There’s no more exciting time for Star Wars fans than Star Wars Celebration, but a close second is definitely the release of a new Mandalorian season. This year, the two collide, with the Celebration happening between Episode 6 and Episode 7 of The Mandalorian Season 3. This presented a unique opportunity for fans attending the Celebration, as they got an exciting glimpse at what the rest of us will see on Wednesday, and it has big implications for the Mando-verse as a whole.
According to /Film, the first scene of Episode 7 was shown to fans after an intro from co-showrunner Dave Filoni and executive producer and director Rick Famuyiwa, and it contained Moff Gideon’s first appearance since he was arrested at the end of Season 2. It’s essentially a Star Wars Zoom meeting where Gideon talks with multiple Imperial remnant officers, including Gilad Pellaeon, a character from the canon novel Thrawn: Treason, and Brendol Hux, another prolific novel character and the father of sequel trilogy villain Armitage Hux.
Together, these characters finally answer the question that’s hung over The Mandalorian for 21 episodes now: what is the Empire up to? As it turns out, the reason why the Empire’s actions have felt chaotic and unorganized isn’t (just) because the plot of The Mandalorian has been all over the place, but because this was the Empire’s plan all along.
Pellaeon teases the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, which was further teased in the Ahsoka trailer, so it looks like The Mandalorian Season 3 will lead into the next Mando-verse series in more ways than one. Thrawn, the Big Bad of Rebels, is a fan-favorite villain whose legacy dates back to the iconic Heir to the Empire novel that’s now considered non-canonical.
But to quote Obi-Wan Kenobi, there’s always a bigger fish. At this point in the Star Wars timeline, the biggest fish of all is Emperor Palpatine, who apparently bought the space farm at the end of Return of the Jedi but is destined to return in The Rise of Skywalker.
At some point in this conference call, someone mentions “Operation Necromancer.” That must refer to the ongoing scientific research to figure out how to bring back the fallen Sith Lord; research that apparently requires Grogu. After a season of the Mandalorians focusing on their culture and moral code, it looks like they’ll have to prioritize protecting Grogu once again.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 premieres Wednesday, April 12, on Disney+.
