over Gideon in a war between them, but I think Gideon could surprise us and fare better than others have against him.
He's The Big Bad Of The Mandalorian
Killing off Moff Gideon would seem like a terrible mistake for The Mandalorian to make. Sure, we know that Grand Admiral Thrawn is headed to live-action Star Wars, but I see him as more of a villain for Ahsoka. Thrawn doesn't have any beef with Din Djarin, so bringing him into that feud would feel a bit hollow.
Din Djarin is one of the coolest new characters in Star Wars, and he's elevated further by his ongoing encounters with Moff Gideon. If that feud died in Season 3, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. With that said, I think it's clear at this point that I don't think that's on the table, and the fact that he's such an integral part to The Mandalorian as evidence that Lucasfilm didn't truly kill him off.
The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney+ right now. It's the one service you'll need if you're trying to stay on top of all the developments happening in Star Wars television in the distant future. And naturally, should it be revealed that Gideon did indeed survive, we'll let you know.
