Lucasfilm’s plan to bring Star Wars back into theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu has come under fire recently. Following reports that Star Wars: The Clone Wars bounty hunter, Embo, would play a key role in getting the action underway, Star Wars fans did what Star Wars fans do best: rage. Setting aside the fact that Din Djarin’s bounty hunting career is what allowed him to cross paths with Grogu, it’s obvious that there’s more to the 2026 film than the Din/Embo arc as the project stands to be pivotal in Dave Filoni‘s New Republic era of stories.
Indeed, the Shadow Council, the Imperial deep state first seen in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, will have a presence in The Mandalorian and Grogu as will the New Republic, which will certainly be bracing for war once Thrawn’s return from exile on Peridea is discovered. And while the New Republic leadership has been largely faceless outside of a few brief appearances by Chancellor Mon Mothma, Senator Xiono and a few nameless fill ins, a new report indicates that The Mandalorian and Grogu will introduce a high-ranking New Republic military official.
According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, Sigourney Weaver is set to portray a new character, New Republic Colonel Bishop, in The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Fans of the Alien franchise will immediately catch the reference to it in Weaver’s new character’s name. Bishop is the synthetic Science Officer who accompanied Weaver’s Ripley and the USCMC to LV-426 in 1986’s Aliens.
Though Sneider didn’t share further details on Bishop’s role in The Mandalorian and Grogu, Bespin Bulletin added that the character has “little screen time” in the project. Weaver seems like too big of a star to fill such a small role. Should she survive, perhaps Bishop will appear in future New Republic-set projects as a key player in the war against Thrawn and the Shadow Council.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will hit theaters on May 22, 2026.
Source: The Hot Mic, Bespin Bulletin
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