The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 3 Hints At The Empire's Plans For Grogu

This post contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian" season 3, episode 3, "The Convert."

Admittedly, "The Mandalorian" season 3 got off to a not-so-perfect start, with certain viewers confused as to why Mando and Grogu were reunited given what happened in the season 2 finale. That all had to do with what transpired in "The Book of Boba Fett." Beyond that, the premiere episode was largely viewed as one of the weaker installments and, given the more than two year gap between seasons, that felt underwhelming to some. But with the third episode, this season feels like it's really getting its feet back underneath it, even though "The Convert" hardly focused on our main characters at all. Though we did perhaps learn something important about Grogu along the way.

"Chapter 19" primarily focused on Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi), who was last seen trying to procure Grogu for the Imperials. He is now part of the New Republic's rehabilitation program for former members of the Empire and is genuinely trying to do some good (or so it appears). Early on in the episode, he's shown delivering a speech on Coruscant about his previous research, which was largely focused on cloning. It is here where we just might have learned a little something about why the Empire wanted Grogu in the first place. To quote Pershing directly:

"Sadly, my research was twisted into something cruel and inhumane at the behest of a desperate individual intent on using cloning technology to secure more power for himself."

What's also interesting is that Pershing mentions the Kaminoans by name, and "Star Wars" fans will be familiar with them from "Attack of the Clones" (along with the animated "Star Wars" shows) as the creators of the clone army. It seems as though Moff Gideon wanted to clone Grogu. But why? To what end?

There's a whole lot an evil entity could do with clones of a Force sensitive being, that much is certain. None of it seems particularly good, and Dr. Pershing appeared dead-set on the idea that his research could be used for good in the right hands. In the wrong hands? That's another matter entirely. And there is also the question of whether or not it's even Moff Gideon at the top of the food chain here. Or is he working at the behest of someone higher up the remnants of the Imperial ladder?

I admit I'm getting into reckless speculation territory here, but we know that Grand Admiral Thrawn is still out there thanks to Ahsoka Tano name-dropping him in "The Mandalorian" season 2. Presumably, he is going to show up in either this series or "Ahsoka," if not both. We also know that "The Mandalorian" and its spinoffs are building to a big crossover event. With Thrawn in the mix, it's hard not to think of "Heir to the Empire," author Timothy Zahn's beloved Star Wars Expanded Universe/Legends book series that served as a follow-up to the original "Star Wars" trilogy (where Thrawn first came to be).

Doing a loose adaptation of those novels would ignite sections of the fanbase like wildfire (myself included). More to the point, those books utilized cloning technology so Thrawn could try to get the Empire back in position as the dominant force in the galaxy. So, perhaps he's the one behind all of this cloning business. Maybe he's the one who really wants Grogu. And maybe, just maybe, this is all teeing up the ball for something much, much bigger.

"The Mandalorian" season 3 returns with new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.