If you’ve seen The Mandalorian Season 1 finale, you probably remember the moment Moff Gideon’s TIE fighter went down in flames over Nevarro. Then — out of the wreckage — a black blade slices through the metal, and Gideon climbs out holding the Darksaber. Easily one of the coolest surprise reveals in Star Wars history.
But ever since that scene aired, one question has stuck with fans (or at least with me): Why go through all that trouble? Couldn’t Gideon have just opened the top hatch like every other TIE pilot? Was he… stupid?
Because the TIE Was Upside Down
At first, it’s easy to think the reason Moff Gideon didn’t just open the hatch and climb out was purely cinematic, a way to make his entrance more dramatic and show off the Darksaber for the first time. It makes sense from a storytelling point of view: you want his reveal to be powerful, mysterious, and, of course, badass.
But there’s actually a more practical, in-universe reason for it. The real reason Gideon didn’t simply lift the cockpit hatch and walk out of the wreck is because his TIE fighter had crashed upside down.
So how do we know that? If you look closely at the scene where Gideon cuts his way out, the evidence is right there.
In the wreckage, you can spot the two laser cannons pointing upward, but according to TIE fighter schematics, those cannons are mounted on the bottom of the ship. That means the entire fighter is inverted.
There’s another detail that backs this up: the fuel tank cap seen in cross-section diagrams of the TIE. If you compare it to the scene, you can spot a similar shape near where Gideon emerges, confirming that he’s cutting through the lower section of the hull, not the top hatch.
So no, Gideon wasn’t being stupid or overly dramatic. His TIE was literally pinned upside down, making the regular exit completely inaccessible. The Darksaber wasn’t just for show, it was his only way out.
