Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7.The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7 introduced Moff Gideon's new Dark Trooper armor, as well as stormtrooper armor clearly influenced by the Mandalorian Supercommandos. Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon has returned with a vengeance in The Mandalorian season 3, having escaped from the New Republic. Episode 5 hinted at a Mandalorian connection to the forces who broke him out, with fragments of beskar found in the prison transport.
Moff Gideon is hiding from the New Republic on Mandalore itself, a smart decision given the Empire's bombing has disrupted the planet's electromagnetic sphere, making it impossible to scan the planet. The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7 further reveals he's been minind beskar, using the metal (or alloys of it) to his own end. There are new stormtroopers, whose armor is clearly influenced by the Mandalorian Supercommandos who served under Darth Maul, and Moff Gideon is wearing something even more imposing.
Moff Gideon's Stormtroopers Wear Armor Influenced By Mandalorian Supercommandos
Star Wars: The Clone Wars introduced viewers to the Mandalorian Supercommandos, a sect of warmongering Mandalorians who were loyal to Darth Maul during his brief rule of Mandalore. Once Maul was destroyed, the Saxon clan upheld the mantle of the Supercommandos by pledging fealty to the Empire, donning white armor to resemble the Imperial stormtroopers. Gideon's men continue this trend in reverse, with stormtroopers wearing beskar armor - complete with design elements (particularly to the helmet) reminiscent of the Supercommandos.
It's difficult to say how much beskar is used in the armor worn by Moff Gideon's stormtroopers; while some seem able to handle more shots than typical stormtroopers, others are dealt with quite easily. That may suggest the beskar is low-grade, or that they were given only partial protection. In any case, these stormtroopers employ tactics that are distinctively Mandalorian - most notably the signature jetpacks. These allow Moff Gideon's stormtroopers to descend from the heavens, claiming the legendary high ground. There is, of course, a degree of irony that such an innovation can be found in Imperial forces just a few years after Return of the Jedi, when Resistance forces were surprised by jetpacks in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - some decades later.
Moff Gideon's Own Dark Trooper Armor
Moff Gideon's original armor was inspired by Darth Vader, but it's now been reworked into what he refers to as his new Dark Trooper armor. This represents a fusion of both his Imperial pride and his interest in Mandalorian technology, with the ominous design clearly intended to intimidate Mandalorians and remind them of their past defeats at the hands of the Empire. The helmet is deliberately topped with spikes that are evocative of Darth Maul, another nod to the Mandalorian Supercommandos, who wore similar horns to demonstrate their allegiance to Maul. The similarity to Maul is even foreshadowed earlier in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7, in a scene in which Gideon walks to meet with the Shadow Council - straight through bright red plasma doors strikingly similar to the ones seen in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
Moff Gideon's new Dark Trooper armor is forged from purer beskar, meaning it is resistant to both blaster fire and lightsabers - the latter particularly significant given his terrified reaction to Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian season 2's finale. It houses traditional wrist gauntlets and what seems to be a kneepad rocket launcher, meaning Moff Gideon is now heavily armed. He, too, has the customary Mandalorian jetpack, allowing him to escape when the battle begins to turn against him. There's a degree of irony in the fact he requested three Praetorian Guards to protect him, when he is both very difficult indeed to kill in beskar, and able to flee.
Will The Empire Mass Produce Dark Trooper Armor?
Moff Gideon refers to his Dark Trooper armor as though it is a prototype, clearly intending to mass produce it for future soldiers. The last generation of Dark Troopers proved unable to handle a Jedi - Luke Skywalker destroyed those droids with ease - but Mandalorian technology was literally designed for such a conflict. It's quite likely Moff Gideon's experience with Luke Skywalker inspired him to create a new generation of Dark Troopers, ones he believed would not fall as easily.
That said, the fate of Mandalore is unclear. Mandalore is entirely absent in the sequel trilogy, which makes its prominence in this earlier part of the Star Wars timeline quite odd. It's intriguing to note Moff Gideon's Supercommando-inspired stormtroopers wear a design more closely resembling the First Order's troops than the Empire's, suggesting some elements of his design will be maintained. That said, the stormtroopers of the sequel trilogy clearly aren't wearing beskar, because they're shot down much more easily. It's reasonable to assume, then, the Empire lost access to Mandalore during The Mandalorian era, explaining why Moff Gideon's successors do not use this rare alloy - and why the Dark Troopers are forgotten.
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