The Mandalorian: Why Carson Teva is important

The Mandalorian season 3 trailer dropped, and we’re all hyped to see where the adventures of Din Djarin and Grogu go. But one point in particular stuck out to me which was a piece of dialogue from New Republic pilot Carson Teva, played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. He states to an unknown person, “There’s something dangerous happening out there. By the time it becomes big enough for you to act, it will be too late.”

This is an important moment. It is addressing one of the weakest points of the Sequel Trilogy and answers a question that many casual fans have about those movies:

How and why was the First Order able to invade the galaxy again?

This point has been covered in various ways in the books and comics, giving us little pieces to stick together in a bigger picture. Star Wars Resistance has really been the only real onscreen series to cover how the New Republic essentially abandoned the Outer Rim and Wild Space, leaving those planets as prime targets for the First Order to use as staging areas. But as a vast majority of casual fans don’t read these books or watch the animated series, it’s a point that’s often lost since it wasn’t addressed in the movies. So what happened and why is Carson important in this?

The simplest explanation of all the source materials is a few big factors happened after the Empire fell. During the final battle between the Rebellion and Empire, a big book bad guy named Rae Sloane took the most loyal followers of the Empire and jumped into the Unknown Region. There they started rebuilding the Empire from afar where it would eventually become the First Order.

The next big factor was the New Republic’s actions after the war. Mon Mothma, who is now leading the government, didn’t want this new time period to seem too aggressive in the wake of the Empire’s oppression. The New Republic decided to massively demilitarize their government which was by far their biggest mistake. It drastically weakened them for the First Order invasion years later. This leaves the New Republic military spread incredibly thin.

It also reflects in the people of the galaxy and where The Mandalorian and Star Wars Resistance crossover a bit. In the very first episode of the series, Greef Karga and Din both think the New Republic is a joke. They have no say in the Outer Rim, basically leaving the planets to fend for themselves. Captain Doza in Resistance has this same sentiment, believing that the New Republic doesn’t care about Outer Rim planets. By thinning out its military and having less of a presence, the New Republic isn’t thought to be a strong government by its own people. It leaves the Outer Rim very vulnerable for people to get recruited by the First Order as foot soldiers and build their army.

This is where Carson Teva comes in. We’ve seen his frustrations with the New Republic in The Mandalorian‘s second season during his multiple run-ins with Din and Grogu. He’s far more lenient for simple crimes like speeding because he does not have time to worry about those small things. He’s vocal to his rookie co-pilot about this very point. He tries to recruit Cara Dune because he knows that something big is happening in the galaxy. He’s aware of the Imperial remnants causing trouble too. Pilots and informants like him are trying to gather intel to get the New Republic to act or, at the very least, bolster their defenses more. Pilots like Carson need help and support, but the government is leaving them with very little.

The books and comics tell us what a mess the New Republic government is. The First Order sews in political allies to sway focus away from them. And many of the good senators are simply weary from the previous war and don’t want another one. A lot of the political leaders don’t want to listen to people like Carson, because they truly think the First Order is just a group of zealots making noise. Pleas from people like Carson fall on deaf ears. From the events of The Force Awakens when Hosnian Prime gets destroyed, this hubris ends up having deadly consequences.

I’m excited that we’re going to get this story on screen. Again, the majority of casual fans were confused about how and why the First Order was able to attack. It’s a vital story point, and it looks like Carson is going to be right in the middle of it. I really like his character, so I can’t wait to see him in The Mandalorian season three.

The Mandalorian season three starts on March 1st exclusively on Disney+.