Why Moff Gideon Is 'The Warden Of The Galaxy'

Actor Giancarlo Esposito revealed more about his character, the malevolent Moff Gideon, from The Mandalorian in the first season of the Disney+ hit series.

Moff Gideon remained a mystery as the first season came to an end. In the final scenes of Chapter 8, the conclusion was his TIE fighter crashing on Nevarro. However, he cut himself out of that downed ship with a lightsaber instantly recognizable to many fans. Empire aligned Gideon possessed the Darksaber.

Of Heroes and Villains

Most of us know Giancarlo Esposito for his recent villainous stints as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad and its prequel Better Call Saul. Esposito began his career with a Broadway debut at age eight in the musical Maggie Flynn. He has been working ever since.

He has not always played the bad guy though he does admit that villains drew him to a story. Actors like James Cagney inspired Esposito from an early age. He wants to play a villain who has humanity. To Esposito, the best kinds of villains ultimately want love and to be understood.

In a recent interview with Good Morning America (GMA), Esposito explained why Moff Gideon appealed to him. The anti-hero story was overdone these days. For him, The Mandalorian is a true hero. He went on to say, "I'm so happy to be part of a show that really depicts a story about humanity and heroism. You know, to be a hero is something that we all aspire to. I play some villains, but I really love the hero, and we need to be empowered by heroes today."

About Moff Gideon and the Darksaber

He describes Moff Gideon as the warden of the galaxy. Esposito says, "He is a remnant of the Imperial Empire, and he is still searching for his quarry, which we'll hope he'll find." Esposito is careful about not giving away spoilers. He offered a few behind-the-scenes details about the Darksaber. Gideon will be using the Darksaber in several fight sequences later in the season. Esposito also admits to breaking the weapon several times.

"I'm decent. I'm getting better. But you have to respect the power of it, the energy of it. It's long, dude. I've bopped myself three times already. Pop in the head, I'm like what do I do? I start laughing. People look at me; they want me to be the expert right off the bat. But you know what? It takes practice. So we have long ones, we have short ones. Because sometimes they have to put it in. And guess what? I can say this? I can say it, I can say it. I'm going through it in my head, spoilers, blah blah blah. I can say it. I've broken three of those bad boys."

The Darksaber made its debut in the Star Wars animated shows. The idea of the weapon came from George Lucas himself. Dave Filoni then embellished its origin story with the notion that it was Mandalorian-made with Jedi ties.

The first animated show to feature the lightsaber was The Clone Wars. In that show, it was wielded by Pre-Vizsla of the terrorist organization, Death Watch, from the planet Mandalore. The weapon was a Jedi-Mandalorian relic from the Clan Vizsla. Whoever possessed the Darksaber claimed leadership over all Mandalorians.

During The Clone Wars animated series, Darth Maul defeats Pre-Vizsla and claims the lightsaber for himself. He takes over Death Watch but fractures the group. Many did not want to support an outside leader.

The weapon makes another appearance in Star Wars Rebels. The following is an excerpt from a conversation between Kanan Jarrus and Fenn Rau about this lightsaber's origin.

Kanan Jarrus: "I didn't know Mandalorians developed a type of lightsaber."

Fenn Rau: "We didn't. This was one of a kind. Legend tells that it was created over a thousand years ago by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi Order. After his passing, the Jedi kept the saber in their temple. That was until members of House Vizsla snuck in and liberated it. They used the saber to unify the people and strike down those who would oppose them. At one time, they ruled all of Mandalore wielding this blade. This saber is an important symbol of that house and respected by the other clans."

We do not know enough about Gideon yet to understand how he came to possess this powerful weapon. The audience will no doubt be anxious to understand more about this legendary weapon's journey.

About His More Famous Co-Star

Esposito adores The Child. He thinks of The Child as the ultimate sadhu, an ascetic or enlightened person in Hinduism. He believes The Child will lead the audience on a spiritual journey. We will explore who we are inside. It is perhaps the type of introspection sorely needed now more than ever.

Esposito is amazed at how much everyone instantly falls in love with The Child while on the set of the show. It is easy to fall for the tiny yet mighty 50-year-old tyke. Esposito, though, thinks the same ought to be true for the bad guys. Villains like Moff Gideon need a hug too.

Written By Leana Ahmed

Syndicated From Culture Slate