Moff Gideon made a terrifying comeback in season 3 of The Mandalorian after he escaped from the New Republic. This time, he’s back with a vengeance, as well as a new stormtrooper army and Dark Trooper armor, which we get a glimpse of in episode 7.
He is hiding on Mandalore itself, which is a smart decision considering the planet no longer has an electromagnetic sphere to scan for enemies.
Moff Gideon’s new stormtrooper armors appear to be influenced by the Mandalorian Supercommandos that served under Darth Maul, while his own Dark Trooper armor seems to have taken direct inspiration from Maul itself.
We also know that that Moff has used beskar for these armors, which explains why there were traces of it in the prison transport he escaped from.
1. Moff Gideon’s Mandalorian Supercommandos
The Mandalorian Supercommandos made their first appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. They were a militant sect of the Mandalorians that pledged their loyalty to Darth Maul, when he briefly took over Mandalore.
However, after Maul was overthrown, the Saxon clan had the Supercommandos turn to the Empire’s side. Their armors were changed to white to represent Imperial stormtroopers.
Moff Gideon’s new stormtroopers bear great resemblance to the Mandalorian Supercommandos, except that they are made with beskar.
However, the quality and quantity of beskar used in the armors is hard to tell because some stormtroopers’ armors are quite resistant to shots while others, not as much.
Another key feature of the new stormtroopers is their jetpacks, a signature element of Mandalorians. This allows Gideon’s army to fly and claim higher grounds with great efficiency.
2. Moff Gideon’s New Dark Trooper Armor
Moff Gideon refers to his new armor as a Dark Trooper one, although his original armor was inspired by Darth Vader. The armor perfectly represents both Gideon’s Imperial pride and his admiration for Mandalorian technology.
Another advantage of the armor’s appearance is its similarity to the Mandalorians’ past enemies who were able to defeat them. This could be useful in intimidating the Mandalorians.
The helmet has spikes similar to the horns seen in the Mandalorian Supercommandos, while they were serving Darth Maul, thus suggesting Maul’s influence on the armor.
The other improved features of Gideon’s armor include kneepad rocket launchers and wrist gauntlets, thus making him more heavily armed. The beskar used also seems to be of a purer kind because of how resistant it is to both blaster fire and lightsabers.
And of course, Gideon has the customary Mandalorian jetpack to help him flee a battle at any moment. It really makes you question why he requested three Praetorian Guards to protect him when his own armor is so powerful.
3. Moff Gideon’s Plans to Expand his Army
The Mandalorian season 3 episode 7 has a scene in the beginning where Moff Gideon walks through a hallway of tanks with humans in them.
Gideon refers to his Dark Trooper armor as more of a prototype. This could suggest that he’s planning to mass produce it in order to create an army of loyal soldiers and reclaim the galaxy.
It’s not clear whether the new Supercommando-inspired troops are Mandalorians, but it’s highly unlikely that they are because of how difficult it would be for the Empire to earn their trust back after the Purge. Even Din Djarin realises early on that they are Imperials.
The new troops are perhaps the earliest iteration of the First Order’s Stormtrooper forces.
It looks like Gideon and his army are going to put up a tough fight against the Mandalorians in the season 3 finale. Tune in to The Mandalorian next week on April 19, 2023, to watch this epic battle go down.
4. About The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian is an American space western TV series on Disney+, created by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. The show aired its first episode on November 12, 2019, and is two seasons in with an upcoming Season 3.
The show follows the story of one of the Mandalorians from the famed Star Wars Universe, Din Djarin. After the fall of the Galactic Empire, he is hired to retrieve Grogu, known as “The Child,” from the Impreial forces, but ends up going on the run to protect him from Moff Gideon, a former Imperial Officer.
The show stars Pedro Pascal in the lead along with actors Carl Weathers, Gioncarlo Esposito, Gina Carano, Amid Abtahi and Katee Sackhoff.
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