Last Friday's episode of The Mandalorian was directed by Greef Karga actor Carl Weathers, and he was given the chance to deliver a lot of huge moments for the Disney+ series.
For starters, we got a glimpse inside a tank which contained what many believe to be an early version of Supreme Leader Snoke. Then, at the end of the episode, it was seemingly revealed that Moff Gideon is creating a legion of Dark Troopers (originally from the Expanded Universe).
While he wouldn't comment on whether that was actually an early Snoke, Weathers told Empire that it was a real challenge as a director to reveal that the story we're watching play out is "much bigger than we thought." He also pointed fans back to the dialogue for clues about what's going on.
"When you listen to the dialogue, it's pretty much explained, without saying, 'OK, now let us tell you what this means!’" the director explains. "We all find out almost simultaneously, which means the audience finds out. Then the character in the hologram comes in and underscores what it's all about and who is really responsible for it all. So we understand now that this episode really is calling back to all of the stuff that's been going on out there, and what the Mandalorian is up against, and what we're all up against with that guy called Moff Gideon."
As you might expect, Weathers wouldn't comment on whether those really are Dark Troopers Gideon is working on, but warned that the villain's creations "[are] not just souped-up. Man, they are on uber-steroids, let’s put it that way. Moff Gideon is a baaaad man, you know? He has plans, and I gotta tell you, I think anyone in the path is going to find trouble."
"You look at that scene, and particularly the very last shot when I pull back and you reveal, ‘Oh my goodness, man!’ It's like walking into the hall of mirrors at an amusement park. It just goes on and on forever."
It's true that Gideon appears to have an endless army of "Dark Troopers," and another possibility is that the Siege of Mandalore happened because he's used Beskar to create this armour.
We'll have to wait and see, but be sure to let us know your theories in the comments section below.
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some revealing concept art from "The Siege."
Now he's done stealing Frog Lady's eggs, The Child has turned his attentions to cookies. When his classmate on Nevarro refuses to share his treat, the adorable creature uses his Force powers to take them, and that leads to one of the show's funniest moments to date later in the episode.
Nevarro has changed a lot since we last visited the planet, and that's thanks to Greef Karga and Cara Dune. Earlier in the episode, we saw her taking down some thieves, though the creature she saves definitely didn't have the ability to breathe fire; clearly something changed during shooting!
The Imperial base is another of Moff Gideon's projects, though we caught a glimpse of some deformed clones there (one of whom looked an awful lot like Supreme Leader Snoke). The Child's "M-Count" appears to be vital to this process, and that's obviously a reference to Midi-chlorians.
As Din Djarin jetted back to make sure The Child was safe, Cara Dune and Greef Karga (alongside the Mythrol) made their way back to town...with the Empire on their tale! It was one of the show's best action sequences to date, and proved that Carl Weathers is a great fit for the Star Wars franchise.
"The Siege" ended with a visit aboard Moff Gideon's ship, though it wasn't a traditional Star Destroyer! Instead, the villain appears to be in charge of an Arquitens class ship. Those are most commonly associated with The Clone Wars, and while they were once used primarily by the Jedi, the Empire later made use of Arquitens-class command cruisers, so that's likely what we see here.