The Mandalorian: What Are Gideon’s New Stormtroopers? Meet the Super Commandos

We saw in episode 7 of The Mandalorian season 3 that Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze, and the other Mandalorians have their hands full because Moff Gideon has returned to power and is commanding an elite group of soldiers that were able to give the Mandalorians some problems. These soldiers were initially considered Mandalorians because of their jetpacks, but it was clear they were Imperial soldiers working under Gideon. So, who are Moff Gideon’s new Stormtroopers?

Moff Gideon’s new Stormtroopers are currently without an official name, but they resemble the same super commandos that we saw during the events of Star Wars: Rebels. In that regard, these Super Commandos may wear the same Beskar armor and have the same training as the Mandalorians.

The introduction of the super commandos that worked for Moff Gideon not only poses a huge challenge for the Mandalorians but also opens up the possibility of similar types of soldiers appearing in the future. As such, the good guys will face more problems if that is the case. Now, let’s talk more about these super commandos and what they are.

The Super Commandos Have an Imperial History

We already found out in the earlier episodes that Moff Gideon found a way to escape from the New Republic and is now at large once more. Episode 7 of The Mandalorian season 3 opened up with Elia Kane meeting with Gideon in secret to communicate the information she gathered as a spy planted in the New Republic. She told Gideon about how the Mandalorians were now planning to take back their planet. Of course, the Imperial Moff was worried about the problems the Mandalorians could bring him.

After that, he walked through a hallway full of different sets of armor that looked like they were inspired by both the Mandalorian and Stormtrooper armor. However, it was only during the end portion of the episode that we saw these new Stormtroopers in action. They took on the Mandalorian scouting party that went down to Mandalore to reclaim the Great Forge. While we don’t know what these troopers are called, they seem to resemble the super commandos that we met back in the events of Star Wars: Rebels.

During the events of Star Wars: Rebels, which took place just before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the crew of the Ghost had to help the Mandalorians out in their mission to rebel against the Empire. We know that the Empire had occupied Mandalore after the Republic transitioned into this new entity. And because the Republic already had control over Mandalore after helping Bo-Katan defeat Darth Maul and the Shadow Collective, it was easy for the Empire to occupy a planet known for producing the strongest warriors in the galaxy.

Because Bo-Katan Kryze and her Nite Owls opposed the rule of the Empire, they tried to mount a rebellion against the Imperial forces on Mandalore. That was when it was made clear that there were Mandalorians that worked for the Empire as well. After all, Bo-Katan said in The Mandalorian that the only thing to ever defeat the Mandalorians was infighting from within. As such, it was perfectly normal for Mandalorians to side with the Empire because Mandalorians had been fighting each other for centuries.

The Mandalorians that sided with the Empire were known as the super commandos. The fact that they were Mandalorians meant that they wore Beskar armor which has always been the trademark of Mandalorians. They were also trained to fight like Mandalorians. However, their armor was also inspired by Imperial design, which is why the super commandos could easily be distinguished from the other Mandalorians who had no love for the Empire.

Of course, it is worth noting that even the clone troopers and the Stormtroopers have Mandalorian origins, as the Mandalorians inspired them. The clones were created from a Mandalorian named Jango Fett, whose armor and skills were used as the blueprint for the clone troopers. Meanwhile, the clone troopers were used as the model for the Imperial Stormtroopers, who weren’t as well-trained and skilled but were cheaper and more loyal to the Empire.

The super commandos in The Mandalorian just went full circle because these Stormtroopers working under Moff Gideon were inspired by the same super commandos prevalent during Rebels’ events. And because Stormtroopers were modeled after clone troopers, modeled after a Mandalorian, it just makes sense for Gideon to create an army inspired by the Mandalorian warrior culture.

Are Gideon’s Super Commandos Mandalorians?

As mentioned, Gideon’s new troopers were first seen in action when they ambushed the Mandalorians in the underground areas of Mandalore. At first, the Mandalorians thought these troopers were also Mandalorians because they used jetpacks. But it became clear to Din Djarin that they were Imperials.

Like the Mandalorians, these troopers wore Beskar Steel armor and had jetpacks. But it was clear in that skirmish against the Mandalorians that they were not as well-trained as the true Mandalorians. Their armor might not even be pure Beskar because the Mandalorians could hurt them with their blasters. Of course, there’s the question of whether or not they are also Mandalorians, as the original super commandos in Rebels were true Mandalorians.

We aren’t sure whether or not these super commandos working under Gideon are Mandalorians, but there’s a good chance that they are modified humans. After walking through the hallway full of these new Stormtrooper suits, Gideon walked through a hallway of tanks with humans in them.

This suggests that he was experimenting on human subjects that could be his new soldiers. Gideon always thought that the human element was the soldier’s weakest part, which is why his Dark Troopers in season 2 were actually droids. But we all know that droids also have weaknesses, as they cannot be trained to be as effective in combat as humans are.

As such, Gideon’s new Stormtroopers under his command may be modified humans that could also be Mandalorians. We know that Gideon was researching cloning through Dr. Pershing. And he may have found a way to clone Mandalorians to become obedient and mindless soldiers loyal to him but equipped with the same skills as any Mandalorian.

Nevertheless, it is also possible that these troopers are just ordinary humans and that the humans in the tank were reserved for Gideon’s new Dark Trooper program, based on his new armor near the end of the episode. Whatever the case, we know that these new super commandos will give the Mandalorians trouble in the season 3 finale.