WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 4, "Chapter 12: The Siege," streaming now on Disney+.
In the newest episode, "Chapter 12: The Siege", The Mandalorian continues to bring assets from the animated shows to live-action. In the final minutes of the new episode, Moff Gideon is shown in command of an Imperial Cruiser class that's new to live-action, but it first appeared in Star Wars Rebels. the Command Cruiser has made appearances in several other areas of Star Wars media, like Star Wars: Battlefront II and the Marvel comic Doctor Aphra.
The episode ends with a nod to the opening sequence of A New Hope with the camera showing the sheer size of the Imperial Cruiser from its underbelly as it travels through space. While the scene is familiar, the cruiser's unique design quickly distinguishes itself from the standard Star Destroyers that are commonly used by the Imperial Navy. Rather than being a Star Destroyer, Moff Gideon's ship is an Arquitens-class Command Cruiser. Manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards, the Light Cruiser class ship was used by the Empire mostly as a patrol ship in the Outer Rim and for support in space combat.
The design of the cruiser marks a period of transition from the Grand Army of the Republic to the Imperial Navy. The ship's design has features of the Venator-class cruisers, which share similar engine designs with Moff Gideon's ship.
Over the course of The Clone Wars animated series, Clone helmets, which initially hold resemblance to Mandalorian helmets, increasingly change in appearance, eventually becoming the helmets seen in the original and sequel trilogies. The same transition can be seen in the designs of the Venator ships as they start to closely resemble the Star Destroyers that the Empire transitions to.
Moff Gideon's use of the Arquitens-class Command Cruiser makes sense for his placement in the galaxy. Over the course of the second season, it's become clear that the Imperial holdouts of the Outer Rim are connected to the mysterious Moff, as seen in the previous episode, where the Captain of the Imperial shipment answers directly to Moff Gideon. The new episode also confirms that The Client and Dr. Pershing from Season 1 also worked for Moff Gideon. Furthermore, the Imperial remnants on Nevarro seen in Season 1 seem to be connected to the base which Greef Karga sets out to destroy.
As Din Djarin continues his journeys through the Outer Rim to find Ahsoka Tano, Moff Gideon's forces will likely pursue him thanks to the tracking device that was planted on the Razor Crest. With his Command Cruiser on the hunt, and a new threat to Mando and the Child being teased in the final moments of the episode, Moff Gideon's forces will likely be making another appearance in the upcoming episodes.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, with guest stars Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Horatio Sanz and Giancarlo Esposito. Directors for the new season include Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed and Robert Rodriguez.