How That Big Cameo In 'The Mandalorian' 3x05 Was Actually A Brilliant Case Of Foreshadowing

WARNING: SPOILERS for The Mandalorian 3x05, 'The Pirate'.

'The Pirate', the fifth episode of The Mandalorian's third season, was an action packed romp, ending with a game-changing plot twist, the consequences of which we will likely see play out over the final stretch of the season.

However, for many fans, one of the episode's biggest moments was the brief appearance of Garazeb 'Zeb' Orrelios, one of the major characters in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels. While Zeb's appearance may have seemed like a simple cameo, it actually contained some important symbolism and foreshadowing of the rest of the episode's events, and perhaps, where this phase of the Star Wars universe is going.

A Chat at the Bar

Zeb is seen early in the episode, taking a seat at the bar shortly after Captain Carson Teva, a recurring character in The Mandalorian, has just finished watching Greef Karga's distress call from Nevarro. He expresses disappointment at the news.

"I really thought Nevarro was going to make it."

While Zeb is a member of the New Republic Defense force, he notably, in contrast to other Rebublic members Colonel Tuttle and obvious spy Elia Kane, does not express any disdain towards Nevarro for not signing the New Republic charter, respecting the planet's choice to remain independent.

This is probably because, during the days of the Rebel Alliance, he and his fellow crew members aboard the Ghost did not always toe the company line of the Rebel's leadership.

The Liberation of Lothal

In the final season of Star Wars: Rebels, the Ghost crew discover that Imperial forces have taken Lothal, the home planet of crew member Ezra Bridger, in a vice-like grip, using it for the production of advanced TIE Defenders, which could prove a great danger to the Rebels. The crew manages to destroy the TIE Defender factory, although the mission tragically costs the life of Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus.

Losing Kanan causes a dip in the Ghost crew's morale, but ultimately, they opt to honor his memory by attempting to entirely free the planet from Imperial control. They reach out to Rebel Leader Mon Mothma for help, only to discover that Lothal ranks low on the priority list, and the Rebel Alliance is unable to spare the time or personnel for a Liberation strike.

Unwilling to give up, the crew form their own rag-tag Liberation force made up of the friends and allies they have gathered over the course of the series. Zeb participates in the mission by disposing of Grand Admiral Thrawn's Tracker, Rukh. Against the odds, the Imperials are ousted from Lothal, and Zeb joins the crew to witness the final message Ezra left for them before his disappearance.

Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian rebel who had been particularly close to Jedi Padawan Ezra, stays behind to watch over Lothal in her friend's stead, but thankfully, the Empire never returns to the planet.

Skirting the rules

Interestingly, it seems that Zeb's appearance, as a rebel from a cell who had bypassed the higher ups in the Rebel Alliance in the name of getting things done, foreshadows the rest of Captain Teva's actions in 'The Pirate'. When Colonel Tuttle, citing a lack of resources, fails to approve Teva's request for a team to oust the Pirates from Nevarro, the Captain gets creative. He delivers Greef Karga's distress call to The Mandalorian, Din Djarin, knowing that he is a friend of Karga's. Teva's off the books move pays off, as Din, bolstered by the unexpected support of former rival Paz Vizsla, manages to convince his Mandalorian Covert to fight for and free Nevarro, as the Ghost crew had once freed Lothal.

Zeb's appearance may also hint at the future of other stories to come in this era of the Star Wars universe. Zeb's cameo marks the second Rebels related Easter Egg in this season of The Mandalorian, following the appearance of the Purrgils in 3x01, 'The Apostate'. This will probably lead to future tie-ins with Rebels, especially since the upcoming Ahsoka series, set in the same time period as The Mandalorian, is set to act as a Rebels sequel of sorts, with Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren embarking on a quest to recover the missing Ezra Bridger.

The episode also hinted at some of the weaknesses in the New Republic, meaning we will most likely see more of Captain Carson Teva and characters like him: Good people willing to work outside the system in the name of the greater good.

One thing is certain.. we're in for some awesome Star Wars TV.