The Mandalorian: Who is Elia Kane working for?

This article has spoilers for The Mandalorian episode Chapter 19: The Convert.

“Chapter 19: The Convert” of The Mandalorian ended with Katy O’Brian’s character, now named Elia Kane, turning on Dr. Pershing, portrayed by Omid Abtahi. Whether this was a shocking twist or it was something you saw coming, the question is why? Elia was the unidentified comms officer for Moff Gideon in season two, but has that changed with Gideon incarcerated? Who could Elia be working for now? I have a few possible theories.

Theory One: The New Republic

Just to be clear, I want to say up front that I don’t subscribe to this theory, but it is a possibility. There is a chance that Elia has truly turned over a new leaf and honestly believes in the New Republic. She worked with Pershing and knows firsthand how dangerous his cloining work is. By damaging Pershing in the mind flayer, she is keeping anyone from accessing his research. It’s an extreme moment to protect the new government she serves.

Theory Two: Moff Gideon and the Imperial remnants

While we don’t know when he will return to the series, Moff Gideon is still out there even if it is in New Republic custody. The most likely scenario is Elia is still loyal to her Imperial boss. By injuring Dr. Pershing’s mind, she is clearing out any evidence Pershing has against Gideon and ensuring that it doesn’t fall into New Republic hands. Perhaps this is also the first step she’s taking to eventually free her Gideon too.

Theory Three: The First Order

This theory is coming from book canon, but The Mandalorian is the perfect time to bring some of this onto the screen for a wider audience. The basic rundown from novels like the Aftermath series, Alphabet Squadron, and other books and comics is that after the final Battle of Jakku, only the most loyal and zealot members of the Empire left for the Unknown Regions. Led by Rae Sloane, the First Order was created in secret from these people. The Imperial remnants left behind didn’t even know about the First Order until much later.

Perhaps Elia is actually a member of the First Order who was pretending to work for Gideon. We know the First Order were the ones in charge of ‘somehow’ making Palpatine return. Elia could possibly be an extremist wanting Pershing’s research to aid with the return of the Emperor, and maybe Gideon was her puppet all along. But with the New Republic knowing of Pershing’s now very public work, she needed to remove him from the playing field to keep the First Order’s secret origins safe.

Theory Four: Thrawn

We know that Thrawn is coming at some point whether it’s later in The Mandalorian, the Ahsoka series, or another show. What we don’t know is where he will fall in all of this. He could be part of the First Order, as Rae Sloane did use Thrawn’s notes of the Unknown Region to guide her. Perhaps Thrawn believes that the Empire is still in power and he’s aiding the remnants. Book canon Thrawn was actually a spy for his people, the Chiss, and he was originally there to make the Empire an ally or, in a twist, destroy it from the inside out if it got too powerful with things like a Death Star. Maybe Thrawn is serving the Chiss in this case, and Elia is his inside man. Who know where Thrawn will serve in this, but Elia could be the character setting the stage for his return.

Regardless of who Elia works for, we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out. Who do you think Elia works for? Let us know in the comments below.

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