The Mandalorian Theory: Din Djarin Didn't Kill The Real Moff Gideon

The following article contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian" Season 3 finale.

In three short seasons, "The Mandalorian" has grown from a show about a bounty hunter protecting his young ward to the reclamation of the thought-destroyed Mandalore. And every step of the way, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) has been there to cause him trouble. While he had been dispatched twice before, the Season 3 finale seemingly got rid of him for good. A Mandalorian capital ship crashes into Moff Gideon's base while he's still duking it out with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Grogu, and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff). Grogu uses a force shield to protect his friends, but viewers witness Moff Gideon consumed by the flames, which would likely put a damper on him coming back for Season 4 and beyond.

Of course, this is "Star Wars," after all. Some character could always look forlornly to the ground and mutter, "Somehow, Moff Gideon returned" at some point. And Twitter user @clonehumor has a tongue-in-cheek theory as to how the character could still be out there: "Moff Gideon had a mustache in the first 2 seasons. He didn't have a mustache in s3. The Gideon clones also didn't have mustaches which means the Gideon we saw walking around was actually a clone. Therefore, the real Moff Gideon is still alive."

The user goes on to admit they were merely joking, but it does bring up an interesting idea if it's truly the last we've seen of Moff Gideon on "The Mandalorian."

While this particular "Star Wars" fan theory should be taken in jest, it does have some support. The capital ship crashing into the base easily could've taken out that particular Moff Gideon as well as his clones, but what if he has more clones set up elsewhere? After all, he takes time to explain how his ultimate goal is to create clones of himself that are Force-sensitive. This would be a big stepping stone to creating a functioning clone of Emperor Palpatine, who notoriously showed up unannounced in "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker." Moff Gideon's experiments could be one component of this, and there's a good shot we could see a successful clone who can wield the Force pop up in a future installment of "The Mandalorian."

Moff Gideon could easily become a recurring villain for the series, and each time the characters think they've gotten rid of him for good, a more powerful one emerges to wreak havoc. And don't forget; this is a universe where Darth Maul was cut in half but still managed to live and get robot legs. Boba Fett was also long thought dead but rose from the sand to get his own spin-off.

Then again, it may be time for "The Mandalorian" to focus on new villains. It's always possible Moff Gideon just decided to shave that day, and his absence could lead the way for someone like Grand Admiral Thrawn to take on a more looming threat, especially seeing how he'll factor into the forthcoming "Ahsoka" series. It's tough to keep a good baddie down, but for the sake of the series, perhaps focusing on other antagonists is the way forward.