Giancarlo Esposito Drops A Bombshell About The Mandalorian's Future
While fans are eagerly awaiting the second season of The Mandalorian, actor Giancarlo Esposito teased news of a third and fourth season. Pre-production on the third season began this past April, according to Variety, but this is the first mention of a fourth season.
"We're living in a universe that is just huge and so much to explore," Esposito told People (the TV Show!). "So I think this show is going to start to lay the groundwork for the depth and breadth that's going to come in season three and season four where you're really going to start to get answers." With how much of a success The Mandalorian has been for Disney+, it's unsurprising that they're already planning a fourth season, though it's nice to hear it confirmed by one of the series' principals.
Many writers can only plan season by season without any certainty of being renewed, but it seems The Mandalorian's creator Jon Favreau has the benefit of knowing he's got a little more canvas to paint on. This creative license can only accrue to the benefit of a mostly serialized show like The Mandalorian.
Esposito implies the next several seasons will reveal more about his character's Darksaber
On The Mandalorian, Esposito plays villain Moff Gideon, who is after the Child for reasons unknown. While he only appears in the last two episodes of the first season, he shocked fans in the final moments by revealing his Darksaber. This weapon hasn't been in any live-action Star Wars films, but it has quite the reputation in the now-defunct expanded universe. In the interview, Esposito said season two would begin to uncover Gideon's past, especially as it pertains to the Darksaber.
According to Time, the first Darksaber was created by the first Jedi Mandalorian. This facilitated a temporary truce between the two groups, which fell apart after he died. The Mandalorians then stole the saber from the Jedi Temple and it gained significance within their culture, often marking a clan leader.
We know Gideon was involved in the Great Purge, in which most Mandalorians were killed, so it's possible he got the Darksaber then. Additionally, the season 2 trailer implies the upcoming episodes will further explore the relationship between the Mandalorians and the Jedi. As the Darksaber certainly plays a contentious role in this past, and the Child is tied to the Jedi, we may see Mando change the relationship between his people and the Jedi over the course of several seasons.
However, the expanded universe is not canon, so The Mandalorian may chart entirely new paths through the murky depths of the galaxy far, far away with a full retcon of the Darksaber's history. It seems likely the second season will give us more questions than answers, but we're happy to know there are at least two more seasons forthcoming to unravel these mysteries.