Mandalorian and Grogu Villain Revealed
YouTuber and media commentator Kristian Harloff states that Embo will be the main villain in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Embo was a bounty hunter in The Clone Wars voiced by supervising director Dave Filoni, who is, of course, now CFO at Lucasfilm. Filoni will reprise the role, according to Harloff. Embo was never a main character in The Clone Wars, but appears in several arcs involving bounty hunters and has been included in comics and referenced in Rebels. Harloff elaborates that Embo will be a “pretty significant part of the plot,” kidnapping Jabba the Hutt’s son Rotta and kicking off the film’s main conflict. Mando and Grogu would receive a counter-bounty to rescue Rotta. Sigourney Weaver is set to appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu, with Jeremy Allen White voicing the now-adult Rotta. Rotta was also kidnapped in 2008’s The Clone Wars, the TV show’s theatrical pilot, where Ahsoka and Anakin rescued him. Ahsoka affectionately called the baby “Stinky.” The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters May 22nd, 2026, marking Star Wars’ return to cinema screens after a 7-year drought.
What are they doing? I have been somewhat excited (though cautiously so) for The Mandalorian and Grogu, which is already pretty generous after The Mandalorian season 3. I was confused when Rotta was announced as being in the movie; I like Jeremy Allen White a lot, from the little I’ve seen of him, but this was not a beloved or even well-liked character, and he’s a bizarre choice to play him. But now, I’m just getting worried more than I was before. They’re really going for The Clone Wars deep cuts now, which isn’t a great idea for a Mandalorian movie. I think a lot of people are just Mandalorian fans or even “Baby Yoda” Grogu fans, not necessarily Star Wars fans, let alone fans of The Clone Wars and Rebels, and even fewer people will remember or care about Rotta and Embo. What’s going on? Who is approving these decisions? I think once The Mandalorian got popular, Lucasfilm tried to use it to popularize the animated shows more. This did not work and, in fact, has alienated many people. Making Bo-Katan the de facto lead of season 3 and essentially making Rebels required reading for Ahsoka were bad creative choices. And I like The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch very much! Andor is the only live-action Star Wars show that can compete with most of its animation. However, that’s partly because Andor tells its own story; you don’t have to watch 10-15 seasons of other shows to understand it. I can attest that you don’t even have to rewatch Rogue One, which I didn’t like. In short, I think they’re making a mistake in weighing this movie down with too much TV lore. Embo could work just fine if they introduce him right, but Rotta is just too silly, and they’re literally reusing his plotline from the Clone Wars movie. I’m just not super excited to see Embo in live-action; he’s no Cad Bane.
I don’t mean to be so negative, and anything is possible. The Mandalorian and Grogu could end up being really good, even if I don’t see it right now. I’ll see the movie when it comes out, and I’ll do my best to give it a fair chance.
But what do you think? Do you remember Embo, and are you excited to see him in live-action? Let us know in the comments!
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