The Client

The Client is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise who appears in the first season of the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian. He is a mysterious, unnamed leader in the former Galactic Empire and subordinate of Moff Gideon, who plays a key role in setting the show's story into motion by hiring the bounty hunter known as "The Mandalorian" to retrieve a "50-year-old", yet infantile alien dubbed "The Child" (later named as Grogu). The Client is portrayed by German film director, screenwriter, and actor Werner Herzog, who was recruited for the part by series creator and showrunner Jon Favreau. Herzog accepted the role in part to help finance his film Family Romance, LLC (2019). Herzog was not familiar with Favreau's previous work, nor had he ever seen a Star Wars film, but was impressed with the screenplays for The Mandalorian as well as the film-making style of the show. Herzog particularly enjoyed filming scenes with the animatronic puppet of The Child, subsequently strongly urging Favreau to solely use the puppet for the character and not computer-generated imagery as had originally been intended for later scenes, calling them "cowards" for considering using CGI in its place. The character and Herzog's performance have received positive reviews from critics. Appearances Almost no details are provided about the Client's backstory, except that he is loyal to the remnant of the former Galactic Empire, which by this time has fallen from power after losing its war against the Rebel Alliance. The character is never identified by name on the series and is known simply as "The Client".