Gideon

"If you're asking if you can trust me, you cannot. Just as you betrayed our business arrangement, I would gladly break any promise and watch you die at my hand. The assurance I give is this: I will act in my own self-interest, which at this time involves your cooperation and benefit."

- Gideon, stating terms of surrender to Greef Karga

Gideon was a human male who served as an officer in the Galactic Empire's intelligence agency, the Imperial Security Bureau. Eventually, he rose through the ranks, becoming a marshal. By 9 ABY, he had risen to the position of moff and led a remnant of his own, which included stormtroopers, scout troopers, death troopers, and at least one incinerator stormtrooper.

Imperial service
Gideon was a human male who served the Galactic Empire as an officer in the Imperial Security Bureau, during which time he took part in the Great Purge of the Mandalorians. At some point, Gideon came into possession of the Darksaber, a significant symbol of House Vizsla that had been used by Bo-Katan Kryze as leader of the Mandalorians.

He eventually became a marshal in charge of his territory.

Strict orders
"He has explicitly ordered us to bring it back alive."

- Pershing, to the Client

By 9 ABY, Gideon led a remnant of Imperial forces and attained the rank of moff, having somehow faked his execution for war crimes after the fall of the Empire. He wished to acquire a valuable asset from Arvala-7, tasking the Client and Doctor Pershing with bringing it alive by any means necessary.

Arrival on Nevarro
"You may think you have some idea of what you are in possession of, but you do not."

- Gideon, to the Mandalorian

Upon contacting the Client on Nevarro, he informed Gideon that they had the Child in their custody. The Moff, however, told him to recheck the Child's pram. Soon after, Gideon's squad of death troopers opened fire on the Client and the stormtroopers accompanying him in the cantina. Moments later, an Imperial Troop Transport arrived, pouring out stormtroopers who assisted the death troopers in securing the cantina. Shortly after, Gideon landed his Outland TIE fighter, behind the mass of troopers. As he climbed out from his ship and approached the broken cantina window, the Moff confronted the mercenaries inside, the Mandalorian Din Djarin, Greef Karga and ex-rebel Cara Dune. He told them that they did not understand the Child at all, and how much the Moff needed it. As he said this, two of Gideon's scout troopers intercepted and killed the Ugnaught Kuiil, who was taking the Child back to Djarin's ship, the Razor Crest.

While the two scout troopers were retrieving the Child, Gideon killed an officer for interrupting him. The scout troopers attempted to bring the Child to the Moff but were stopped by the droid IG-11. Gideon's set up an E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon. Upon hearing Djarin and his crew desperately trying to escape through the vents, Gideon began to speak to the group. Gideon introduced his E-Web turret and described how it had mowed down many of Dune's ranks as well as many Mandalorian recruits at the Night of a Thousand Tears during the Siege of Mandalore. Gideon revealed both their full names in the process—Carasynthia Dune and Din Djarin. Lastly, he called out Karga as a disgraced magistrate and telling him to lay down his weapon and to come outside.

Gideon finished off by saying that the E-Web would soon destroy the cantina. After hearing this, Karga called out to Gideon to ask the Moff what he was proposing. Gideon answered by offering reasonable negotiation. Karga further asked what assurance he offered, who told Karga that they couldn't trust him. Gideon continued by remarking how Karga broke their earlier arrangement. The Moff stated how he would gladly break any promise he made to them, and would happily watch the former magistrate die, and that that Gideon could offer was that the Moff would act in his self-interest. After he had finished, Gideon left his troopers to watch over the cantina. He turned around to tell Djarin and his crew that they had until nightfall to cooperate. Otherwise, he would order the E-Web to open fire.

A failed rescue
"Burn them out."

- Gideon orders his Incinerator Trooper

After Gideon walked off, IG-11 began a rescue effort, giving Djarin, Karga, and Dune a chance to escape. A battle ensued, and amongst all of the chaos, Gideon watched the battle around him. The Moff eyed Djarin while the Mandalorian utilized the E-Web. Before long, Gideon raised his blaster and shot Djarin in the back of the head. Before Mandalorian could fire back, Gideon took his time to adjust his aim and fire at the E-Web's power pack. It exploded, sending Djarin flying backward. His injuries forced him and the others to fall back into the cantina. Dune dragged Djarin into the cantina while Karga and IG-11 retreated inside. Frustrated with the lack of progress, Gideon ordered an Incinerator Stormtrooper to burn them out. The trooper set the building alight but was overpowered and killed when the Child use the Force to push back the flames.

As Djarin and his team escaped through the sewer vents, Gideon sent in more stormtroopers to stop them. When their efforts had failed, Gideon dispatched another platoon to wait at the end of a lava river. Upon anticipating his troops' failure, Gideon hopped into his TIE fighter to deal with Djarin himself. After IG-11 detonated, killing off the entire platoon, Gideon swooped in and began to fire at the Mandalorian and his team. The Moff swerved his TIE back around and met Djarin. The Mandalorian flew up into the air on his new jetpack and grappled onto the back of his TIE fighter. Gideon tried his best to shake him off but was unsuccessful. After climbing on top of the TIE fighter, Djarin tried to shoot him from the roof of the cockpit, but was protected by the blast-proof glass, allowing the Moff to continue shaking off the Mandalorian.

Gideon spun his TIE fighter and darted in multiple directions to lose Djarin, but the latter managed to plant detonators on the TIE. By the time Gideon discovered them, the left-wing blew off, and a fire started inside of the cockpit. After he crashed, the Mandalorian and the rest of his crew assumed he was dead. Djarin parted ways with his comrades and flew off-world with the Child. Sometime later, a group of Jawas attempted to salvage the wreckage of Gideon's TIE fighter. Gideon, alive and still sitting in the rubble, carved his way out of the TIE using the Darksaber. The Jawa scavengers had been scared off before the Moff stepped out and climbed on top of the TIE fighter, scanning his surroundings.

Personality and traits
"Did he just say that Gideon killed his own men?''" "''Oh, who knows? These guys like to lay down the law when they first arrive into town."

- Two scout troopers

Gideon was sophisticated, knowledgeable, and sought to bring order. He was imposing and ruthless, willing to kill fellow Imperials to achieve his goals, shown by his non-hesitation in killing over a dozen stormtroopers when he first arrived on Nevarro and even killing an officer only for interrupting him. He was also an adept tactician and good at psychological warfare, capable of assessing psychological circumstances of his enemies with through mere hints of their actions, and isn't beneath information that would have infuriated his enemies just to taunt and destabilize them.

Equipment
As an Imperial officer of high rank, Gideon wore an outfit similar to an Imperial uniform with dark-colored battle armor and a cape. He flew an Outland TIE fighter. which was destroyed by Din Djarin. The TIE crashed on the surface of Nevarro. He was also in possession of the Darksaber, using it to escape the crashed TIE.

Behind the scenes
"In a way, you might call him an underworld character. You may also look at him as a savior, as someone who might bring back some order to the world after it's all collapsed."

- Giancarlo Esposito about Gideon

Gideon is portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the first season of The Mandalorian, released on Disney+ on November 12, 2019. He was first mentioned, albeit indirectly, in the show's third episode, before making his debut in the seventh episode.