'Mandalorian' Season 2 may include a major video game character, actor hints

Your dream casting for The Mandalorian Season 2 just might come true, because if a hint from actress Janina Gavankar is any indication, then Iden Versio from Star Wars: Battlefront II might appear in the second season of the Disney+ series — along with some other shocking additions to the cast.

This one’s a long shot, but here’s how the rumor got started: One fan shared a wish list for the Season 2 cast to the Star Wars subreddit on Monday, and over the course of the week, a cropped version of the image made the rounds across the internet, confusing many people as to whether or not it was real. In addition to obvious returning characters, the lineup includes actors and characters from The Clone Wars like Bossk and Bo-Katan Kryze, but also some Star Wars Rebels characters like Sabine Wren. It even included Mon Mothma from the original trilogy and Doctor Aphra, a Star Wars comic book character rumored to be getting her own Disney+ show.

While most of it leans heavily on the fan service that feels like a farfetched dream, when a fan tagged Janina Gavankar in a screen-capture of the post, she didn’t outright deny it. Instead, she coyly pointed out that they should ask Dave Filoni, an executive producer on The Mandalorian.

“You’ll have to ask Mr. @dave.filoni,” she wrote in her Twitter response. Could her Star Wars: Battlefront II character Iden Versio actually be in Season 2? Believe it or not, her appearance would make a lot more sense than many other Star Wars characters.

Everyone from Boba Fett’s daughter to Ahsoka Tano and Luke Skywalker are rumored for The Mandalorian Season 2, but in terms of tone and scope, someone like Iden Versio makes the most sense for this point in the timeline nine years after the Battle of Yavin (9 ABY). Especially since the Season 1 finale revealed that Moff Gideon has the Darksaber, forging a connection between the animated Star Wars shows and live-action. After that, including a character from the video games seems even more possible.

[Must Read: “The Mandalorian timeline, explained: Where are Luke, Leia, Han, and more?”]

The Star Wars: Battlefront II main campaign storyline follows Gavankar’s Iden Versio starting at the Battle of Endor (originally depicted in The Return of the Jedi) all the way up through the Empire’s final defeat at the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY. She was the Commander of Inferno Squad, an elite group of Imperial special forces soldiers, but she defected in the months following the original trilogy and fought alongside the Rebellion at Jakku.

We know very little about what Iden Versio did between the years 5 ABY and 34 ABY other than maintain an alliance with Leia Organa and the Rebel forces, so she could be anywhere at the time The Mandalorian takes place.

Versio eventually married and had a daughter named Zay with fellow ex-Imperial soldier Del Meeko, but that wasn’t until around 14 ABY or so. Iden Versio dies in 34 ABY during the events of the Star Wars: Battlefront II Resurrection” DLC, which is many years after the current point in galactic history.

It’s not too outlandish to think that Iden Versio could be on assignment from the New Republic to track down Baby Yoda to protect him, assuming that the Rebel forces know he exists. Either way, a showdown between the most badass ex-Imperial soldier and the most talented Mandalorian we’ve ever seen sounds like a great idea for Season 2.

Ultimately, we should all take this rumor with a heaping portion of salt straight from Crait, but of all the characters that don’t originate in the live-action movies, Iden Versio is an excellent choice for inclusion in The Mandalorian Season 2.

The Mandalorian Season 2 will premiere Fall 2020 on Disney+.