We don’t know much about the plot of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the next Star Wars movie… but I think I may have just figured it out. Star Wars is returning to the big screen next year, in a movie that continues the ongoing story of The Mandalorian era. Din Djarin’s people have retaken Mandalore, and the bounty hunter himself has taken on a job with the New Republic. He’s supposed to be hunting for Imperials, with the New Republic unaware the scattered forces of the Empire are being coordinated by the Imperial Shadow Council.

As far as Din Djarin is concerned, though, the timing could be better. Grand Admiral Thrawn has returned from his extragalactic exile to distant Peridea; the last Grand Admiral, Palpatine himself believed Thrawn could have defeated the Rebel Alliance if he hadn’t been lost shortly before the destruction of the first Death Star. But what will Thrawn’s plans be, and how will Din Djarin get drawn into them? Surprisingly, Star Wars may well have just dropped a major clue – in the last place you’d expect.

We Just Learned About The First Mandalorian And Grogu Tie-In

We’re Heading To Bespin

Star Wars has officially announced the first official tie-in to The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it was something of a surprise. Disney used a panel at SXSW 2025 to reveal a new ride opening at Disney Parks next year, timed to coincide with the movie’s release. Concept art shows the Millennium Falcon flying alongside a new Razor Crest, confirming rumors that Din is getting a replacement for the ship destroyed by the Empire.

This story is designed to run alongside the movie, rather than serve as part of it. According to Jon Favreau, this will not “retell what happens in the movie – it’s more like participating in something that’s happening just off-camera from what you see in the film.” But this raises a difficult question: why would Star Wars be headed back to Bespin like this?

Bespin Is More Important To The Galaxy Than You Think

It’s All About Hyperspace Fuel

Bespin is an iconic planet from The Empire Strikes Back, and it’s been 45 years since we saw it on screen. But Bespin is vitally important, a major source of the hyperspace fuel called tibanna gas, and it’s not the only source; Lando Calrissian’s world is found in the Anoat sector, where a mᴀssive amount of tibanna can be found. The galaxy runs on hyperspace fuel, as Lando stresses in Beth Revis’ novel The Princess & the Scoundrel:

“I’m trying to tell you, you’re not going to get anywhere without fuel. Bespin and the other systems in the Anoat sector provide a significant source of Tibanna gas. The Empire knows the entire galaxy runs on Tibanna gas. If they control the fuel, they control the galaxy. And it doesn’t matter how many emperors you blow up-as long as they have the goods, they’re not defeated.”

We may not be seeing Bespin in The Mandalorian and Grogu, but the gas giant’s appearance in the Smuggler’s Run concept art surely means something is going on in the Anoat sector. It’s not hard to guess why; someone is disrupting supplies of tibanna gas, perhaps targeting shipments or even taking over installations. Grand Admiral Thrawn would be wise to pursue such a strategy, but I don’t think he’s operating out in the open.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Set Up Pirates Working With Imperials

It Would Make Sense To Work Through Proxies

The Mandalorian season 3 introduced the Pirate King Gorian Shard, a ruthless alien who was willing to launch an attack on Nevarro itself. He didn’t survive Din Djarin’s wrath, but viewers have forgotten the most important detail: there were hints he was working with the Imperial Remnant. One of the Shadow Council’s members referred to hit-and-run operations making him a fortune on the hyperspace lanes, a decidedly pirate-like activity.

It’s easy to imagine Thrawn deliberately acting through proxies, sending pirates to launch raids on freighters in the tibanna sector. The Grand Admiral would make a particularly terrifying ally to pirates, because he’d help them act in secret, making them impossible to track down; Thrawn is well known for using the Empire’s interdictor cruisers to pluck ships out of hyperspace wherever he wishes. No freighter would be safe.

If I’m right, then the next Star Wars movie sees Thrawn begin his plan to destroy the Republic while simultaneously revitalizing the Empire – by stealing hyperspace fuel that could be used by his own forces. It’s easy to see why the New Republic would turn to Din Djarin, whose knowledge of the underworld would give him a good chance to track down pirate bases and figure out what’s going on,. He’d probably initially believe he was looking for pirates, but The Mandalorian and Grogu would see him discover the dark truth – that war is coming once again.