WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 4, "Chapter 12: The Siege," streaming now on Disney+.
With fans hyped for the imminent arrival of Ahsoka Tano, it might be easy to skim over some of the implications laid out in "The Siege." But Moff Gideon's final scene in the midst of another secret lab will no doubt have far-ranging consequences for the series -- and possibly for fans of some well-liked Star Wars lore that had previously been shunted out of canon.
The first glimpse of the black figures lined up in bays around Gideon was visually unclear and quickly kicked off a flurry of theories about Cuis clone troopers and other Force-enhanced possibilities. But there's two pieces of evidence to suggest that they're actually a call-back to the beloved but non-canon video game, Star Wars: Dark Forces. During the game, Jedi Kyle Katarn eventually uncovers the Dark Trooper Project and must attempt to sabotage it before the galaxy is overrun with the deadly droids.
Redditor u/TheMaker05 first brightened the key scene and revealed figures that resemble the Phase III Dark Trooper. They're large, sleekly black, and on closer inspection their stiff, uniform hands and torso piping make them seem far more droid than human. Even more compelling, the English audio description track for the episode calls the figures 'dark troopers,' as Redditor u/Fluse-kun caught.
Dark Troopers may be exclusive to the Legends category these days, but they made a huge impact on the franchise in the '90s. Inspired by the popularity of Dark Forces, developers increased the ranks of potential enemies for the game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Purge troopers were unveiled with lore eventually linking them to the Dark Trooper project. Later, Inquisitorium troopers based on the hulking Phase III droids were used in the Star Wars Galaxies MMORPG trading card game. Even the beloved 2004 Battlefront game got into the act, using Dark Troopers for deadly special units.
If the figures in Moff Gideon's lab are bringing Dark Troopers back to canon, the question of why he needs the Child and his midichlorian-rich blood is still unanswered. However, there's still potential clues within the Troopers lore to examine. Phase Zero of the project was cybernetic in nature, an attempt to revitalize wounded veterans of the Clone Wars with implanted machines similar to Darth Vader. However, this plan was a failure when its first test subjects went mad from the loss of their humanity.
The Phase III trooper also had an exosuit application, although it was never used in a notable way. However, Moff Gideon's armored appearance is already evoking deliberate parallels to Darth Vader. As the door to the lab opens, Gideon is shown from behind, his hands on his hips and his cloak spread in a way that looks hauntingly familiar.
The application of midichlorians might ease the transition into a cybernetic form, if Vader's example is seen as useful by Gideon and Dr. Pershing. Or, if the troopers shown are pure droids, their abilities could be amplified by a Force-sensitive individual. The results might create droids smarter and deadlier than the droids unleashed during the Separatist war. In either case, Moff Gideon has proven himself to be unconcerned with the value of an individual human life, tossing aside his own troopers and officers at need without emotion. Perhaps he finds droids more tolerable, utilitarian and reliable in a way that living beings are not.
For now, the revelation that the armored figures in Gideon's lab may be Dark Troopers returned to canon leaves fans with more questions. If Gideon's endgame is to use cultivated midichlorians to enhance himself or loyal personnel, it doesn't answer the riddle left by the horrors discovered by Din Djarin and his friends in the lab on Nevarro. Meanwhile, the Child's blood is more important to Moff Gideon's plans than ever, making "The Siege" not a filler episode on the way to Ahsoka, but an offering of crucial hints towards a future showdown.
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.