The Mandalorian's Giancarlo Esposito: Moff Gideon believes 'he has the kind of power that Darth Vader had'

With Darth Vader no longer in the galaxy far, far away during the events of The Mandalorian, someone needs to step in to be the cool Big Baddie. Could it indeed be Moff Gideon? According to Giancarlo Esposito, the actor playing the villain, possibly. Or at least, that’s certainly how the character sees himself in the grand scheme of things.

In a conversation with IGN, the Mandalorian star explained why he dresses less like Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin from the original Star Wars (aka A New Hope) and a little more like Darth Vader. 

“I like to think or imagine in my brain, that he has the kind of power that Darth Vader had,” said Esposito. “And so, seeing him in his armor and his cape and armed up tells me he's a warrior. That tells me he is a soldier and has the skills to back that up.”

Now, it remains to be seen whether Moff Gideon has the warrior skills that put him on par with Darth Vader, or if he’s only a great warrior in his own mind. Fortunately, it sounds as though we won’t have to wait too long to find out. In fact, Esposito said he hopes to show off his skills in the next episode. And yes, he does own a darksaber, so it’s unlikely that he’s got no game. Still, though. As tough as Vader? Them’s some bold words. Though it could explain why he's so interested in The Child, possibly making a play for his Force mojo.

When asked about what makes Moff Gideon tick, Esposito described Moff Gideon as “a thinker” who “already knows things that he is going to do that you might think as an audience are impossible, but he already is prepared for certain outcomes.”

Esposito also hinted at something he recently told Entertainment Weekly: that Moff Gideon's ambitions will reverberate throughout the series in the episodes and seasons to come. “What does he really want?” the actor asked rhetorically. “Does he want to empower other people or take all the power for himself? Or does he want to rebuild the galaxy or create the world's most formidable army?"

Well, we’re about to find out. The Mandalorian airs new episodes Fridays on Disney+.