The Mandalorian Season 3: Who is Gorian Shard?

Who is Gorian Shard in The Mandalorian Season 3? The pirate king goes toe-to-toe with Din Djarin in Episode 1, but who is he, and what is his species?

In our review, we said Episode 1 is “a cosy reminder of why we fell in love with the show: sleek production values, nippy storytelling, and – of course – Grogu at his cutest.”

After Din and Grogu catch up with The Armorer and tell her their plans to travel to Mandalore, he reunites with Greef Karga on Nevarro, where he has a brief run-in with a group of pirates.

Later, as he’s flying through space, he’s forced to duke it out in a dogfight against pirates under the command of Gorian Shard – so, who is he?

Who is Gorian Shard in The Mandalorian?

Little is known about Gorian Shard in The Mandalorian. He’s a pirate king who once operated in Nevarro, with a cut of his treasure being used to build a saloon in the city. He’s played by Nonso Anozie.

Din first encounters Shard’s men when they try to confront Greef Karga, demanding they be served a drink in their old saloon that’s since been turned into a school. A brief firefight ensues – by that, we mean Greef and Din quickly shoot everyone except Vane.

Later, during the dogfight, Din is lured to Shard’s ship. “Stop where you are, Mandalorian. You’re outgunned,” he says, telling Din he’ll spare his life if he surrenders his ship. Instead, Din jumps into hyperspace.

As for his species, this remains unclear. His hair and beard resemble green, slimy seaweed, and some fans have already compared him to Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but his exact origins haven’t been confirmed.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1 is streaming now on Disney+. You can also check out our other coverage of the show here, and articles from the first episode below:

Episode 1 review | Where is Cara Dune? | What did Grogu see in hyperspace?