The following contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 7, "Chapter 23: The Spies," now streaming on Disney+.
Moff Gideon has officially returned to The Mandalorian. After Season 3, Episode 6, "Chapter 22: Guns For Hire," revealed the Imperial Moff had been broken out of the New Republic shuttle that was transporting him to trial, "The Spies" has shown him back in action and more powerful than ever. Previous seasons had hinted at Gideon's sinister plans for rebuilding the Empire, but Season 3's penultimate episode has made his intentions far clearer, with the first stage of his plan being put into action to devastating effect.
In his previous encounters with Din Djarin and other Mandalorians, Moff Gideon was seen commanding surviving Imperial forces established during the reign of the Empire. For the most part, this comprised Stormtrooper legions and Imperial ships. The Mandalorian's Season 2 finale also saw Gideon commanding a legion of Dark Trooper droids, which had been developed during the Imperial era but were never implemented before the Empire fell. "The Spies" sees Gideon commanding a brand-new force for the first time, though it is one with ties to a former Imperial unit: the Super Commandos who served the Empire on Mandalore.
The History of the Imperial Super Commandos
The closing scenes of "The Spies" see Din Djarin, Bo-Katan and other Mandalorians uncovering an Imperial base located by the Great Forge in the ruins of Mandalore. Here, they come under attack from a group of airborne and beskar-clad Imperial troops. While the armor they wear is of a new design, it is a clear continuation of the armor worn by Imperial Super Commandos during the Galactic Civil War, as seen on Star Wars Rebels. The Super Commandos previously clashed with Bo-Katan Kryze during the Empire's attempts to maintain its power over Mandalore.
The original Super Commandos were in fact Mandalorians who had sworn loyalty to the Empire, earning themselves a reputation as traitors among those Mandalorians who continued to fight for a free Mandalore. To combat the forces of Bo-Katan and other Mandalorians who opposed the Empire, the Imperial Super Commandos wore beskar armor that combined the strengths of their traditional Mandalorian armor with an Imperial design. In the real world, the concept for the Super Commandos originated with Boba Fett, whose armor was initially intended to be worn by an Imperial unit of the same name. When it proved too costly to reproduce, the armor was repainted and reserved for the bounty hunter alone.
Moff Gideon's Super Commandos May Point to the First Order
It is not yet clear whether Moff Gideon's new Super-Commando-inspired troops are Mandalorians, though it seems unlikely given how few Mandalorians are left and how hard it would be for the Empire to earn their loyalty after the Purge. Instead, these new troops appear to be standard Imperial recruits who have been equipped with armor inspired by the original Super Commandos. This time, though, the use of beskar armor is not intended to simply level the playing field between the Super Commandos and Mandalorians. Gideon makes clear that he is utilizing the beskar to build an army that can reclaim the galaxy.
Gideon's Super Commandos' armor takes many design cues from the original Super Commandos and from Mandalorians themselves. However, the overall design of the armor remains evocative of Stormtroopers and may speak to the Stormtroopers' future. The sleek white design of the Super Commandos' helmets and the shape of their visors appear to nod to the design of the First Order's Stormtrooper armor. With Gideon planning to utilize these new troops to re-establish the Empire's power, perhaps they are the earliest iteration of the First Order's Stormtrooper forces.
New episodes of The Mandalorian are available to stream every Wednesday on Disney+.