*** Be warned that some SPOILERS ARE AHEAD for the most recent episode of The Mandalorian, so if you haven’t watched it yet, don’t read this article. ***
We’ve already seen the New Republic show up a couple of times in the second season of The Mandalorian.
In chapter two, Carson Teva and Trapper Wolf pursue Din Djarin and the Razor Crest before ultimately saving the day by eliminating the spiders. Then at the end of chapter four, Teva again makes an appearance (and since two New Republic X-Wings were seen, I can only imagine that Wolf wasn’t far away). He interrogates Greef Karga about what happened on the planet, and then speaks with Cara Dune trying to recruit her to the cause.
But what Teva says to her caught my attention, because it fits perfectly with what we’ve seen from other Star Wars material so far. Here’s how part of the conversation goes:
Carson Teva: “You did a hell of a job cleaning up the system. According to records, you’re quite a soldier. We could really use you.”
Cara Dune: “I’m not a joiner, Blue.”
Carson Teva: “There’s something going on out here. They don’t believe it on the Core Worlds, but it’s true. These aren’t isolated incidents. They need to be stopped before it’s too late. But we can’t do it without local support.”
Teva is investigating the destruction of the Imperial facility, after which the Razor Crest was reported as leaving, but he reveals to Cara Dune that he believes there’s more going on than meets the eye. It seems that he has been mostly relegated to the role of traffic cop, and here he’s seen questioning Greef Karga and taking notes about the incident. But he’s convinced there’s more going on – and those on the Core Worlds don’t believe it.
That’s the story of the New Republic.
The heroes found it more difficult to build and run a government than overthrowing an Empire, and Chancellor Mon Mothma and the Senate got to work on a number of important issues right away. Among the early ones was the Military Disarmament Act, which was signed around the time of the Galactic Concordance and the end of the Civil War, which greatly reduced the New Republic military. Mothma felt this was necessary to send a message to a fatigued galaxy that they were done with war and that it was time to rebuild. And as they worked on rebuilding, there were an almost infinite amount of things to focus on, that some dropped through the cracks.
The Mandalorian has already set this up, too. While the show happens away from the reach of the New Republic in the Outer Rim, there are comments made throughout the show about how the New Republic is a joke that can’t govern the Outer Rim due to it having its hands full with the Core Worlds. The Outer Rim is still a place where crime and chaos reign. And that’s a perfect place for Imperial remnants to exercise some power.
Flashing forward a few decades, we know that the New Republic didn’t take seriously another threat in the Unknown Regions, the First Order. They were too focused on what was going on in the Core Worlds and didn’t think this First Order was a big deal. Leia Organa was a rare exception, and thus she formed the Resistance to fight against it. And we all know how that went.
So I’m not necessarily saying here that Moff Gideon’s group of Imperial remnants will connect to the First Order, though it’s certainly possible that they still will in some way. But my point is that it seems the same thing that allowed the First Order to rise is what is allowing Gideon to continue to gain power here: the New Republic’s indifference and inability to do anything about it. Some, like Teva, however, see it and are convinced action is needed.
All of this makes me wonder if we actually might get more New Republic in this show at some point in the future. But either way, I just found it interesting that Teva’s comments line up so precisely with the New Republic we’ve heard and read about in other material.
Star Wars Thoughts 