Giancarlo Esposito teases Moff Gideon’s goals in The Mandalorian season 2

The Mandalorian season 2: Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito)
(Image credit: Disney)

All things surrounding The Mandalorian season 2 are likely to be kept under wraps until Friday’s premiere. However, Moff Gideon actor Giancarlo Esposito has teased a little of the villain’s intentions for the upcoming episodes on Disney Plus – including one particularly bold claim that helps fill the power vacuum in a galaxy far, far away.

“My character Moff Gideon is a warden of the galaxy, he is a remnant of the Imperial empire. He is still searching for his quarry [Baby Yoda] which we hope he’ll find,” Esposito told Good Morning America.

While it’s worth having a little reminder about just where Moff Gideon’s intentions lie – especially after that Darksaber-infused finale last year – it’s Gideon’s description as “warden of the galaxy” that’s perhaps most interesting moving forward.

After all, The Mandalorian is set in the unexplored space between the original and sequel trilogies. The fracturing of the Empire and what comes next is something that’s rich for mining, as well as speaking to the relatively lawless period Mando finds himself in. That sort of interstellar politics absolutely could have a major influence in The Mandalorian season 2.

Of course, Gideon has an ace – or should that be a lightsaber? – up his sleeve. Earlier this year, Esposito teased that we’ll be getting some “epic lightsaber action” in The Mandalorian moving forward. That should mean the Darksaber comes in to play but, as a new Mandalorian TV spot showed, there could even be another lightsaber-wielder waiting in the wings.

We’ll find out for sure starting this Friday. For more on the franchise’s future, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.