The Mandalorianseason 3 had its penultimate episode this week as all of the pieces appear to be in place ahead of what promises to be an explosive and incredibly exciting finale. Fans and audiences appeared to be ecstatic at the fact that the main plot actually moved forward in this episode ofThe Mandalorian, something that hasn’t always been the case this season. The different factions of Mandalorians united together and returned to their home planet to retake it and fought alongside each other as they battled against Grand Moff Gideon and his intimidating new forces that serve him.
Gideon is clearly proving to be a tough opponent for the Mandalorians, all of whom are renowned as powerful fighters but are clearly struggling against someone of his intelligence and ability. However, despite what Gideon does towards the end of this episode, it’s his first scene in the outing that is arguably being talked about the most. A meeting with Gideon and several other Imperial warlords included the presence of none other than Brendol Hux, father of General Hux, thus marking a huge connection toThe Force Awakensand a hint towards what’s coming soon: the birth of the First Order.
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As stated previously, Gideon met with the other Imperials in his underground base on Mandalore, where they discussed a variety of different topics that were vital to their plan of eventually retaking the galaxy and starting the reign of the Empire once again. The infamous Grand Admiral Thrawn was name-dropped several times as the group discussed his impending return, although Gideon expressed his doubts on that (most likely to position himself as the leader of the new Empire,rather than Lars Mikkelsen’s villain). The cloning projects were also brought up, so clearly the obsession with cheating death is still a top priority for the remaining Imperial forces. This appeared to be a meeting of the very top of Imperials, and present was Brenol Hux, so he is clearly a major player in the transition from the Empire to the First Order (something that has already been shown at timesin various different canon novelsand books).
Hux senior has an interesting backstory inStar Warscanon. He was a member of theRepublic army during the Clone Wars, where he was in frequent contact with various different Jedi, but clearly he transitioned over to the authoritarian side of things at some point. He served the Empire during their reign and during the Galactic Civil War, including a role in the Battle of Endor. After that battle, he was eventually captured by the New Republic, but he escaped and joined a Shadow Council (much like the one shown in this episode of Jon Favreau’s series), so he’s obviouslyquite committed to reestablishing the Empireas the rulers of the galaxy even after Emperor Palpatine’s death.
In canon, Brenol Hux also knew Captain Phasma quite well as the two fought alongside each other. Hux appeared in several Phasma-centric stories, including novels and comics, so the two seemingly developed a relationship as they were alongside each other in the First Order. At one point, Phasma even saved Brenol’s life in the battlefield. This reemphasizes the importance of Brenol’s cameo on Disney+ as he’s not only directlyinvolved in the creation of the First Order, but intimately knows some of the key players like General Hux and Captain Phasma as well.
Brendol eventually had a secret son named Armitage, which is the major connection toThe Force Awakensin this episode as his child is Domnhall Gleeson’s General Hux from the sequel trilogy. In canon, Brendol fledthe most occupied parts of the galaxywith his son and, in secret, taught him of what he perceived to be the Empire’s glory and how they were a positive presence on the galaxy.
The connections toThe Force Awakensand the First Order are made even bigger by the fact that Brenol was a major player in the creation of the First Order, so this scene inThe Mandalorianappears to have some massive implications in the future. In canon, the First Order was created exactly like this scene: a group of Imperials who gather together and vow to continue agenda and mission the Empire after Palpatine’s death. Clearly,Hux is quite committed to doing thatgiven his story in canon thus far, and his screen time in live action in this new episode shows this even more.
Before the show even released, Jon Favreau said thatThe Mandalorianwould show the creation of the First Order. It hasn’t always been clear how they would do that, but Brenol Hux’s appearance shows that they are clearly moving in the direction of the sequel trilogy and are setting up the events to come in a galaxy far, far away.
