The Mandalorian Season 3: Who is Elia Kane? Everything We Know About Here Character
Elia Kane is a character from the television series The Mandalorian, played by actress Katy M. O’Brian. Elia Kane is interesting from a narrative point of view as it represents an addition to the world of Star Wars (typical of the characters of The Mandalorian) that goes beyond the usual Jedi/Sith and good/evil characters. Kane was introduced as an Imperial communications officer, initially without even mentioning her name, but in the third episode of the third season of The Mandalorian, she is finally put at the center of the action with incredible twists on the plot. Warning: The following article contains spoilers from the third season of The Mandalorian. We, therefore, advise you to continue reading only after watching.
The third episode of the third season of The Mandalorian, titled Chapter 19: The Convert, opens with the point of view of Elia Kane as he attends Dr. Pershing’s speech on the New Republic’s amnesty program. Elia Kane is a former imperial officer in the custody of the New Republic who is part of the program under the name of “Amnesty Officer G68”. This is how Kane meets Dr. Penn Pershing, called “Amnesty Officer L52”. Dr. Pershing appears to want to do the right thing and contribute to a reformed society, but at the same time wishes to continue his cloning research prohibited by the Coruscant Accords. Frustrated by the Republic’s limitations on genetic research, Pershing follows Kane to a decommissioned Imperial Star Destroyer docked on the surface of Coruscant to recover a mobile laboratory and continue his research.
Here, Amnesty Officer G68 goes by his full name Elia Kane. He immediately comes across as an ambivalent figure, as he plays the devil on Dr. Pershing’s shoulder throughout the episode, encouraging him to move forward with his cloning research. But his ambiguity emerges explicitly when he reveals himself as an amnesty officer and hands Pershing over to his superiors for reconditioning. The episode at this point shows Dr. Pershing undergoing treatment in the Mind Flayer, a machine of the empire adopted by the New Republic, which manipulates and wipes the mind. As if the betrayal weren’t enough, Elia Krane lies to be alone with Pershing and the device and sabotages it: she raises the voltage to the maximum, it would seem until Pershing’s brain is completely reset. Having proven to be an ambiguous double agent, this gesture by Kane probably hides something else. While he doesn’t explicitly mention why he does this, it can plausibly be assumed that he was silencing Pershing for his betrayal of Moff Gideon, while also gaining the trust of the present Republic.
Who Is Elia Kane in The Mandalorian?
Elia Kane appears in other episodes of The Mandalorian, but before the third episode of the third season, it is only revealed that he is a communications officer for Moff Gideon, one of the main antagonists of the series. Under Gideon’s command, Kane was instrumental in acquiring intelligence leading to the capture of Grogu, the young alien Mando takes care of, and in the creation of Gideon’s Dark Troopers. However, in light of the new implications, it seems that these “successes” were not (and are not) Kane’s only goal.
What are Elia Kane’s Plans?
The character of Elia Kane is presented as an enigmatic figure who offers many points for speculation and theorization on the future developments of the plot. Furthermore, he appears to have a personal interest in cloning research. In season three of The Mandalorian, his main plan appears to be to steal the information and materials Pershing needed to continue the cloning program. She may want to pursue this for herself, but she’s more likely acting on someone else’s payroll: she may have remained loyal to Gideon or perhaps someone even more sinister than him. Gideon is still on the run and may be looking to work with Kane to continue pursuing Grogu and furthering his goals.
Additionally, Emperor Palpatine appears to be involved in some way, as evidenced by his return in The Rise of Skywalker. Is it possible that Kane is a key part of all of this? Finally, we also know that Supreme Leader Snoke is a creation of Emperor Palpatine, which raises questions that any cloning scheme Kane is involved in could lead to his creation. In case we’ve confused you with all these theories about Elia Kane, fear not: you can safely dust off the order in which to watch the Star Wars movies and TV series.
So, there are many possibilities regarding Kane’s plans. Interestingly, Kane’s presence seems to make the story similar to that of Andor, another TV series set in the Star Wars universe that will follow the adventures of the character Cassian Andor. In any case, there are still too many unknowns about Elia Kane’s next moves and above all about his motivations and possible allies. While Jon Favreau has confirmed that he has already written The Mandalorian season 4, there will be more to see and discover as season 3 goes on. As per The Mandalorian 3-episode calendar, The Mandalorian Season 3 episodes starring Pedro Pascal are streamed on Disney+ every Wednesday, simultaneously with the United States of America.
Who Plays Elia Kane in The Mandalorian?
Katy M. O’Brian has starred in popular TV series like Z Nation and Black Lightning and had minor roles in titles like Westworld and The Walking Dead. 2023 started as a golden year for O’Brian. In addition to returning to The Mandalorian as Elia Kane in what seems like a pivotal plot role, O’Brian also played Jentorra in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the woman who leads the rebel group that Scott Lang, portrayed by Paul Rudd, and the other characters they encounter while in the Quantum Realm.
