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| “ | Long live the Empire! | „ |
| ~ Moff Gideon's motto for the Galactic Empire - one of his most famous quotes. |
| “ | Thank you for gathering the Mandalorians into one place. You were a talented people, but your time has passed. However, as you can see, Mandalore will live on in me. Thanks to your planet's rich resources, I have created the next generation Dark Trooper suit forged from beskar alloy. And the most impressive improvement is that it has me in it. You see, every society has something to offer. The cloners. The Jedi. And even the Mandalorians. By aggregating the best of each, I will create an army that will bring order to the galaxy. Why don't we take your fleet off the board while we still have the element of surprise. Activate the interceptors and bombers. In but a few moments, the purge of Mandalore will be complete. | „ |
| ~ Gideon's rise to power and speech to all the Mandalorians. |
| “ | You have something I want. You may think you have some idea of what you are in possession of, but you do not. In a few moments, it will be mine. It means more to me than you will ever know. | „ |
| ~ Gideon to the Mandalorian, referring to Grogu - one of his most famous quotes. |
Moff Gideon is the main antagonist of the 2019 Disney+ Star Wars live-action series The Mandalorian.
In his characterisation, he was a former officer of the Imperial Security Bureau who was responsible for spearheading the Great Purge of Mandalore during the twilight years of the Galactic Empire's reign. He is the archenemy of both the lone Mandalorian gunfighter Din Djarin and the Mandalorian revolutionist Bo-Katan Kryze.
Sometime in 9 ABY, five years after the Empire's fall during the Battle of Endor, he claimed the title of Moff and formed his own faction within the Imperial remnants - which consisted of mercenaries, former Stormtroopers, former Scout Troopers, former Death Troopers and Dark Troopers. He works with sophisticated figures of the criminal underworld to acquire a Force-sensitive child and extract his blood to synthesize and create Force-sensitive clones of himself for the Imperial Army.
He was portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito, who also plays Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Sidney Glass in Once Upon a Time, Hypnos in Monkeybone, Frank Dawson in Okja, The Dentist in Payday 2, Lex Luthor in Harley Quinn, Stan Edgar in The Boys, Antón Castillo in Far Cry 6 and Faraday in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Biography[]
Season 1[]
After the dissolution of the Galactic Empire and the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, Moff Gideon led a remnant of Imperial forces. He wished to acquire a valuable asset—a Force-sensitive infant named Grogu—from Arvala-7 for unknown purposes. To this end, in 9 ABY, Gideon tasked a man known as "The Client" and Doctor Penn Pershing with bringing it to him alive by any means necessary.
Upon contacting the Client on Nevarro, he informed Gideon that they had Grogu in their custody. However, the Moff told him to recheck Grogu's pram. Soon after, Gideon's Death Troopers opened fire killing the Client and the stormtroopers accompanying him in the cantina once operated by the Bounty Hunter's Guild. Moments later, an Imperial Troop Transport arrived, and Stormtroopers poured out, assisting the Death Troopers in securing the cantina to keep the Mandalorian and his crew from escaping.
Shortly afterward, Gideon arrived at the scene in his Outland TIE Fighter. As he climbed out from his ship and approached the shot up cantina window, the Moff stated to the Mandalorian how he did not understand Grogu at all, and how much he needed it. As Gideon was saying this, two scout troopers shot down Kuiil and his Blurrg. They collected the Child, who was lying on the ground and zoomed off to bring it back to him.
When the scout troopers carrying Grogu approached the town they sent a radio message requesting clearance. While the operator on the other end was willing to let them proceed he advised them to wait as Gideon had just killed ten of his own men. Checking back for an update on their clearance, the scout troopers learned that Gideon had just killed one of his own officers for interrupting him. Upon hearing Djarin and his crew desperately trying to escape through the vents, Gideon began to speak to the group. Gideon introduced his E-Web turret and described how it had mowed down many of Dune's ranks as well as many Mandalorian recruits at The Night of a Thousand Tears during the Siege of Mandalore. Gideon revealed both their full names in the process—Carasynthia Dune and Din Djarin. Lastly, he called out Karga as a disgraced Magistrate and told him to lay down his weapon and come outside.
Karga further asked what assurance he offered, who told Karga that they couldn't trust him. Gideon continued by remarking on how Karga broke their earlier arrangement. The Moff stated how he would gladly break any promise he made to them, and would happily watch the former magistrate die, and that that Gideon could offer was that the Moff would act in his self-interest. After he had finished, Gideon left his troopers to watch over the cantina. He turned around to tell Djarin and his crew that they had until nightfall to cooperate. Otherwise, he would order the E-Web to open fire.
After Gideon walked off, IG-11 began a rescue effort, giving Djarin, Karga, and Dune a chance to escape. A battle ensued, and amongst all of the chaos, Gideon watched the battle around him. The Moff eyed Djarin while the Mandalorian utilized the E-Web. Before long, Gideon raised his blaster and shot Djarin in the back of the head. Before Mandalorian could fire back, Gideon took his time to adjust his aim and fire at the E-Web's power pack. It exploded, sending Djarin flying backward. His injuries forced him and the others to fall back into the cantina. Dune dragged Djarin into the cantina while Karga and IG-11 retreated inside. Frustrated with the lack of progress, Gideon ordered an Incinerator Stormtrooper to burn them out. The trooper set the building alight but was overpowered and killed when Grogu use the Force to push back the flames.
As Djarin and his team escaped through the Nevarro sewer vents, Gideon sent in more stormtroopers to stop them. When their efforts had failed, Gideon dispatched another platoon to wait at the end of a Underground lava river. Upon anticipating his troops' failure, Gideon hopped into his TIE fighter to deal with Djarin himself. After IG-11 detonated, killing off the entire platoon, Gideon swooped in and began to fire at the Mandalorian and his team. The Moff swerved his TIE back around and met Djarin. The Mandalorian flew up into the air on his new jetpack and grappled onto the back of his TIE fighter. Gideon tried his best to shake him off but was unsuccessful.
After climbing on top of the TIE fighter, Djarin tried to shoot him from the roof of the cockpit, but was protected by the blast-proof glass, allowing the Moff to continue shaking off the Mandalorian. Gideon spun his TIE fighter and darted in multiple directions to lose Djarin, but the latter managed to plant detonators on the TIE. By the time Gideon discovered them, the left-wing blew off, and a fire started inside of the cockpit. After he crashed, the Mandalorian and the rest of his crew assumed he was dead. Djarin parted ways with his comrades and flew off-world with Grogu.
After his Outland TIE fighter crashed at the hands of the Mandalorian, Gideon is revealed to have survived the crash by cutting through the wreckage with the Darksaber.
Season 2[]
Gideon contacts the Trask Imperial Captain and his Imperial pilots of a Gozanti-class cruiser via hologram as it is being raided by Mando and the Nite Owls, led by Bo-Katan Kryze. With the ship's weapon supplies captured, Gideon commands the Captain to crash the ship into Trask's ocean. The Captain shot both of his pilots and took the controls in order to comply with Gideon's orders out of loyalty to the empire. The Mandalorians fought their way to the cockpit and managed to pull the ship back in time. The Captain committed suicide rather than give up information on Gideon's location.
Gideon is seen on board his Arquitens-class command cruiser, where Imperial comms officer Elia Kane informs him a spy has planted a tracker on the Mandalorian's Razor Crest—following Mando's mission to Nevarro to destroy the last Imperial base—and that they will be ready for plans to be seen. Gideon smiles at the news as he stands in a room full of Dark Troopers.
Gideon later tracks down the Razor Quest on the planet Tython and sends down two imperial transports with stormtroopers. After the death of the stormtroopers and the destruction of their transport through the combined work of Djarin, the Bounty Hunter Boba Fett, and the assassin Fennec Shand, Gideon lets the cruiser fire on the Razor Crest, destroying it in one shot. Gideon then sends 4 dark troopers down who capture Grogu and the cruiser jumps into hyperspace. Gideon is later seen watching Grogu in his cell as he uses the Force to incapacitate two stormtroopers, then mocks him and threatens him with the Darksaber, before ordering his men to contact Dr. Pershing.
He later receives a message from Din Djarin who tells him he is coming to take back Grogu, in a speech very similar to Gideon's speech when they met first on Nevarro.
After capturing Dr. Pershing and gaining intel on Gideon's whereabouts, Djarin and his allies boarded Gideon's cruiser in order to rescue Grogu. Despite the presence of Phase Three Dark Troopers, Mando and his allies were able to subdue the crew. However, anticipating their strategy, Gideon took Grogu personally and was confronted by Djarin. At that point, he offers to let him leave with Grogu in exchange for leaving his ship. However, he then tries to attack Djarin while his back is turned, after which they engage in a fierce one-on-one duel. Equipped with a Beskar suit, the only thing the Darksaber can't cut through, and a spear, Djarin eventually disarms and defeats Gideon, then proceeds to capture and take him to the others alive. However, he then tries to stir up conflict by pointing out that by defeating him in combat, the Darksaber now belong to Djarin, which Bo-Katan Kryze was hoping to reclaim for herself to liberate Mandalore, and she refuses to take it even when Djarin offers it to her. At that point, things took a turn for the worse when all the Dark Troopers that Djarin ejected into space earlier fly back onto the ship, at which point Gideon smugly points out that despite their valiant effort, they wouldn't survive against them, and that only he and the child will be left alive.
However, just as it seemed their luck had run out, Luke Skywalker arrived in a lone X-Wing and defeated all the Dark Troopers with little effort. Realizing who the robed figure was slicing through his Dark Troopers with ease, and terrified over the thought of having to face the man who vanquished both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, Gideon tried to kill Grogu, but Djarin kept him from killing the child. Gideon then attempted suicide to avoid having to face Skywalker and being captured, but was knocked out by Cara Dune before he could kill himself.
The Book of Boba Fett[]
Following Grogu's rescue, Moff Gideon was taken into custody by the New Republic. Djarin arrived at a Mandalorian covert on the Glavis Ringworld to inform the Armorer and Paz Vizsla of Gideon's arrest. Having become a sworn enemy of the Mandalorians, the Armorer and Vizsla believed that only the Moff's execution would serve justice to his many atrocities. Djarin believed that sooner or later the New Republic would put Gideon to death for his many crimes, however the Armorer doubted they would execute him.
Season 3[]
When Djarin visited Navarro, High Magistrate Karga informed him that Gideon had been handed over to a New Republic special tribunal for interrogation and trial. En route to his trial, the prisoner transport carrying Gideon was attacked and he was broken out by beskar-armored jet troopers.
After Djarin, Grogu, and Bo-Katan’s excursion to Mandalore, Gideon sent multiple squadrons of TIE Interceptors and Bombers after them as they were on their way back to Kalevala. Although the TIEs managed to destroy Bo-Katan's castle, they failed to kill the trio as they quickly fled to regroup with the Armorer.
Gideon later hired pirate king Gorian Shard to destroy Nevarro as revenge for his Imperial remnant’s previous defeat there. However, his efforts failed and Shard, along with his crew—save for Vane, were killed.
After learning from Elia Kane, who was working undercover in the New Republic, of Gorian Shard’s defeat, Gideon assisted Gilad Pellaeon, Brendol Hux, and others in planning for the Empire’s return to power. He questioned the absence of the group’s leader, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Anticipating an attack by the Mandalorians, Gideon requested Hux to send him three Praetorian Guards as backup.
When Djarin, Grogu, Kryze, and their allies returned to Mandalore to retake their homeworld, Gideon sent his beskar jet troopers after them. Being quickly outgunned, the troopers retreated, luring the Mandalorians right to Gideon, now wearing a new generation of Dark Trooper armor with a Mandalorian helmet. Taunting the group, Gideon had Djarin captured and ordered for Kryze and the others to be killed before fleeing via jetpack. The group managed to escape, with the exception of Paz Vizsla, who sacrificed himself to ensure their escape.
As Gideon returned to his command center, Djarin managed to escape from his captors with a little help from Grogu. After the duo managed to destroy Gideon's clones, Gideon confronted them in his armor. While he sent his Praetorian Guards to kill Grogu, Gideon has the advantage of taking down Djarin, until Bo-Katan interfered and Gideon fought her in Djarin's place. Although he managed to destroy Bo-Katan's Darksaber, Gideon got himself surrounded by Djarin and Grogu who managed to kill his Praetorian Guards moments ago. Finally, as the Mandalorians' light cruiser—formerly Gideon's vessel—came crashing down upon the Imperial Base, the resulting explosion from the cruiser engulfs Gideon in flames, killing him and ending his reign on Mandalore once and for all.
Personality[]
| “ | Trooper 2: Did he just say that Gideon killed his own men? Trooper 1: Oh, who knows? These guys like to lay down the law when they first arrive into town. You know how it is. |
„ |
| ~ Bike Scout Troopers discussing Moff Gideon's personality |
Gideon is a sophisticated, knowledgeable commander who sought to restore order in the wake of the fall of the Galactic Empire. He has built his reputation as an imposing and ruthless man, as various stories have spread among his men, one being that he kills his men simply to make a statement. He is also willing to kill fellow Imperials in order to achieve his goals, including betraying any allies for his self-interest, as exemplified during his confrontation with the formerly disgraced magistrate Greef Karga. Gideon also proves to be ruthless and untrustworthy when he told Karga he couldn't be trusted, as well as attempting to kill Din Djarin with the Darksaber under a bogus promise to let Djarin and his allies leave his ship with Grogu, even going as far as to let the Dark Troopers kill them all, except for himself and Grogu.
Gideon is also a very competent tactical strategist who will closely study and educate himself on his opponent's personal background and history. He uses this kind of information to psychologically exploit their weakness and distract them with it. Coinciding with this, he also generally presents himself as very calm due to almost always having a plan in place for if things go wrong. However, the few times he is thoroughly outmatched or faced with an unexpected complication, his confidence can quickly give way to genuine panic, as shown when Luke Skywalker showed up at the end of the second season and easily destroyed his Dark Troopers, to the extent he desperately tried to shoot Grogu to deny him falling into the Jedi's hands, and when that failed, tried to commit suicide so he wouldn't be captured. By the same token, he gets visibly infuriated when Din derails his plans later on by destroying his clones.
Another of Gideon's defining traits that only gets more and more pronounced as time goes on is that he is extremely egotistical; he always sees himself as the smartest person in the room, and isn't afraid to let others know it by openly speaking highly of himself, particularly his intellect. He was even willing to openly denounce Grand Admiral Thrawn in front of the other members of the Shadow Council by raising doubts he would ever return to lead them and subtly implied he himself would make for better leadership. This gets taken to narcissistic levels when at the end of the third season, it's revealed the clones he had been creating to conquer the galaxy were all made in his likeness, as well as that they were going to be Force-sensitive, the one thing he thought he was lacking.
Episode Appearances[]
- "Chapter 3: The Sin" (Indirect mention)
- "Chapter 7: The Reckoning" (First appearence)
- "Chapter 8: The Redemption"
- "Chapter 11: The Heiress" (hologram)
- "Chapter 12: The Siege"
- "Chapter 14: The Tragedy"
- "Chapter 15: The Believer"
- "Chapter 16: The Rescue"
- "Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian" (Mentioned)
- "Chapter 17: The Apostate" (Mentioned)
- "Chapter 19: The Convert" (Mentioned)
- "Chapter 21: The Pirate" (Mentioned)
- "Chapter 23: The Spies"
- "Chapter 24: The Return" (Death)
- "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" (Posthumously mentioned)
Quotes[]
| “ | The Client: Yes, Moff Gideon? Gideon: Have they brought the child? The Client: Yes, they have. Currently, it is sleeping. Gideon: You may wanna check again. |
„ |
| ~ The Client's last words to Moff Gideon. |
| “ | Gideon Your astute panic suggests that you understand your situation. I would prefer to avoid any further violence, and encourage a moment of consideration. Members of my escort have completed assembly of an E-Web heavy repeating blaster. If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I am sure that Republican Shock Trooper Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan will advise you that she has witnessed many of her ranks vaporize mid-descent facing the predecessor of this particular model. Or perhaps the decommissioned Mandalorian hunter, Din Djarin, has heard the songs of the Siege of Mandalore, when gunships outfitted with similar ordnance laid waste to fields of Mandalorian recruits in The Night of a Thousand Tears. I advise disgraced Magistrate Greef Karga to search the wisdom of his years and urge you to lay down your arms and come outside. The structure you are trapped in will be razed in short order and your storied lives will come to an unceremonious end. Greef Karga: What do you propose? Gideon: Reasonable negotiation. Greef Karga: What assurance do you offer? Gideon: If you're asking if you can trust me, you cannot. Just as you betrayed our business arrangement, I would gladly break any promise and watch you die at my hand. The assurance I give is this: I will act in my own self-interest, which at this time involves your cooperation and benefit. |
„ |
| ~ Gideon offering his terms of surrender to the Mandalorian and his crew. |
| “ | Gideon: Drop the blaster. Slowly. Now kick it over to me. Very nice. Din Djarin: Give me the kid. Gideon: The kid is just fine where he is. Mesmerizing, isn't it? Used to belong to Bo-Katan. Yes. I know you've been traveling with Bo-Katan. A friendly piece of advice, assume that I know everything. Like the fact that your wrist launcher has fired its one and only salvo. Din Djarin: Where is this going? Gideon This is where it's going. I'm guessing that Bo-Katan and her boarding party have arrived at the bridge, seeking me or, more accurately... (looks down at Darksaber) this. But I'm not there. And I imagine that they've killed everyone on the bridge, being the murderous savages that they are. And now, they're beginning to panic. You see, she wants this. Do you know why? Because it brings power. Whoever wields this sword... has the right to lay claim to the Mandalorian throne. Din Djarin: You keep it. I just want the kid. Gideon:Very well.I've already got what I want from him. His blood. All I wanted was to study his blood. This Child is extremely gifted...and has been blessed with rare properties that have the potential to bring order back to the galaxy. I see your bond with him. Take him, but you will leave my ship immediately and we will go our separate ways. |
„ |
| ~ Gideon explaining the Darksaber's history, and Bo-Katan's motivations to procure it. |
| “ | You're sparing my life? Well, this should be interesting. | „ |
| ~ Gideon to the Mandalorian after losing his fight. |
| “ | You're about to face off with the Dark Troopers. You had your hands full with one. Let's see how you do against a platoon. - You have an impressive fire team protecting you. But I think we all know, after a valiant stand, everyone in this room will be dead... but me... and the Child. | „ |
| ~ Moff Gideon to the Mandalorian and his allies. |
| “ | Gideon: Report. And make it quick, as I am short on time. Elia Kane: Sir, I’m afraid the pirates have run into trouble on Nevarro. Gideon: In your last report, didn’t you suggest that the New Republic would not be sending support? Elia Kane: It wasn’t the New Republic. Magistrate Karga was aided by Mandalorians. Gideon Which Mandalorians? Elia Kane: According to the reports received by the New Republic, Bo-Katan Kryze lead a squadron of Mandalorians alongside Din Djarin and his covert. Gideon: This cannot be. Those two factions are sworn enemies. Elia Kane: Which is why I contacted you with haste. Gideon: Continue with your mission. I shall deal with our Mandalorian friends. |
„ |
| ~ Moff Gideon's return and introduction in Season 3. |
| “ | My clones were finally going to be perfect. The best parts of me but improved by adding the one thing I never had. The Force. I was isolating the potential to wield the Force, and incorporating it into an unstoppable army. And you smothered them before they could draw their first breath. | „ |
| ~ Gideon after losing his clones to Mando. |
| “ | The Darksaber is gone. You've lost everything. Mandalorians are weak once they lose their trinkets | „ |
| ~ Gideon taunting Bo-Katan after destroying the Darksaber for having failed her people and denouncing them as weak, also his last words before his death. |
Trivia[]
- Moff Gideon is one of four of Emperor Palpatine's high officers known to survive the fall of the Galactic Empire (before the rise of the First Order), the others being Grand Admiral Thrawn, Gilad Pellaeon and Brendol Hux.
- Giancarlo Esposito, Gideon's actor, was strongly inspired by the late Peter Cushing's performance as Grand Moff Tarkin.
- Despite being the main antagonist of The Mandalorian, he doesn't show up until the last few episodes of every season.
External Links[]
- Moff Gideon on the Star Wars Wiki
- Moff Gideon on the Disney Wiki
- Moff Gideon on the Pure Evil Wiki
- Moff Gideon on the Wikipedia
