Morgan Elsbeth

"How many lives is the knowledge I possess worth to you? One? Ten? How about a hundred? The lives of these citizens mean nothing to me. Now because of you, these people will suffer."
"They already suffer under your rule. Surrender or face the consequences. You have one day to decide."

―Morgan Elsbeth and Ahsoka Tano^[2]

Morgan Elsbeth was a human female who was instrumental in the construction of the Imperial Navy during the reign of the Galactic Empire. By around 9 ABY, she served as magistrate of Calodan on the planet Corvus. Elsbeth was in possession of a spear made of pure beskar, and offered it as payment to Din Djarin if he killed the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano. At that time, her army wore stylized versions of a Chimaera, the symbol of the 7th Fleet and Grand Admiral Thrawn's personal symbol. However, Djarin and Tano banded together and ended up defeating Elsbeth and her forces. Upon besting the magistrate in combat, Tano demanded Elsbeth reveal the location of her master, Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Biography[]

Early life[]

"Morgan Elsbeth. During the Clone Wars, her people were massacred. She survived, and let her anger fuel an industry which helped build the Imperial Starfleet. She plundered worlds, destroying them in the process."

―Ahsoka Tano, to Din Djarin^[2]

During the Clone Wars, Morgan Elsbeth's people were massacred, angering the her and eventually pushing her to assist in strengthening the Imperial Navy during the reign of the Galactic Empire by plundering entire worlds of their natural resources. At some point in her life, she also acquired a pure beskar staff, which she gained proficiency in.^[2]

Encounter on Calodan[]

"Now tell me. Where is your master? Where is Grand Admiral Thrawn?"

―Ahsoka Tano to Morgan Elsbeth^[2]

Sometime prior to circa 9 ABY^[3] Elsbeth had obtained the position of magistrate of the city of Calodan, a walled-in city located on the forest planet of Corvus,^[2] her homeworld.^[1] She employed Lang, a human male mercenary, to act as her personal enforcer and leader of her army.^[2]

Around 9 years after the battle of Yavin,^[3] Elsbeth encountered former Jedi Ahsoka Tano on the city of Calodan, who confronted the magistrate and demanded that she gave her the information she possesed regarding Elsbeth's master, Grand Admiral Thrawn's whereabouts.^[2] As Tano had began her search for Thrawn and Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger after they were driven from Lothal by Purrgil to an unknown location.^[4] She refused to give Tano the whereabouts of the Chiss Grand Admiral and threatened to execute the city's inhabitants unless peace was reached, Elsbeth also asked Tano how many lives what the knowledge she possessed worth to her, and later told her that thanks to her, Calodan's people would suffer. Tano told Elsbeth that they already suffered under her rule, and that she had one day to decide if she would tell Tano what she knew about Thrawn's whereabouts.^[2]

Din Djarin, a Mandalorian Bounty hunter, later arrived on Corvus in search of Tano, as Bo-Katan Kryze had previously told him she was in Calodan, he approached Elsbeth's villa—after Lang interrogated him at the city's gate—where she offered Djarin a contract to kill Tano in exchange for her pure beskar spear. Djarin inquired where she was located as he was actually searching for Tano so she could train the Youngling, Grogu as a Jedi, though this was unknown to Elsbeth, Elsbeth gave him the coordinates in which she should be located. When Din located her, they teamed up to overthrow Elsbeth, ending her rule over Calodan, and obtaining what each of them wanted, the pure beskar spear and the location of the Chiss.^[2]

Ahsoka dueled with Elsbeth herself. Elsbeth even disarmed Tano of one of her Lightsaber. However Tano succeeded in defeating her, and asked her about the location of Thrawn. In the meantime, Djarin made Lang surrender his weapon, until Lang attempted to shoot the Mandalorian with his hold-out blaster, which was unsuccesful and resulted in his death. Djarin eliminated Elsbeth's army and liberated the citizens that were being tortured and Tano ended her rule over Calodan and liberated the citizens of her rule. Wing received Elsbeth's cape and became the Governor of Calodan while the citizens celebrated their new ruler and their freedom.^[2]

Personality and Traits[]

"Tell me what I want to know. Where is your master?"
"Kill her."

―Ahsoka Tano and Morgan Elsbeth, who orders her men to kill the former^[2]

Elsbeth was a vindictive and ruthless individual, a personality molded by the pain of losing her own people in a massacre. Her vengeance and anger led her to a life dedicated to the conquest of numerous worlds, for the sole benefit of the Imperial Navy. She was willing to sacrifice innocent civilians as leverage against her enemies, openly admitting that their lives meant nothing to her, which she did at Calodan. Elsbeth was also an opportunist, quickly leveraging Din Djarin's position as a Mandalorian bounty hunter to her benefit, in an attempt to kill Ahsoka Tano, a Jedi.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

Elsbeth made her first appearance in "Chapter 13: The Jedi," the fifth episode of the season two of the television series The Mandalorian, written and directed by Dave Filoni and released on Disney+^[2] on November 27, 2020.^[5] She was portrayed by Diana Lee Inosanto, with Lauren Kim serving as a stunt double. Inosanto's hair and makeup were done by Maria Sandoval and Alexei Dmitriew, respectively.^[2]