The Mandalorian Ch. 19: With One Fleeting Kamino Reference, A Sinister Plan For Grogu Takes Shape
Contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian" Season 3, Episode 3 — "Chapter 19: The Convert"
Season 3 of "The Mandalorian" continues to be an explosive ride with threats from all over the galaxy targeting Din Djarin (aka "Mando," played by Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (voiced by sound editor David Acord). After his daring expedition to the Mines of Mandalore, he faces off against a swarm of TIE fighters with his faithful companion Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff). We even learn more about an old foe and his dark plans for the beloved Grogu after catching up with Doctor Pershing (Omid Abtahi).
In Season 1, Mando spares Pershing after saving Grogu from the clutches of The Client (Werner Herzog) and his fleet of Stormtroopers. The Doctor continues his controversial work in genetic cloning with the towering antagonist Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) before ultimately betraying him to Mando. This allows our hero to save Grogu once again while Pershing later enters the Amnesty Program, as we learn in "Chapter 19: The Convert," which even finally acknowledges the Galactic Standard Calendar.
We also learn what Gideon's intentions were with the force-sensitive Grogu and how that plays into Pershing's vast research in cloning when he name-drops the Kaminos.
Gideon may have originally wanted to clone Grogu
For "Star Wars" fans, the Kaminos will certainly ring a bell from the prequel trilogy. In "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones," we meet the alien species on the water planet Kamino with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Here, we become familiar with their specialties in cloning, which results in the formidable force of clone troopers. This contextualizes Doctor Pershing's speech on the dazzling city planet Coruscant, where he shares his testimony after joining the Amnesty Program.
Doctor Pershing references the "groundbreaking work" of the Kaminos, which proves the beneficial factors of cloning technology. This seemingly throwaway comment could have greater implications when we look back on the work he did for Moff Gideon. It's possible his dastardly plans actually involved cloning Grogu to help him harness the power of force-sensitive beings. This makes us even more grateful for his justified downfall that we learned about earlier in Season 3 and is even reiterated in this episode.
However, there is a bit of confusion among the swirling rumors about the villain from Pershing's fellow Amnesty citizens. This could even allow for Gideon's possible return if he somehow managed to evade justice for his heinous crimes.