Moff Gideon (/ˈmɒf ˈɡɪdiən/) is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise who first appeared as the main antagonist in the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian.

[3] Gideon's all-black costume has been compared to that of Star Wars character Darth Vader, and reviewers have noted similarities in their personalities and behavior as well.

Gideon was previously an operative in the Imperial Security Bureau, a covert intelligence arm and secret police for the Galactic Empire.

[19] As the character Cara Dune states in the show, it was widely believed Gideon had been executed for war crimes before the events of the series.

[9][10][20] In The Mandalorian, Gideon is attempting to capture a young alien Grogu, also known as "The Child",[19][21] to extract its blood for Dr. Pershing's secret experiments.

Gideon suggests that is not the case, then orders a squadron of his death troopers to open fire on the cantina, killing the Client and his troops.

[15][16][25] Afterwards, the cantina is surrounded by stormtroopers and death troopers, and Gideon lands his modified TIE fighter outside the building and emerges,[8][15][26] informing the trapped Mandalorian, Cara, and Greef that he wants Grogu.

[15] Gideon returns in the season finale episode, "Chapter 8: Redemption",[21] in which he speaks to the Mandalorian and his party from outside the cantina, demanding they turn Grogu over to him.

[8][28] The Mandalorian uses his jetpack to fly after and attack Gideon's starfighter,[4][10][26] connecting his grapple hook to the wing after briefly clinging to the top of the TIE fighter in mid-air.

He places an explosive charge on the ship and it explodes,[20][26][28] causing the damaged TIE fighter to crash in the distance, which allows the Mandalorian and his allies to escape.

[8][20][26] In the final scene of the episode and season, Gideon is shown to have survived the crash, and he extracts himself from the wreckage by cutting through the TIE fighter's metal exterior with the Darksaber, a black-bladed lightsaber which is an ancient Mandalorian artifact.

Gideon's plan is partially revealed in "Chapter 12: The Siege", in which the Mandalorian, Greef, Cara, and their Mythrol companion infiltrate a secret cloning facility at an Imperial base on Nevarro.

[22][23] Gideon makes a physical appearance at the end of the episode, standing in a chamber filled with Dark Troopers, aboard his cruiser.

Escaping with Grogu, Gideon witnesses him using his Force powers on two stormtroopers that he throws around his holding cell, before stunning him and preparing to take him to Dr. Pershing to complete the blood transfusion.

However, in the ending of "Chapter 21: The Pirate", the wreckage of the transport ship that was carrying him to trial was found by Carson Teva with a fragment of Beskar alloy left behind.

Moff Gideon begins questioning Pellaeon about Grand Admiral Thrawn's leadership of the Imperial remnant and when he would return from the Outer Rim while requesting military reinforcements after discovering that the Mandarlorians were planning on retaking Mandalore after "Chapter 22: Guns for Hire".

[5][16][35] Gideon is a strong military strategist,[36] and despite the fall of the Empire still wields power,[16] commanding a considerable number of Imperial forces, including people, equipment, and spaceships.

[38] Through his past association with the Imperial Security Bureau, Gideon had access to a great deal of classified intelligence, and as a result, he is extremely knowledgeable about topics unknown to most other characters in the series.

[4] Giancarlo Esposito said the character "seems to know everything about everyone",[1][2][39] as illustrated in the season finale, when he reveals he knows the names and biographical details of the Mandalorian, Cara Dune, and Greef Karga.

[4][34] Esposito has rejected simple classifications of Gideon as a "good" or "bad" character,[1][35][36] noting that he is attempting to restore stability to the galaxy following the fall of the Empire.

[1][18][19] Esposito felt Gideon becomes "sort of the guardian of the people" after the Empire's decline,[18] and that in attempting to bring order to a lawless time, the character could be seen as a "savior".

[36] Several reviewers have suggested that Gideon may be actively attempting to emulate Darth Vader, one of the major characters from the Star Wars franchise who had been an agent of the Empire.

[45][46][48] Esposito said one of the first things he did after accepting the role was to contact his friend Samuel L. Jackson, the actor who portrayed Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and say: "Yo man, I'm in that series too, dude!

[53] Footage of Gideon was first publicly shown at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Chicago on April 14, 2019, which included a brief shot of the character flying his TIE Fighter.

"[62] The sequences with Moff Gideon flying his TIE Fighter were filmed in the Volume, and Waititi was very detail-oriented in working with Esposito on the scenes.

"[62] Esposito said he enjoyed seeing and interacting with the animatronic puppet of Grogu during filming, saying: "It melts my heart, because the reality is, this little baby does things that you could never imagine and when you look at those eyes and that little body, how can you not help but fall in love?

[38] SyFy writer Matthew Jackson said though Gideon's appearance in the first season was brief, it was also impactful, writing: "The character quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with.

[15] IGN writer Laura Prudom said the first season ends with Moff Gideon positioned as "a worthy adversary" for the Mandalorian and his allies.

[34] Caitlin Gallagher of Bustle noted that immediately after "Chapter 7: The Reckoning" aired, many fans expressed "outrage, sadness, and anxiety" about Moff Gideon, particularly on social media websites, due to his role in the death of the character Kuiil and the kidnapping of the Child at the end of that episode.

For his performance as Gideon in the Season One finale, Esposito was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.