Star Wars: The Mandalorian Star Thought Their Character Died Ahead of Season 3 Return

Most of Season 3 of The Mandalorian has focused on the story of Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze trying to restore Mandalore. There is another plot, however, that may prove just as important by the time the season comes to an end. Elia Kane, the former right hand of Moff Gideon, has been going through a New Republic rehabilitation program, trying to prove that she’s left the Empire behind. Viewers know that isn’t the case. Elia is up to something, potentially working to free Gideon and help restore the Empire. 

Katy O’Brian, the actress behind the Elia Kane character, didn’t actually expect to come back for more episodes of The Mandalorian after debuting in the Star Wars show’s second season. She thought her character had died, only to be surprised by the fact that she was getting a substantial role in Season 3.

“I was surprised! At first, when I got the news that I was coming back, I didn’t know that it’d been expanded,” O’Brian told EW in a recent interview. “I didn’t know that I would be in a totally different uniform. I had no idea what was going on. It was the same time that I booked Ant-Man, and I was told that I was pinned on this project. We wound up filming at the same time, and I was worried it wasn’t going to work out, but they made everything happen. So, when I found out, I was like, ‘That’s so exciting!’ But I was a little confused because I thought I was dead.”

“When I finally got the scripts, it was the first time they actually gave me the sides well in advance,” she continued. “I was able to actually see in advance what my lines were and what was going on. And I was just in complete disbelief that I got to have a much bigger role – and maybe be a little bit sketchy at times.”

At this point, halfway through The Mandalorian Season 3, Kane’s intentions aren’t clearly known. However, it is obvious she is lying to the New Republic and has something more sinister up her sleeve.

What do you think is next for Elia Kane on The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments!