Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon) hypes up The Mandalorian season 3

During an appearance at Fan Expo Canada, The Mandalorian star Giancarlo Esposito teased the crowd by saying “Long live the empire” two times.

Esposito’s words seem to be teasing other wardens that are controlling sections of the galaxy in the wake of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader’s deaths in Return of the Jedi. Wardens are former imperial governors who are still holding control of their respective territories. Esposito’s character Moff Gideon is a warden himself, and he is attempting to take control of all the Imperial remnants that are spread throughout the galaxy.

"When someone steps out, when everything falls apart, and you have no leadership, we all would want someone to stand up and have some kind of vision for how to be about all of us. Gideon has been given that wardenship over a particular part of geography land mass. And he sees that the other wardens aren’t really as strong and powerful as him."

At the end of season 2 of The Mandalorian, Gideon was arrested and taken into custody by the New Republic, so it is yet unknown whether he will succeed in his efforts to lead the Imperial remnants. There is also a lot of speculation as to whether The Mandalorian will explore the return of Darth Sidious through cloning technology. This is a storyline that the expanded universe played with extensively but has never been fully explained in canon projects outside of The Rise of Skywalker.

Esposito has become a favorite for casting directors looking for villains after he played Gus Fring on Breaking Bad. Since then, he has played Moff Gideon, Stan Edgar on The Boys, and Anton Castillo in Far Cry 6. During the Expo, he also expressed his willingness to reprise his role of Moff Gideon in future Star Wars video games.

Din Djarin could be “redeemed” in The Mandalorian season 3

Producers have said that season 3 of The Mandalorian will be something of a redemption story for Din Djarin. In season 2, Djarin removed his helmet, which goes against the code that his sect of Mandalorians (The Children of the Watch) abide by. Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau discussed Djarin’s predicament in an episode of the Dagobah Dispatch podcast.

"Well, we established in The Book of Boba Fett that there was an opportunity for The Mandalorian to be redeemed because he had transgressed against the Creed by removing his helmet. And among his group of Mandalorians, that is something that’s not permitted. Now, we know that there are other groups of Mandalorians where they have different sets of rules. And so these different groups are coming together and we’re going to figure out the Nexus point for all those communities, of course, is their home world from which they’re exiled, which is Mandalore."

Last time we saw Djarin, he and Grogu were jumping to light speed in their N-1 star fighter.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels