Wielding the Mandalorian Darksaber Feels ‘Powerful,’ Says Giancarlo Esposito

He’s hella smart. Imposing. Crafty. And ruthless. Yeah, we’re talking about Moff Gideon, a clutch member of the Galactic Empire who’s fixated on capturing Baby Yoda aka The Child. At least, that’s what we know (or assume) thus far, and we’re in a holding pattern until the October 30 season 2 premiere of Disney’s The Mandalorian. You’ll recall that the first season ended with Moff cutting himself out of his crashed TIE fighter and holding … yup … the black-bladed lightsaber.

Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Moff Gideon, says being part of the Mandoverse is a “dream come true.” We predicted that Esposito would survive the crash because dammit, he’s a badass character, and we saw him slice his way out. Although he’s quick to point out that he’s not the center of the series because, well, it’s not called Moff Gideon, is it?

“This show is about a man who sacrifices his life to take care of the Child, that he doesn’t even know what incredible qualities this Child has. So it really is the hero’s journey. And I love that,” he tells Fatherly.

On the show, you see Gideon wielding the legendary Darksaber, a black-bladed lightsaber that was passed down from generation to generation of Mandalorians before he got his hands on it. The thing is powerful. And holding the thing feels fine. Make that damn fine.

“I don’t think it can be quantified. It’s a powerful effect, and it can be used for good or it can be used for evil. Of course, I had to practice a little bit and we have a number of different versions of it. But just by having the feeling of that in my hand, and having the respect for it that I do. It’s not about killing so much as it is about learning how to parry and learning how to use it in a way that teaches you a physicality that is like no other. And so for me, I had a blast,” says Esposito.

The Mandalorian hits Disney+ on October 30, 2020.