A couple of weeks ago, The Mandalorian took us to Coruscant and dropped a few vague hints about Moff Gideon's whereabouts. It seems no one is entirely sure what became of him or whether the Imperial actually stood trial for his crimes.
With Nevarro coming under attack in "The Pirate," Captain Carson Teva attempts to convince the New Republic to step in and lend a hand. However, Elia Kane is there to discourage her boss from doing so, pointing out that Greef Karga made the decision not to join the new regime and that, as a result, he has to learn.
As Teva points out, it's a very Imperial way of thinking, but one their superior doesn't necessarily disagree with, especially when there are so many planets that are part of the New Republic and in desperate need of their help.
The Empire may be no more, but it's become clear that the New Republic is struggling to keep the Galaxy under control, with all of this eventually setting the stage for the First Order to take over.
Teva is left with no other choice than to track down Din Djarin (courtesy of R5-D4 who, we learn, fought alongside the Rebellion in the war), and Mando then sets off to help his old friend.
At the end of the episode, however, we find Teva on patrol, and he comes across a derelict Lambda shuttle floating through space. Upon further investigation, it's confirmed that this is a prison ship and, after a little digging, he finds out that it's the one Moff Gideon was being transported on!
Yes, the villain has escaped and the New Republic is attempting to cover it up by making the whole thing "classified."
The ship is full of dead guards, but Teva then comes across something even more unexpected - a fragment of Beskar alloy. Gideon was taken by Mandalorians, leading to a whole host of questions.
Is there a traitor in The Armorer's covert? Does Gideon also command a loyal army of Mandalorians after once wielding the Darksaber? They've served the likes of Pre Vizsla and Maul for that very reason in the past, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.
The next few weeks just got a whole lot more interesting.