What Is Moff Gideon’s Staff? Meet His Beskar Electrostaff

We know that the season 3 version of Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian now has more tricks and trinkets up his sleeve after he took over Mandalore and used the planet’s resources to his advantage to create Beskar weapons and armor. In fact, his next-generation Dark Trooper Beskar armor is so strong that it could handle the combined strengths of Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Grogu. He could equal the might of Bo-Katan’s Darksaber with a new staff-like weapon. So, what is Moff Gideon’s new staff? 

The staff-like weapon Moff Gideon wielded in the season 3 finale is called an Electrostaff, a weapon originally designed to be used by droid MagnaGuards during the Clone Wars. It was a weapon created to combat the lightsabers of the Jedi.

The fact that Moff Gideon wielded an Electrostaff proved that he was prepared for his fight with either Din Djarin or Bo-Katan, as he understood that he needed to find a way to equal the might of the Darksaber. In fact, his staff proved to be more than a challenge to the Darksaber in his duel with Kryze. Now, let’s look into this weapon in greater detail.

What Is an Electrostaff?

One of the things that fans have been waiting for ever since learning of Moff Gideons’ eventual return in The Mandalorian season 3 was the clash between him and Din Djarin. Of course, in the season 3 finale, the clash also included Bo-Katan Kryze, who had a score to settle with him after destroying Mandalore years ago, even though the Mandalorians had already surrendered to the Empire.

In that regard, we saw Bo-Katan dueling with Gideon in the season finale after she tagged Din out so that he could save Grogu from the Praetorian Guard. While Gideon focused more on his hand-to-hand skills and ranged weapons in his fight with Din, he broke out his new weapon after Bo-Katan brandished the Darksaber. This weapon is a special type of Electrostaff that seems to be made out of Beskar to strengthen its power.

The Electrostaff isn’t a new weapon in the world of Star Wars. It is a staff-like weapon tipped with purple or yellow electricity that is powerful enough to block the power of a lightsaber and stop a person’s heart from beating just five seconds after making contact. As such, this is a powerful weapon that was specifically made for close-combat situations.

During the Clone Wars, the Separatists developed the Electrostaff as a way for them to be able to neutralize the Jedi Generals that the Republic employed in the many different skirmishes. For instance, the IG-100 MagnaGuards often accompanied General Grievous as his bodyguards were equipped with Electrostaffs. And we saw them fighting the Jedi numerous times in the Clone Wars animated series and in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In fact, the MagnaGuards were able to capture Jedi Master Eeth Koth and use this weapon against him to torture him.

Even though the Electrostaff was designed to be used by droids during the Clone Wars, it still became very common among non-Force users trained in melee combat. In the fight against Obi-Wan Kenobi, Grievous used an Electrostaff against the Jedi Master after losing all of his lightsabers and while riding his personal wheel bike in his attempt to flee.

Even during the time of the Rebellion, Imperial Purge, riot, and Heavy Troopers were equipped with these weapons to handle any Jedi that may have survived the purge of the Jedi. Then, during the events of The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure novel, Luke Skywalker encountered a scavenger named Sarco Plank, who wielded an Electrostaff that nearly killed the Jedi-in-training during their fight in the Temple of Eedit.

In Moff Gideon’s case, it was clear that he prepared for the fight against the Darksaber-wielding Bo-Katan when he had an Electrostaff built for his Dark Trooper armor. And that’s because this weapon was strong enough to handle the strength of Kryze’s Darksaber.

Is the Electrostaff Stronger Than a Lightsaber?

“This is an Electrostaff, Nobody’s Padawan. A useful tool—and one designed to kill Jedi.”

-Sarco Plank, to Luke Skywalker in The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure

The Electrostaff was always a weapon designed to combat the power of a Jedi because the Jedi excelled in close combat. Lightsabers are powerful weapons that can slice through almost anything and deflect blaster bolts. As such, the Separatists designed the Electrostaff to be able to handle the power of the lightsaber of the Jedi.

As such, the Electrostaff was often plated in phrik alloy, which allowed it to become resistant to lightsaber attacks. But while the staff was resistant, it wasn’t invulnerable to lightsaber strikes as a powerful lightsaber strike or several strikes could still destroy it. Meanwhile, the electricity at the staff’s tip is there to neutralize a Jedi or any other threat because it can shock the person’s entire system and even stop the heart after five seconds of continuous contact.

Meanwhile, Moff Gideon’s Electrostaff is seemingly made out of Beskar alloy, as it was clear that it could handle the power of the Darksaber without any ill effects on the weapon. In fact, he even defeated Bo-Katan using the weapon and managed to destroy the Darksaber in that fight after overpowering the Mandalorian leader with his Electrostaff.

Nevertheless, the Electrostaff was never meant to be stronger than a lightsaber because it didn’t have the cutting power or the ability to deflect blaster bolts. In fact, this weapon is only useful in close-combat situations against lightsaber-wielding enemies due to how it was created to specifically counter the power of a lightsaber.

As such, while the Electrostaff may be strong enough to neutralize the strength of a lightsaber, it isn’t as versatile or as powerful as the weapon of a Jedi because it has a more specific purpose. And as seen during the events of the Clone Wars, seasoned Jedi Masters are more than capable of handling multiple droids that wield their own Electrostaffs.