At the time of The Mandalorian story, it is pretty clear that Moff Gideon is not a Sith Lord even though he has the Darksaber in his possession nor does he have any links to the Jedi. Moff Gideon is nothing more than one of the Empire's existing bad guys who officially worked for the Imperial Security Bureau.
Darth Mandalore, formerly called Darth Necris, was a Sith Lord who survived the destruction of the Sith Triumvirate, and, after working through various crime circles, came to control Mandalore and wage war against the Republic of Supreme Chancellor Yhar-Moalu.
He was afraid of meeting the legend that was Luke Skywalker. At this point in Star Wars history, Jedi were still scarce, so when he heard that a Jedi was there, he must have known exactly who it was. To an Imperial officer, this Jedi did nothing but inspire terror.
THE MANDALORIAN Star Giancarlo Esposito Reveals Why Moff Gideon's Armor Is So Similar To Darth Vader's. "I think it's a throwback to this guy," Esposito explained. "It really relates in a way to me, I like to think or imagine in my brain, that he has the kind of power that Darth Vader had.
Season 1. After the dissolution of the Galactic Empire and the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, Moff Gideon led a remnant of Imperial forces. He wished to acquire a valuable asset—a Force-sensitive infant named Grogu—from Arvala-7 for unknown purposes.
At the time of The Mandalorian story, it is pretty clear that Moff Gideon is not a Sith Lord even though he has the Darksaber in his possession nor does he have any links to the Jedi. Moff Gideon is nothing more than one of the Empire's existing bad guys who officially worked for the Imperial Security Bureau.
It wasn't until the show's third season that Gideon finally showed how evil he really is by targeting all Mandalorians out of unjustifiable hatred, allowing him to qualify as Pure Evil.
Moff Gideon's Cloning Was Nothing To Do With Palpatine
An egotist at heart, Moff Gideon had his own project - to create an army of clones based on himself, with the addition of the Force. Moff Gideon further hoped to take command of the Empire, and lead them to conquer the galaxy.
Yes, the Empire has been defeated and did officially surrender by this point in time, but Gideon isn't going to concede or surrender himself. He's looking at a bigger picture... or at least, as big as his eyes can see. Palpatine isn't dead, and Moff Gideon knows this.
He was former member of the Imperial Security Bureau, as well as being a Moff, so he'd presumably have access to Luke's security file. Gideon didn't need to see who it was. The reaction of his Dark Troopers told him all he needed to know.
Gideon survived the crash, and carves his way out of the wreckage with what looks very much like a black lightsaber. And the reason it looks like a black lightsaber is because that's exactly what it is. Gideon is wielding the blade known as the Darksaber.
If Vader managed to get to Luke before he did and convert him, he was basically doomed. Darth Sidious fears Luke Skywalker in the same way he feared Anakin before he managed to manipulate him into becoming his apprentice. He fears how powerful he can become.
It was believed that Grogu would eventually become a victim of Kylo Ren's destruction of Luke's Jedi Order. However, The Book of Boba Fett revealed that Grogu chose to follow the Way of the Mandalorian rather than become a Jedi, sparing him from Kylo Ren's wrath.
Yoda's 900 years of Jedi experience and knowledge would be weaponized on a scale never conceived. Sith Yoda's destructive power would be so strong it could wreck the entire galaxy. Once Dooku saw the vision, he couldn't deny the threat a Darth Yoda would pose. Of course, Yoda didn't turn to the Dark Side.
I cite a scene from Rise of Skywalker, where we see several Snoke clones in a tank. This is a pretty good indicator that Snoke was created by the Sith Eternal, not Moff Gideon's remnant.
Season 3 starts strong with Din Djarin's mission and introduces clone army based on Moff Gideon's genetic template. Dr. Pershing's cloning research leads to creation of Snoke, with ties to Palpatine's futile efforts for immortality.
The big bad for the last three seasons, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), was shown to have died when a massive fleet crashed into his base as the fires consumed him.
By circa 9 ABY, after the fall of the Empire, Gideon still possessed the Darksaber, and was the leader of an Imperial remnant on the planet of Nevarro. During his rescue of the Force-sensitive foundling Grogu from Gideon, the Mandalorian Din Djarin won the Darksaber from Gideon in combat.
What happens to Moff Gideon at the end of Mandalorian?
While it may not seem like it on the surface, Moff Gideon dies far more than just once in the finale. The most obvious death is the one he suffers while fighting Din and Bo-Katan. The two Mandalorians fought Moff Gideon with ferocity and let him die in the fire that consumed his base.
The saber might have been salvageable after Gideon's initial crushing, but the remains of the ancient relic were burnt to a crisp when Axe Woves crashed Moff Gideon's old light cruiser into Gideon's Imperial base. Even if the broken saber can be found among the rubble, its charred and burnt remains render it useless.
He had the Darksaber, and at that point, lightsaber-wielders typically indicated Force-sensitivity. But the Darksaber's history turned out to be much deeper than that, and Gideon showed no signs of Force-sensitivity in Season 2. He wielded the blade with skill, but he never tapped into any kind of Force powers.
The horns on Gideon's helmet are a deliberate nod to Darth Maul and his connection to the Mandalorians, symbolizing Gideon's desire to challenge and mock his enemies. The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7 shows Giancarlo Esposito finally donning Mandalorian-inspired armor as Moff Gideon.
