Image via Prime Video
Published Nov 1, 2026, 7:27 PM EST
Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows.
In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA.
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The overwhelming popularity of the mystery cop thriller Bosch has been one of the most surprising success stories of the streaming era. While Prime Video has produced countless original shows aimed at appeasing fans of popular novels, Bosch managed to run for seven strong seasons before the spin-off Bosch: Legacy was developed. Although on a narrative level, there wasn’t much to distinguish Bosch from the other espionage shows within Amazon’s streaming library, such as Reacher and Jack Ryan, the show certainly attracted attention for its charismatic lead performance by Titus Welliver. During the peak of Bosch’s popularity, Welliver stopped by The Mandalorian to play a minor villain.
Casting major names in smaller roles is nothing new for The Mandalorian, as the Disney+ streaming series has frequently attracted prominent actors to play smaller roles. While some actors like Nick Nolte and Bill Burr managed to improve the series by giving surprisingly deep performances, other cameos from Jack Black and Christopher Lloyd served as distractions that indicated a decline in the show’s quality. While he may not have been as comparatively famous as those stars, Welliver’s scene-stealing role in The Mandalorian episode “The Heiress” managed to improve one of the show’s most exciting installments.
Who Does Titus Welliver Play in 'The Mandalorian'?
“The Heiress” is easily one of the most important episodes of The Mandalorian, as it sets up the relationship between Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) that would become critical to the show and its examination of Mandalorian society. After Din and Grogu crash-land on the moon of Trask following the damage suffered by the Razor Crest, they are attacked by a group of smugglers that attempt to kidnap the child. The pair is narrowly saved by Bo-Katan and her Mandalorian warriors, resulting in Din repeatedly agreeing to join their mission to recover the stolen darksaber from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Welliver appears as an unnamed captain who is tasked with transporting weapons to the Imperial remnant. Once his ship falls under attack, Welliver’s character is forced to take extreme measures to protect his cargo.
Welliver got to play an Imperial officer who was competent and effective, which is a rarity in the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars villains are iconic, but the Imperials often fall flat. Although the Disney+ shows have genuinely done a great job in introducing new force-adjacent villains like Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Reva (Moses Ingram) and Ahsoka’s Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), none of the Imperial characters outside of Gideon himself have really felt like a substantial threat. Welliver is imposing because he isn’t an over-the-top villain; he’s simply a lifelong agent of the Empire who is doing his duty. When considering just how many acts of savagery the Empire has committed since its inception, the idea of a Star Wars villain who is “just following orders” becomes much scarier.
Welliver also succeeds in improving one of The Mandalorian’s most dynamic action scenes, which also benefits from strong direction by Bryce Dallas Howard. It was no longer interesting to see Din and his allies face off with hordes of enemy soldiers, as it was evident that they weren’t going to perish in a conflict with seemingly small-scale villains. However, “The Heiress” is ultimately a heist thriller in which the value of the cargo is more important than taking down any one enemy. Welliver is put in a unique position where he plays a sinister leader determined to stop the potential robbery before it begins.
Titus Welliver Makes a Great ‘Star Wars’ Villain
Image via Disney+In his brief role, Welliver is able to show the ruthlessness of the Empire when his character is called upon to sacrifice himself in order to save his assets. Once it becomes clear that Bo-Katan and Din are bound to recover the darksaber, Welliver’s character is ordered by Gideon to execute his crew and bring the ship crashing down. It’s a shocking moment that shows how unflinchingly loyal Gideon’s men are, particularly because Welliver’s character doesn’t even ask any questions or make any protests. Even if it was his last appearance on the show, Welliver was able to make Gideon more intimidating when he kidnapped Grogu in the second season’s finale.
Welliver’s appearance also underscores the importance of the darksaber, which would become increasingly critical to the show’s mythology within the third season. First introduced by the character Pre Vizsla (Jon Favreau) in the second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the darksaber was an ancient weapon stolen from the Jedi Temple by Mandalorian warriors. It is said that whoever wields the darksaber is entrusted with leading Mandalore; this causes a rift between Din and Bo-Katan when he bests Gideon in single combat, claiming the darksaber for himself. Welliver’s character may not have understood the lineage of the weapon, but he did indicate that it was valuable enough to risk his life.
Titus Welliver Is More Than Just ‘Bosch'
It may have been hard to turn down the opportunity to play a Star Wars villain, but The Mandalorian is hardly the first time Welliver has popped up in a supporting role in a popular genre series. Between Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Lost, White Collar, Suits, and Castlevania, Welliver had made it a habit of being a scene-stealer in shows that already have an established fanbase. It’s to his credit as an actor that he has managed thus far to make all of his antagonistic characters feel unique.
The popularity of Bosch: Legacy will hopefully grant Welliver more opportunities in the future, as he clearly is deserving of more leading roles; his performance as Lex Luthor in HBO Max's Titans indicated that he could reinvent a classic character and distinguish himself from previous versions. The Star Wars universe would be lucky to have him return in any capacity.
Release Date 2019 - 2023-00-00
Network Disney+
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Din Djarin / The Mandalorian
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English (US) ·