Although The Book of Boba Fett chiefly served as a way to spotlight the title clone son of Jango Fett following his big return in The Mandalorian Season 2, it turned out that the Star Wars show was also pretty integral to The Mandalorian’s story. A number notable things happened happened to Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin during the final episodes of The Book of Boba Fett’s run, including reuniting with Grogu after the young… whatever he is had left to train with Luke Skywalker. For those wondering why this reunion happened on The Book of Boba Fett rather than during The Mandalorian Season 3, Jon Favreau, the creator of both shows, has provided an explanation.
Just a few weeks away from being able to watch The Mandalorian Season 3 when it premieres on Disney+ subscribers, Jon Favreau sat down with Empire to discuss the rationale for bringing Din Djarin and Grogu back together in a show focused on a different character rather than in the series where they occupy center stage. In his words:
We couldn’t just hit a hard reset. It’s going to be interesting to see how this unfolds for people who may not have seen The Book Of Boba Fett. But I think The Book Of Boba Fett offered time to pass. You saw what Mando was like without Baby Yoda and we saw what Grogu was like without the Mandalorian and neither of them was doing too good. So them coming back together was a really good plot point that allows us to jump back into Season 3 while maintaining the central relationship.
The Mandalorian fans will recall that in the final minutes of Season 2, Din Djarin bid an emotional farewell to Grogu when his ward left with Luke Skywalker to complete his Force training. When we caught up with Grogu and Luke in The Book of Boba Fett, the former had certainly made progress in honing his abilities, but the latter was concerned that his student wasn’t committed to becoming a Jedi. Luke ultimately gave two choices to Grogu: take the lightsaber that once belonged to Yoda and continue on the Jedi path, or take the beskar chain mail Din forged for him and return to the man who’s been his father figure.
Grogu went with the latter option and was dropped off on Tatooine to reunite with Din Djarin in the middle of Boba Fett’s battle with the Pyke Syndicate. So now one of Star Wars’ most beloved duos is back together and off to new adventures in their customized Naboo N-1 starfighter. As Jon Favreau explained, while this resumed dynamic might be confusing for people who didn’t watch The Book of Boba Fett, it was important that The Mandalorian Season 3 begin with the show’s “central relationship” back in play. However, don’t think that means Grogu’s time with Luke Skywalker didn’t mean anything. Jon Favreau continued:
I think you had to service both things. Just because this kid has the potential and had training, does he belong away from the Mandalorian? I saw it more like Paper Moon, where the whole thing is about delivering the kid to the blood relative, only to realise that, whether genetically through her father or just through bonding, Tatum O’Neal has to end up with Ryan O’Neal. That ending feels really good to me. And this little kid [Grogu] is given a decision to choose. And the kid chooses the emotional relationship and wants to be with the Mandalorian, and passing up Yoda’s lightsaber. Part of you wants to see him develop in that way, and part the other.
Jon Favreau added that Grogu is an “interesting character” who blends Jedi training “to some extent” with Mandalorian culture. Given how the Mandalorians have developed “all of those tools and armour and weapons to be able to counteract the Force abilities of Jedi,” now we have an individual who has his feet in both worlds, so how will that impact what kind of person he becomes? It could be a long time until that’s shown in the Star Wars timeline given how slowly members of Grogu and Yoda’s species age, but for now, Grogu is back with his daddy, and there’s plenty of excitement coming their way, as has been teased in The Mandalorian Season 3 trailer.
The Mandalorian Season 3 kicks off on March 1, but if you’re looking to enjoy content set in a galaxy far, far away beforehand, you’re can follow along with the still-running Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 (which recently showed how the Empire fully transitioned from clone troopers to stromtroopers), or simply rewatch the Star Wars movies in order.
