WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 8.
The Mandalorian season 3’s finale debunked the biggest Supreme Leader Snoke theory. Set between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Mandalorian has helped fill in the gaps between the original trilogy and the Star Wars sequels. How the first Snoke clone was created is one of the Star Wars sequels’ mysteries that The Mandalorian had the opportunity to solve.
The Mandalorian season 3’s finale was one of the most action-packed episodes in the entire series. However, The Mandalorian season 3’s ending battle also led to some key reveals about Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Though Moff Gideon was defeated, the villain finally revealed why he was so interested in studying Grogu’s blood.
Grogu Wasn't Being Used For Snoke Clones In The Mandalorian
season 3, episode 8, “The Return,” confirmed what Moff Gideon’s ultimate goal was. As Gideon had suggested in season 3, episode 7, he was indeed working on a personal cloning project. However, Moff Gideon’s cloning research had nothing to do with Snoke clones. Instead, Gideon was cultivating Force-sensitive clones of himself. According to Gideon, he was replicating the best parts of himself and combining them with the Force. Gideon saw himself as the perfect soldier, and the only improvement he needed was the Force. All of the clones in Gideon’s base were clones of Gideon, and there were no hints of anything related to either Snoke or Palpatine.
Since The Mandalorian started to tease Gideon’s interest in Grogu, several theories tried to explain what Gideon’s goal was. After The Mandalorian season 2, it became clear that Moff Gideon wanted to use Grogu’s blood to experiment on midi-chlorians and the Force itself. Previously, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker revealed that Snoke was but a clone used by Palpatine. Given how The Mandalorian takes place before the Star Wars sequels, a logical conclusion was that Gideon’s research was connected to Snoke’s creation. While Grogu was indeed the key for Moff Gideon to create Force-sensitive clones, Gideon’s plans had nothing to do with creating “Snokes.”
How Is Snoke Made As A Force-Sensitive Clone If Not With Grogu's Blood?
The Rise of Skywalker confirmed that clones could be Force-sensitive, which was a major addition to the Disney Star Wars canon. The final entry in the Star Wars sequels also revealed that Palpatine “made Snoke,” although the movie did not explain how. Star Wars has been filling in the gaps regarding Palpatine’s return since The Rise of Skywalker premiered, but not much has been revealed about Snoke’s creation. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is currently diving into how the Empire continued the Kaminoans’ cloning research. However, there has yet to be a solid, direct connection between The Bad Batch’s events and Snoke’s creation.
Regardless of Gideon’s final goal, The Mandalorian’s villain succeeded at creating Force-sensitive clones. If Moff Gideon, a member of the Imperial Shadow Council, had access to the necessary technology to experiment on Force-sensitive clones, then Palpatine’s inner circle sure did too. Whether Project Necromancer ties into Palpatine’s return in The Rise of Skywalker remains to be confirmed, but Darth Sidious would sure have the knowledge and the equipment to create Force-sensitive clones. Moff Gideon lost in The Mandalorian season 3’s finale, but whatever is left from his research may still lead to the creation of Snoke.
All episodes of The Mandalorian season 3 are streaming now on Disney+.