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Star Wars is finally returning to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it’s bringing back a classic approach too. Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin has been hired to take down scattered warlords who hail from the fallen Empire, unaware they’re secretly working together under an Imperial Shadow Council. Little is known of the film’s plot, but it seems clear something will go badly wrong with the Mandalorian’s mission, leading him on a quest into Hutt territory alongside his apprentice, Grogu.
This Imperial resurgence is part of an ongoing plot set during the Mandalorian era. In Ahsoka Season 1, Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn returned from exile in a distant galaxy, and he’s sure to be drawing these warlords together in some sort of grand strategy. It’s reasonable to assume Thrawn’s plans begin in The Mandalorian and Grogu, although there’s been no indication Thrawn himself will make an appearance. Still, one thing’s already certain; a major Imperial story is about to become canon again.
Star Wars is Officially Bringing Back the Imperial Remnant Play video
As mysterious as the film may be, new The Mandalorian and Grogu merchandise has dropped major clues. Among other things, we have an exciting range of Black Series action figures designed for army building – and the soldiers all officially bear the “Imperial Remnant” designation. It’s an established term in Star Wars canon, with The Book of Boba Fett referring to “Imperial remnants,” but it’s actually quite significant to see it used in this kind of formal way.
In the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Empire never truly fell. Imperial forces scattered across the galaxy for a time, claiming different sectors of space and star systems, but they were eventually united into a single cohesive force courtesy of the ill-fated Admiral Daala. This diminished Empire eventually established a peace treaty with the New Republic, and afterwards was referred to as the “Imperial Remnant.” This seems to have been the formal name for the Empire’s government at this time.
The old Expanded Universe isn’t considered canon anymore, erased from continuity shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. Until now, it’s seemed as though the canon story was very different; the Empire definitively fell at the Battle of Jakku, with warlords continuing to act independently but never explicitly unifying. But the new merchandise for The Mandalorian and Grogu suggests “Imperial Remnant” is once again a formal designation, suggesting the Shadow Council’s coordination is about to become explicit.
The Galactic Civil War is Heating Up Again
This is actually quite a significant development for the Star Wars galaxy – and a major clue to the franchise’s ongoing story in The Mandalorian era. According to established lore, the Empire kept a low profile during this period, only returning as a galactic force many years later in the form of the First Order. Now, it looks as though we essentially got a second phase in the Galactic Civil War, with a full-on Imperial Remnant acting as a unified force. It’s an exciting prospect, and one that’s sure to echo on beyond The Mandalorian and Grogu.
We already know there’s going to be major action against the Imperial Remnant in Ahsoka Season 2, with evidence a New Republic team will infiltrate the planet Dathomir – the ancient homeworld of the Nightsisters, now claimed by Grand Admiral Thrawn as his base. Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni has also long been teasing a military battle between Thrawn’s forces and those of Admiral Ackbar, the Chiss strategist’s only real rival in the old Expanded Universe. All this makes a lot more sense if there is now a known Imperial Remnant acting as a galactic power.
The interesting question, of course, is just how dangerous the Imperial Remnant really is. We’ve already seen evidence Imperial forces are scattered across the Outer Rim (there’s potentially a base on Tatooine), and we know some of these warlords have forged alliances with the pirates who are plaguing Republic forces. With Grand Admiral Thrawn in charge, the Imperial Remnant is sure to be a force to be reckoned with; Palpatine believed him one of only two tacticians who could have defeated the Rebel Alliance (the other being Grand Moff Tarkin, who died in A New Hope).
Given this detail, viewers should expect The Mandalorian and Grogu to be far more important to the Star Wars timeline than had previously seemed the case. The “Imperial Remnant” reference indicates we’re entering a new age of galactic conflict, one where the stakes will be as high as ever, and where the story will move on into other mediums. It will be thrilling to see what comes next.
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