Editor's Note: The following contains minor spoilers from Season 3 Episode 7 of The Mandalorian.Episode 7 of The Mandalorian didn’t pull any punches when setting future storylines and increasing the dangers ahead of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal/Brendan Wayne/Lateef Crowder) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff). For starters, the latest episode of The Mandalorian brings everyone’s favorite imperial back, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). However, Moff Gideon is not the only Imperial warlord in the Star Wars universe during the New Republic era. As The Mandalorian reveals, the deadly strategist is a party of the Shadow Council, which assembles all remaining Empire leaders devoted to restoring the authoritarian regime.
As The Mandalorian explains, the Shadow Council purposely acts as an uncoordinated group of warlords to attract less attention from the New Republic. If the people in charge of Coruscant think every warlord is acting alone, they will allocate fewer resources to eliminate the remaining Imperial leaders. Nevertheless, they are all working together and anxiously awaiting the resurgence of Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), who’s making his live-action debut in the upcoming Ahsoka series. That doesn’t mean there is no internal dispute among the members of the Shadow Council. For instance, each warlord seems convinced they know better how to restore the Empire to its former glory. And one of the Council’s members, Commandant Brindle Hux (Brian Gleeson), bridges the gap between The Mandalorian and Star Wars sequel trilogy with the terrifying Project Necromancer.
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Project Necromancer Teases the Connection Between 'The Mandalorian' and the Sequel Trilogy
If the name Hux rings a bell, that’s because one of the main villains of the sequel trilogy was Armitage Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), no one else than Brindle Hux’s son. And if the two characters look so much alike, that’s because Lucasfilm was smart enough to cast two real-life brothers as father and son. In The Mandalorian, Commandant Hux explains that his Project Necromancer demands so many funds because it’s essential for restoring the Empire's leadership and reconquering the Galaxy. That’s all the official information we get from Project Necromancer, but with a name so on-the-nose, we can pretty much guess what Commandant Hux is doing.
In Episode VII: The Force Awakens, we are introduced to Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), a Force-sensitive villain who commands the First Order. Snoke is a powerful Force wielder with deep knowledge of the Dark Side, but his origins remain a mystery until Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. In the last chapter of the sequel trilogy, we learn that Emperor Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), is alive and controlling the First Order from the shadows. As the movie reveals, Palpatine survived his fateful encounter with Darth Vader in the original trilogy thanks to cloning and life force transfer technology. While we don’t know how this technology works, the movie underlines it allowed him to occupy new bodies while rebuilding the Empire. In fact, Snoke was a flesh puppet used by Palpatine to spread his evil influence across the Galaxy. Ok, but what does this have to do with Project Necromancer?
A Necromancer is a dark wizard specialized in reviving dead matter. In medieval fantasy, Necromancers are the villains who raise the dead, animate skeletons, and unleash lost souls upon their enemies. So, an initiative called Project Necromancer must have something to do with resurrecting the dead. And since the First Order only got to power thanks to Snoke, who’s actually Palpatine, it’s not a stretch to think Project Necromancer is somehow related to the return of the Emperor.
How Does the Shadow Council Connect to the Future of Star Wars?
Since every member of the Shadow Council seems to be fighting for power, the success of Project Necromancer might also explain why the First Order, and not another faction, replaced the Empire in the sequel trilogy. That would also elucidate why Armitage Hux holds such prestige with First Order followers. If Brindle Hux managed to bring Darth Sidious back, his son would indeed become one of the most important people in the First Order.
Yes, this is all speculation for the moment, but it fits perfectly in the mythology we already know. Contrary to what some fans might think, Lucasfilm will not abandon the controversial sequel trilogy. Actually, one of the few Star Wars movies currently in production will star Daisy Ridley as Rey and follows the Jedi Master as she rebuilds the Jedi Order after the definitive fall of the Empire. So, since The Mandalorian fills in the gap between the original and the sequel trilogy, it would be fair for Lucasfilm to explain how the Darth Sidious cloning process truly worked and how the First Order and Snoke came to be. Finally, with Project Necromancer, Lucasfilm can retcon some questionable creative choices they made with the sequel trilogy by fixing plot holes and streamlining the whole story.
New episodes of The Mandalorian come to Disney+ every Wednesday.
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