One Star Wars novel has explained why the New Republic was so convinced the Empire had been defeated in The Mandalorian season 1. The Mandalorian season 1 was one of the first major Disney-era projects to explore what the galaxy was like a short while after the events of Return of the Jedi. After the destruction of the second Death Star, and with both Palpatine and Vader dead, the New Republic could begin the arduous task of bringing peace and prosperity to the galaxy once more, after a final decisive victory at the Battle of Jakku. This involved dismantling the Empire’s bases, resources, and hierarchies, as evidenced by later seasons of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.
The New Republic also managed to instate a “rehabilitation program,” as depicted in The Mandalorian season 3, which was meant to help ex-Imperial officers turn their lives around into something meaningful and to atone for their past transgressions. Perhaps the initial success of this program lulled the New Republic into a false sense of security – it’s always been hard to fathom why the galaxy’s new government was so convinced the Empire had been eradicated in its entirety when The Mandalorian season 1 proved that there were still a substantial number of stormtroopers operating openly in the Outer Rim. However, one Star Wars novel explains why these stormtroopers weren’t initially cause for alarm.
Many Stormtroopers Worked As Mercenaries After The Battle Of Jakku
In Star Wars: The Mandalorian Junior Novel by Joe Schreiber, the stormtroopers’ role in society after the Empire’s fall is explained succinctly. The story, told from Din Djarin’s point of view, clarifies how the stormtroopers made a living:
“Walking in, he’d found four stormtroopers in dusty, battle-scarred armor surrounding him, blasters at the ready. Like the Empire they once served, the troopers had been stripped of their official authority but not of their menace. These days, they worked, fought, and killed for whoever offered the highest pay.”
Stormtroopers becoming mercenaries isn’t hugely surprising. All the troopers had known for years was following orders, hunting down civilians and rebels, and violence. Being mercenaries was, unfortunately, the perfect job for these ex-Imperials. Given the stormtroopers’ less-than-stellar track record, however, this doesn’t mean they were necessarily good at their jobs, but they certainly were capable of spreading fear, violence, and panic wherever they went.
Star Wars: Every Type of Stormtrooper In Canon Explained
Some of the most popular characters from Star Wars are the stormtroopers, and there are many variants across the official canon timeline.
The New Republic Would Dismiss Stormtrooper Action As Mercenaries
This explains why the New Republic didn’t take much notice of the stormtroopers still operating in the outer reaches of the galaxy. Despite their once-supposed loyalty to the Empire, the stormtroopers that had somehow miraculously survived and still wore their armor only did so because they had become mercenaries – and mercenaries and bounty hunters are a dime a dozen in the farthest corners of the Star Wars galaxy. As long as these lone stormtroopers were only doing work for hire, they didn’t pose any more of a threat than their fellow mercenaries did to society at large. The New Republic would have had much bigger issues to deal with at the time.
However, as Moff Gideon eventually proved, most stormtroopers who had survived weren’t merely laboring as mercenaries. Many still blindly followed the Empire’s leadership – most likely because it was all they had ever known, and those who once wielded power are unlikely to let go of it. If the New Republic had paid closer attention to the stormtroopers that still operated in the galaxy, they might have discovered Moff Gideon’s conspiracy much sooner. The Mandalorian has, above all, proven that the New Republic was always doomed to make the same mistakes as the Republic that came before it.
The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian is set after the Empire’s fall and before the First Order’s emergence in the ever-growing Star Wars universe. The series follows the travails of a lone gunfighter named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. Acting as the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian has become incredibly popular on Disney+, partly due to Mando’s relationship with Grogu, which the internet dubbed “Baby Yoda” upon his introduction in season 1.
- Release Date
- November 12, 2019
- Cast
- Werner Herzog , Emily Swallow , Pedro Pascal , Nick Nolte , Omid Abtahi , Gina Carano , Carl Weathers , Giancarlo Esposito
- Genres
- Fantasy , Sci-Fi
- Seasons
- 3
- Story By
- Jon Favreau
- Writers
- Jon Favreau
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
- Directors
- Jon Favreau , Taika Waititi , Bryce Dallas Howard
- Showrunner
- Jon Favreau
