Emily Swallow, who portrays the Armorer in Disney+'s The Mandalorian, recalled one fan theory from Season 3 of the hit series that disappointed her.
Throughout The Mandalorian's short history, there have been numerous twists and turns at every level from the revelation that Din Djarin's bounty was a member of Yoda's species, to the fact that Moff Gideon had successfully cloned himself.
Due to the tension between the Empire and the Mandalorians on-screen, many fans cooked up their own theories during Season 3 in hopes of figuring out what would end up happening by the time the season finale's credits rolled.
Emily Swallow Addresses The Armorer Fan Theory
In an exclusive interview with The Direct, The Mandalorian star Emily Swallow (The Armorer) was asked about the popular Season 3 theory that her character was actually a spy working for Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon instead of the unwavering leader of the Mandalorian covert the show had built her up to be.
When asked if she had seen what fans were saying as the final few episodes of Season 3 were airing, Swallow stated, "[They] thought she was a spy! Yeah, I definitely saw that!"
Swallow then recalled the days following the premiere of Season 3 Episode 7 (which was when the theory caught fire throughout social media) and revealed that fans even "came up to [her] table" at a convention "looking at [her] out of the side of their eyes:"
"I was confronted with that. I've been doing a lot of conventions this year, and I was at a convention the weekend after that episode aired and almost everybody that came up to my table, they were kind of looking at me out of the side of their eyes, they were like, 'Can we trust you?'"
On one hand, the actress talked about how the theory "was so fascinating," and that it actually "made [her] question" if she "knew what was actually going to happen in the finale:"
"And it was so fascinating to me on many levels. I mean, first of all it made me question whether I knew what was actually going to happen in the finale, because people were so certain and we'd shot it a year before, and so I had to, I came home to my husband and I said, 'I've got to look at my script for that last episode again. I don't remember there being anything that would suggest that I turned, but did they have me shoot fake scenes?' Like, I didn't know. You hear about that happening."
However, on the other hand, Swallow admitted to being "surprised at how personally [she] took it" due to the Armorer being a character "of such integrity." She then talked about how she felt the audience would have reacted if that theory had come true, and how to her it would have ultimately been "so disappointing:"
"But then it was also, I was surprised at how personally I took it, and not because it hurt my feelings as Emily, but more because this character is somebody of such integrity and it seems to me that she cares so completely about her people more than she does about herself, and I felt like for them to cause a character like that to turn would be sort of a gut punch to the audience. Sure, it would be exciting and thrilling, but to me it felt like it would just be so disappointing."
Swallow also stated that the theory was "very telling" of how the audience now views heroes and that "they're gonna let us down inevitably:"
"But its also, then, on another level, its just very telling to me of what we have come to expect of our heroes, or the caution that we have in the way that we feel like, 'Well, they're gonna let us down inevitably. She's probably not a good guy. No big deal.'"
The Mandalorian actress acknowledged that some fans still "don't feel like they've seen all of" the Armorer, largely due to "how mysterious she is," and that there are "all sorts of theories" out there:
"So, it was fascinating and it continues to be so because there's still people who they don't feel like they've seen all of her. I think because of how mysterious she is, they still think, 'Oh, well there's something duplicitous about her,' or, 'We're gonna find out that she's actually, I don't know, Darth Maul reincarnated,' or something like that, and people have all sorts of theories."
Which Side Is The Armorer Really On?
After many fans came up with many different theories that the Armorer would be revealed as a villain at the end of Season 3, the finale instead proved that she is fully committed to the Mandalorians and the idea of rebuilding their civilization.
While it is true that anything could happen in the future, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have seemingly created The Mandalorian's characters to have consistent motivations and goals.
When specifically looking at the Armorer, as Swallow said, she is a character "of such integrity" that it seems as though a change in allegiances would just be something used for shock value and not something that would be beneficial to the overall story, which would, in turn, be disappointing.
Fans have to remember that the Empire destroyed Mandalore, which is why the covert was forced to hide in the first place. As if that wasn't enough, the remaining people with the Armorer were then targeted again, and she still stayed strong in her beliefs and efforts to bring justice to her people.
Going forward, the Armorer will likely not only be a faithful ally to Din Djarin and anyone else in her covert, but as the Season 3 finale proved, she will now fight for other Mandalorians if it means coming together for the greater good.
Fans can visit Katee Sackhoff at Fan Expo San Francisco, which takes place November 24-26. Tickets can be purchased here.
The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney+.
