The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 Reveals Mandalore's Dark Secret
The Mandalorian Season 3 has built its story around the planet Mandalore, and the mystery of what it's truly become since the Great Purge unleashed by the Empire. Early on in the season, Din Djarin and Grogu barely stepped foot on Mandalore before they found themselves in a heap of trouble; no surprise then that a return to the desolate planet would be any less problematic. However, The Mandalorians get a shock that they (and Star Wars fans) never saw coming, when it is revealed that Mandalore has been hiding a secret born in the darkest shadows of the Empire. s
(WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
In The Mandalorian Chapter 23: The Spies Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) lead their united faction of Mandalorians back to Mandalore. After landing a recon squad on the planet, the Mandalorians discover a new group of Mandalorians who have been (barely) surviving on the homeworld following the purge, and the group sets out to journey to the Great Forge.
The journey is perilous (another giant beast attack – Mandalorians just can't get away from them...) but the group makes it underground to the Great Forge, only to find out that their cultural epicenter has been perverted in a most twisted way.
Moff Gideon Returns
The beginning of The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 reconnected us with Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), via communication with his spy within the New Republic, Elia Kane (Katy M. O'Brian). However, what we don't know until the climactic finish to the episode is where Moff Gideon has been hiding, since staging his escape while en route to trial – or why the crime scene of his escape contained traces of Mandalorian Beskar steel. Both answers are found in the reveal that Moff Gideon has been hiding out beneath Mandalore since his escape – and has seemingly been building a secret elite army of his own on the planet for quite a long period of time.
Bo-Katan's recon squad was ambushed by a group of next-generation Stormtroopers wearing Beskar armor. Meanwhile, Moff Gideon has constructed himself an elite suit of Besakr, enhanced by the tech used in his Dark Trooper robots, as well as creating the Elite Praetorian Guards. Not only has Gideon pioneered next-gen combat attire, he's built an entire fleet for himself, with TIE Interceptors and Bombers ready to roll. Gideon's monologue hints that he is envisioning what we already know will become The First Order faction from the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy – and so far, it looks like Mandalore's native people could be his first victims.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is streaming on Disney+.