Moff Gideon Returns in A Major Way in The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7

The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 brought back Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in full, after weeks of teases that the Star Wars 
villain was coming back. Gideon didn't just make a return to The Mandalorian though: he brought an entirely new level of threat on his back, one that has already claimed the life of a major character and spells larger doom for the Star Wars franchise's New Republic era. 

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW! 

The Mandalorian Chapter 23: The Spies finally brings Moff Gideon's shadowy machinations into the light. We find out that Elia Kane (Katy M. O'Brian) has been reporting directly to Gideon from her place as a spy in The New Republic's Amnesty Program. Kane lets Gideon know about The Mandalorian sects that have come together and liberated Nevarro, but Gideon is undisturbed – for reasons that quickly become clear. 

As it turns out, Moff Gideon has been operating in league with the Shadow Council of former Imperial commanders – though he's not entirely in league with them. Gideon taking out Doctor Penn Pershing and setting back the Shadow Council's cloning efforts is one hint that the Moff has his own agenda; by the climax of the episode, we discover just how deep that agenda runs – quite literally. 

Gideon's New Dark Army

As Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) lead their united faction of Mandalorians into the Great Forge beneath Mandalore, they get ambushed by Imperial forces – and learn the true horror of what Moff Gideon has been up to. 

As Gideon reveals in his grand reunion with Din Djarin, he has learned from many cultures across the galaxy and combined their best cultural assets into the ultimate Imperial combat force. And The Mandalorians are to thank for the biggest enhancements of all. That includes new Stormtroopers enhanced with Beskar armor (including Gideon's own cyber-enhanced Mandalorian armor), as well as a deadly new class of warriors: Elite Praetorian Guards. These are just the first steps in Gideon creating his own new era of the Dark Trooper imperial army – a faction that is possibly being positioned to also be in direct conflict with whatever the Imperial Shadow Council has planned for Grand Admiral Thrawn's return. 

As far as villain comebacks go, Moff Gideon has had one of the biggest and best that we've seen – in Star Wars and beyond. And with only one episode left to go in Season 3, it seems like the fight against Gideon and his Dark Troopers will carry on well past this season – possibly into the New Republic Event Film Dave Filoni is working on. 

The Mandalorian Season 3 is now streaming on Disney+.