He is a mysterious, unnamed leader in the former Galactic Empire and subordinate of Moff Gideon, who plays a key role in setting the show's story into motion by hiring the bounty hunter known as "The Mandalorian" to retrieve a "50-year-old", yet infantile alien dubbed "The Child" (later named as Grogu).

The Client is portrayed by German film director, screenwriter, and actor Werner Herzog, who was recruited for the part by series creator and showrunner Jon Favreau.

Herzog was not familiar with Favreau's previous work, nor had he ever seen a Star Wars film, but was impressed with the screenplays for The Mandalorian as well as the film-making style of the show.

[1] Almost no details are provided about the Client's backstory, except that he is loyal to the remnant of the former Galactic Empire, which by this time has fallen from power after losing its war against the Rebel Alliance.

When the Mandalorian asks for work, Greef informs him that the Client is offering a mysterious, high-paying assignment, but will only meet with bounty hunters in person to discuss the matter.

[6][7][8] Unbeknownst to the Mandalorian, this individual is a young alien creature known only as "The Child", a member of the same species as the Star Wars character Yoda.

[6][7][8] As a down payment, the Client gives the Mandalorian a small bar of beskar, the rare metal traditionally used to create the virtually invulnerable body armor of his people.

(This container is identical in appearance to an ice cream maker that an extra carried while fleeing Cloud City in the Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

As a result, Greef Karga arranges for the Mandalorian to return so they can kill the Client and his troops and eliminate the Imperial presence from the planet.

[28][29] He is an intimidating figure, as illustrated by the fact that Greef Karga, who is normally confident and commanding with others, acts cautiously and even fearfully in dealing with the Client.

[17][18] John Serba of Decider.com wrote that the Client was less like criminal characters featured in other Star Wars works like Jabba the Hutt, and more similar to Vito Corleone, the mobster protagonist of The Godfather (1972).

[35] He claims that Imperial rule is the ideal form of government when judged by any metric, including "safety, prosperity, trade opportunity, (and) peace".

[38][45][46] Footage of The Client was first publicly unveiled at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Chicago on April 14, 2019, during which the entirety of his first scene in the premiere episode was shown.

[28][29] He said that he has assumed previous Star Wars films were shot with a great deal of "motion-controlled cameras and green screens",[9][27][41] but that The Mandalorian was a much more genuine and authentic filmmaking experience.

[9] With its use of real-time rendering, virtual reality, and visual effects that displayed digitally-augmented environments during the filming process itself, Herzog said The Mandalorian allows the actors "see the entire universe in which they are operating".

"[54] Chow added: "You can't come up with a better matchup than Werner Herzog and Baby Yoda", a reference to the Child's popular nickname among fans and reviewers.

"[1][57] When this story was later told to the public, some media reports mistakenly described it as if the producers of The Mandalorian were entirely replacing the Child puppet with a CGI creation altogether until Herzog convinced them otherwise.

[55][58] Carl Weathers, the actor who portrayed Greef Karga, said that although his character's personality was normally self-assured, he deliberately made him act more cautious and nervous in his scenes with Herzog to convey that the Client was a dangerous man.

[24] John Serba of Decider.com called Herzog a significant casting coup for The Mandalorian, and said the Client's "steely, dread-drenched, multi-layered, gravely philosophical dialogue" seemed specifically tailored for him.

[19] /Film writer Ethan Anderton said Herzog "makes the perfect crime boss" and has a "unique cadence and screen presence" which made him a good fit for The Mandalorian, which sought to explore a darker side of Star Wars.

[26] Likewise, Dazed writer Thom Waite said Herzog's "menacing presence" fits in well with the darker tone that The Mandalorian attempts to set for the Star Wars franchise.