In case you didn’t notice, there are at least two groups after The Child.
We see examples of this in the very first episode of The Mandalorian as Din Djarin is there to capture the little green guy and IG-11 is there to kill him.
“The commission was quite specific. The asset was to be terminated.“―IG-11
Mando was absolutely given different instructions, because it was ordered by someone else.
We know an Imperial remnant hired Djarin to get the baby. The Client said he preferred the bounty to be brought back alive. He still would’ve paid Din if he returned with a dead bounty, just less money. There definitely was not “specific” instructions to terminate the target like IG-11 got from his employer.
Doctor Pershing on the other hand, who was in cahoots with the Client before Din was even on the case, definitely wanted The Child brought back alive. Now that I’m typing all of this I’m realizing how many “the’s” there are in this show…. Anyway, it’s clear this side wanted The Child captured alive.
“He has explicitly ordered us to bring it back alive.“―Pershing, to the Client
We later find out that “this side” is the side of Moff Gideon and that the “he” Pershing mentions is most definitely Gideon.
Is Gideon actually the head honcho of this Imperial Remnant though? Or is this new badass villain working for someone higher up?…The First Order possibly? Palpatine? To quote the legend of DJ himself, “….maybe”.
So then who hired IG-11 to KILL the baby?
The same people who hired the Trandoshan guys on Arvala-7. And that sniper in the woods of Sorgan. Yes, a lame and obvious answer. But now let’s speculate in bullet list form:
Another remnant:
After the Empire fell apart, Imperial remnants sort of went all over the place. It’s unclear just how many remnants there are at this time. It’s highly possible Gideon has enemies, and they may run their own remnant forces, and are looking for a way to thwart Gideon’s plans and take out The Child.
New Republic:
The N.R. seemed like a political mess after reading Bloodline and other recent Star Wars novels. I highly doubt it was a Republic mission to take out The Child but maybe it was a secret operation that one politician was doing on their own. It’s possible that someone knows about the beginning of the First Order and Palpatine’s future plans. The Child may be a piece of a that dark science we see in the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker, and somehow it got out and now it needs to be eliminated.
First Order:
From one extreme to the other. I’m more of a believer that Gideon is working with the First Order, especially with all of that nice gear and tech they have. However, it’s possible that they are the ones looking to terminate the baby…but I doubt it with the lack of a motive.
A random group we haven’t met:
This is probably the MOST likely case. Once again it may be an enemy of Gideon that knew about his plan. Gideon must have dozens of enemies out there as we know he stole the Darksaber from where it belongs AND has committed war crimes in his past.
Whoever is after The Child, it’s clear that they are looking to terminate him. In the next season, we’ll be getting a closer look at what Moff Gideon’s goals really are here with The Child and hopefully why this mystery group, or person, wants The Child taken care of…
