The Mandalorian Star Giancarlo Esposito Teases Big Escape for Moff Gideon in Season 3

When The Mandalorian landed Breaking Bad baddie Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon, it was pretty clear the show was all-in on the character, who has been pursuing Mando and Grogu (Baby Yoda to you and me) throughout the series' run. The last time fans saw him, things didn't look especially good for the villain -- but it seems there are plans to resume his pursuit of the heroes in a big way. According to Esposito, the upcoming, third season of the show is bigger and better than ever -- and there's already a plan in place to see Gideon escape custody.

Things looked great for Gideon very briefly last time around, as he finally got his hands on Grogu and made his escape. Unfortunately, he was soon tracked down, and Djarin took not only the Child but also Gideon's darksaber. With Skywalker's arrival, Gideon tried to kill himself, but ended up in the custody of the New Republic instead.

"Yes, it's assumed he is behind bars. I think we could have an opportunity to see him escape those chains that bind him," Esposito told ET Online. "We want to see a guy who is a mastermind who has an idea for the future that no one else has. And so, we want to know what that is and we want to know if that's good or bad."

It seems Esposito -- perhaps from his reading of the script, or perhaps as an actor's exercise -- has a more charitable reading of Gideon than most of the audience likely does. That's likely why the character "pops" the way he does.

"I keep holding onto this idea that he really wants to save this galaxy," the actor said. "Of course, everyone does. But everyone assumes he just wants to control it. So, let's find out if that's true or not."

Several characters from The Mandalorian ended up playing roles on The Book of Boba Fett, as well, which begs the question: will Boba show up on The Mandalorian next season? At times, it felt like The Book of Boba Fett was more like The Mandalorian Season 2.5, or a Star Wars anthology used to cram a bunch of beloved characters into the timeline. So, what's next for Boba, or the other characters seen there, is anybody's guess.

The Mandalorian season 3 premieres February 2023 on Disney+, where you can currently stream its first two seasons, as well as The Book of Boba Fett.