An exciting new Star Wars theory suggests the upcoming Mandalorian and Grogu movie is secretly setting up a new civil war. In The Mandalorian season 3, a united Mandalore was seemingly achieved, as the Mandalorian homeworld was finally reclaimed from the Imperial Remnant faction led by Moff Gideon. That said, The Mandalorian and Grogu may reveal that division still remains.
The Mandalorian and Grogu’s first official trailer was recently released, showcasing a new big-screen adventure for Din Djarin and his adopted son. Despite featuring new Imperial Remnant factions and more supposed threats, there are still some key questions following the new trailer. Now, one theory suggests that The Mandalorian and Grogu’s stakes may be more personal than we realize.
Star Wars’ New Trailer Deliberately Hides The Villains
Usually, Star Wars projects like to make a big deal about their villains and the threats facing the galaxy’s heroes.
However, the specific foe or leading villain has yet to be determined when it comes to The Mandalorian and Grogu. The trailer confirms Din Djarin is taking on the Empire, and for some unknown reason, Jabba the Hutt’s son Rotta (voiced by Jeremy Allen White).
At the same time, we’ve yet to see actor Jonathan Coyne, who has reportedly been cast as an unknown Imperial warlord. Star Wars isn’t really shining a spotlight on The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s villains, let alone any kind of predominant arch-foe like we saw in The Mandalorian with Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Needs Personal Stakes
Hunting down Imperials and taking on the Hutts is all well and good, though The Mandalorian and Grogu should really have some personal stakes coming from somewhere.
This is essential for any story to have solid depth, something we know the Star Wars franchise very much understands. Unfortunately, from what we can see in the new trailer, there’s not even a hint of an emotional connection, nor does Din Djarin take on anybody specific.
While he’s more than likely a gangster like his father before him, it definitely feels as though Rotta won’t be the leading villain, and is probably more like a stop along the way who sets up a bigger threat or foe for Din Djarin and Grogu.
With that in mind, I think this trailer’s admittedly divisive ambiguity regarding the movie’s plot might be because the personal threat is intentionally being hidden. This leads me to my big guess that there are secret Mandalorian and Grogu villains connected not only to Mandalore’s history, but also to Din Djarin’s personal backstory as a child.
I Think Star Wars’ New Villains… Are Mandalorians
In light of some recent rumors online that the Death Watch may have a role in The Mandalorian and Grogu, I do think their involvement would make a lot of sense, while also being the personal villains the Star Wars movie definitely needs.
An extremist group that refused to bend to Mandalore’s shift to pacifism during the days of the Republic and Clone Wars, The Death Watch maintained its warrior ways and ancient traditions. Led by the Darksaber-wielding Pre Vizsla (voiced by The Mandalorian and Grogu director Jon Favreau), the Death Watch was determined to restore Mandalore to its former glory days.
During the Dark Times and following the Empire’s devastating Purge of Mandalore, it was established that the group evolved into the offshoot known as The Children of the Watch, hiding in the shadows while also raising Din Djarin as a foundling having been saved by the Watch from a platoon of Separatist battle droids before the Clone Wars’ end.
With that in mind, what if the Death Watch didn’t just evolve, but instead splintered into two groups? Perhaps not every member was content with going into hiding, seeing a path for survival and opportunity by bending the knee to the newest galactic power.
Thanks to Star Wars Rebels, we know some Mandalorians worked with the Empire after the Purge of Mandalore, choosing to join the regime rather than hide, scattered across the galaxy. Becoming Imperial Supercommandos under the command of Viceroy Gar Saxon, it’s quite possible that members of the Death Watch chose the Empire as well, rather than morphing into the Children of the Watch.
ᴀssuming these proposed Death Watch members survived with factions of the Imperial Remnant, it would give The Mandalorian and Grogu the emotional punch it needs, while also setting up new stories with mᴀssive impacts on the franchise overall.
For example, just imagine if one of these theoretical Imperial Remnant/Death Watch members was the very same Mandalorian who saved and potentially even mentored Din Djarin as a child? After all, there’s still plenty of Djarin’s backstory that hasn’t yet been revealed, and could easily be told in the upcoming Star Wars movie set to release next year.
The Mandalorian and Grogu releases in theaters May 22nd, 2026.
