Moff Gideon’s Clones: How & Why Were They Created?

The season finale of The Mandalorian season 3 allowed us to see an action-packed final chapter to the animosity between the Mandalorians and Moff Gideon. Of course, Din Djarin was centerstage in the fight against Gideon, who finally revealed what he had been doing with his research all this time. Clearly, he had cloned himself and created more than a handful of clones that were part of his grand plan. But how and why did Moff Gideon clone himself?

Moff Gideon used Doctor Pershing’s research to find a way to clone himself using the same cloning technology that the Kaminoans used to clone Jango Fett and create the clone army of the Republic. And Gideon created those clones to produce Force-sensitive versions of himself to dominate the galaxy.

It was always clear that Gideon saw himself as someone above the Empire, as he likely never even wanted to help usher in the return of Emperor Palpatine. As such, he created his own clones to take over the galaxy and take his place as the new leader of the Empire. That said, let’s look at how and why Moff Gideon created those clones.

How Were Gideon’s Clones Created?

One of the things that we always knew about Moff Gideon was that he was obsessed with getting his hands on Grogu. That was why he spent the first two seasons of The Mandalorian to get Grogu and use him for a nefarious scheme that seems to be connected to Emperor Palpatine. Of course, we learned more about the fact that he was researching cloning back when Doctor Pershing’s story was made clearer during the events of season 3 of The Mandalorian.

Pershing, of course, was obsessed with Kaminoan cloning technology and was looking to perfect it. The fact that he used to work with Gideon and knew what Gideon was planning was probably why the moff sent Elia Kane to erase his memories. And episode 7 of season 3 allowed us to learn more about what the Moff was doing.

In the meeting with the Shadow Council, it was brought up that the council was aware of what Gideon was doing and that he was using Pershing for his own schemes. Gideon brushed that idea off by telling Commandant Hux that cloning was his obsession, as he was probably referring to Project Necromancer. As such, Gideon denied any links regarding his cloning project.

Then again, as seen in the scene before he met up with the Shadow Council, it was clear that he was using the Kaminoan cloning tech to his advantage and in secret. Then, in the season 3 finale, things were made clear when Din Djarin and Grogu entered a room full of Gideon clones. They were all in the tanks and were simply waiting for the real Gideon to release them. So, how did Moff Gideon create his clones?

As mentioned, Gideon employed the services of Doctor Pershing, a man obsessed with Kaminoan cloning technology, to try to research cloning technology. Only a few people in the galaxy can use the same cloning tech that the Kaminoans use and Pershing was seemingly one of them. As such, Gideon could use Pershing’s expertise to clone himself. But there was more.

Gideon wanted Grogu during the first two seasons because he was the only other character left in the galaxy who was incredibly strong in the Force but was quite vulnerable due to his small size and lack of fighting abilities. Of course, Gideon could have easily used Luke, but he knew he didn’t stand a chance against a trained Jedi. As such, Grogu was the easiest target.

In episode 8 of season 3, Gideon said that he used Grogu to isolate his Force powers and use the same genes to create clones that could use the Force. He said that he was equipped with everything he needed to succeed except for the ability to use the Force, which was still the most potent power in the galaxy. So, by using Grogu and allowing Pershing to isolate his favorable genetics (as explained in his presentation in front of the New Republic), Gideon created a clone army that could use the Force.

Why Did Gideon Create His Clones?

In episode 7, the Shadow Council was merely speculating that Gideon was using Pershing to research cloning technology without the knowledge of the other Imperial remnants. That means that Gideon was doing this in secret and without the approval of the other members of the council. But why did he even create his clones?

Gideon was a power-hungry man that wanted to dominate everything. That was the reason why he wanted to dominate Mandalore and take his place as the leader of the Mandalorians. And with clones that had the ability to use the Force, he would have been able to dominate the galaxy even after his original self died.

Moff Gideon was always a man that admired both the Jedi and the Mandalorians. He admired the Jedi for their ability to use Force. Meanwhile, although he loathed the Mandalorians, he admired their fighting abilities and Beskar Steel equipment. 

In a way, he wanted to be someone with the best of both worlds. Because he didn’t have a way of allowing himself to use the Force, he wanted to live through his clones, who were genetically given the potential to become Force-sensitive.

In episode 7, he pushed the idea of electing a new Shadow Council leader due to the absence of Grand Admiral Thrawn. As such, he was putting himself in the position of becoming the new leader of the Empire. By creating a powerful army that had the use of the Force and was equipped with Beskar Steel, he would have been able to take the leadership role of the Empire through sheer dominance.

So, with that, it was clear that Gideon wasn’t working to further the ideals of the Empire and find a way to ready the galaxy for the return of Emperor Palpatine. Instead, he was working to further his own agenda and put himself in the position to replace not only Thrawn but also Palpatine as the new leader of the Empire. And with an army of clones that wore Beskar armor and could use the Force, he would have been an unstoppable man that not even his fellow Imperials would want to cross.