Recent Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka have sometimes felt less interested in entertaining us and more intent on filling in plot holes from the sequel trilogy. The Force Awakens reintroduced us to a galaxy caught in a battle against a new Empire, which nullified the work Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and the Galactic Rebellion did in the original trilogy. It didn’t help that the First Order apparently came out of nowhere, rising to prominence within a few years after only decades of supposed peace. Novels like Bloodline confirmed the threat of a new Empire was relatively new, which made the sudden transition all the more jarring.
While The Mandalorian and Ahsoka have been working to answer questions the sequels raised, there’s still a disparity between the galaxy as it is and the future that awaits it. Rumors of an Imperial “deep state” are compelling, and we’ve seen how negligent the new regime has been in addressing the here-and-now threat of Imperial warlords. But how have the likes of Moff Gideon slipped under the New Republic’s nose so easily? We may finally have an answer thanks to, of all things, a new visual guidebook.
Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion is a reference guide that folds pre-Rebellion series like Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi into the larger history of Star Wars. The new book features an updated map of the galaxy circa the Galactic Civil War, and in addition to planets like Ferrix and Jabiim, it also highlights a few planets introduced in The Mandalorian. But there’s one notable omission: Nevarro, the Outer Rim planet that functions as a base of operations for Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers).
Is there a particular reason why Nevarro didn’t have a presence during the Empire’s reign? It’s clearly not on anyone’s radar in The Mandalorian Season 1, which makes it the perfect hub for bounty hunters and pirates. It also conceals a seemingly defunct Imperial base where Gideon gathers his forces before re-emerging. Din, Greef Karga, and their allies eventually drive his Remnant off the planet, but Nevarro’s obscurity is presumably what allowed Imperial loyalists to operate undetected for so long.
Nevarro’s absence from major galactic maps helps explain how the Imperial Remnant gained so much dominance without tipping off the New Republic. They set up shop on planets like Mandalore, which were believed to be uninhabitable, but they also took advantage of planets that weren’t even on the charts.
This doesn’t absolve the New Republic of its total negligence, but it does add some context to the mystery. You can’t track Imperial activity on planets you’re unaware even exist. It’s a smart strategy on the Remnant’s part, and it keeps canon novels like Bloodline relevant. The New Republic era may be burdened with the task of making the sequel films sensical, but at least it’s taken that responsibility in stride.
