The Mandalorian: Baby Yoda Midichlorians Plot Teased By Moff Gideon Actor

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Posted:
Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon, Baby Yoda, The Mandalorian logo

The Mandalorian Season 2 is taking a deep dive into Star Wars lore like never before. Billed as its own self-contained narrative during its debut season, The Mandalorian took it to a whole new level in Season 2 by reintroducing characters and concepts from the larger Star Wars universe. 

Season 2 already saw the return of Boba Fett while also setting the stage for the live-action debut of Bo-Katan, a fan-favorite character from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars:Rebels. Not only that, it appears that the upcoming episode of the sophomore season will feature the arrival of another fan-favorite character in the form of Ahsoka Tano. 

Despite the crowded guest stars of Season 2, the latest episode of The Mandalorian managed to address lingering plot threads from the show's debut season, providing more context about Moff Gideon's plan to acquire Baby Yoda from Mando. And now, a new interview may shed some light on the villain's ultimate goal for the Force-sensitive child. 

NEWS

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Giancarlo Esposito, who portrays Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, provided interesting tidbits about the villain's endgame for Baby Yoda. Esposito admitted that The Child "represents the possibility of a new humanity of a new consciousness" while also teasing that questions of midichlorians will be ultimately answered in later episodes: 

"Well, in the galactic ballpark, I think we're all trying to figure out what does he really wants. Somewhere in my brain, I hold out something and he has some kind of ethical consideration here. When people flow out of control and there are all these different Moffs who've been assigned different areas to be wardens of, isn't there one person or someone that may have guidance over all of them? They're questions that are answered. It could be super soldiers. It could be that he wants to save the galaxy. Also, why does Moff Gideon know everything about what's going on everywhere? He has some kind of incredible intelligence source. So I always hold out that there may be an altruistic reason that he is taking control or trying to. Certainly, the child represents the possibility of a new humanity of a new consciousness. "

WHAT THIS MEANS

It's clear that Esposito is trying to veer away from sharing spoilers about the much-anticipated second half of The Mandalorian Season 2, but his remarks might give fans a clue of how the narrative will play out. Esposito's comments about The Child representing "the possibility of a new humanity" and "new consciousness" could very well tie to both the birth of Supreme Leader Snoke and the super-soldiers that were teased at the tail-end of the episode. 

It's possible that the main plan of Gideon is primarily focused on giving birth to Force-sensitive super-soldiers, but the Snoke-focused endgame might end up being the ultimate plan of the Imperial remnants. There's a chance that Gideon is not even aware of the plans involving Snoke, and there might be a Palpatine loyalist that is lurking within the ranks of the Imperial officer's chain of command. 

Meanwhile, the use of midi-chlorians as the focal point of Gideon's goal is a pretty interesting homage to the prequel trilogy. It will be interesting to see how this particular concept will be used to the full extent in The Mandalorian, and it could essentially tie loose ends from the Skywalker Saga in general. 

For every villain, there is always that thinking that he is right, and Gideon is no different. With a sinister smirk at the tail-end of "Chapter 12," it seems that Mando and the rest of his allies will have their hands full in terms of defeating Gideon and his forces. Thankfully, though, a much-needed Jedi back-up will soon arrive to even the odds. 

- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.