Warning: The following article contains spoilers The Book of Boba Fett, “Chapter 5: The Return of the Mandalorian.”
It’s a thin line between partners and enemies in The Mandalorian. With bounty hunters, mercenaries, and Jedis, one can never be certain how allegiances will shift, and there could be trouble ahead between Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and the famous Luke Skywalker, and it all starts with Grogu.
The possibility that Din might disapprove of Luke Skywalker’s potential refusal of his entrance into the Jedi Academy where his beloved adoptive son is training could lead to a showdown was shared as a fan theory on Reddit. Din could realize that he doesn’t want Luke training Grogu given the different stances on family between the Mandalorians and the Jedis have. It’s clear from The Book of Boba Fett, “Chapter 5: The Return of the Mandalorian,” that Din plans on reuniting with Grogu, and he’s even made him a special gift from the repurposed Beskar staff, but there are rules that must be followed when it comes to the Jedi Order.
This theory has legs for multiple reasons. For one, it’s not as if the Jedi Temple is a resort that civilians can just enter and take a look around in. One has to be invited. Given the Jedi’s code against forming attachments, this could leave Din on the outside looking in. While some might argue that Luke wouldn’t be that cruel, we have to remind ourselves that Grogu is actually 50 years old. Force-sensitive beings are brought to Coruscant and trained at the Jedi Temple when they’re young to properly teach them the correct ways of the Force and Grogu is well past that time. It also leads to the next possible issue…
Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker wasn’t trained until he was an older child, and that was a cause for concern. After Qui-Gon Jinn’s fight with Darth Maul, the dying Jedi tells Obi-Wan Kenobi to train young Anakin. The Podracing scamp was already rambunctious and excitable, and Kenobi tried to control his attitude…but we all know how that turned out. Similarly, Grogu hasn’t been a perfect angel. He’s been defiant of Din in the past, he’s eaten the eggs of an endangered species, and he’s used the Force to steal macaroons while he was placed in a school. This isn’t exactly acceptable behavior for a noble Jedi.
The fear that they could have another Darth Vader on their hands would have to run through Luke’s mind. The Mandalorian takes place after Return of the Jedi, so he knows the cost of someone having such great power without the ability to control themselves. At the Jedi Temple, Luke also trains a young Ben Solo, who later becomes the villain Kylo Ren in the new trilogy, and the Jedi Master senses the influence of the dark side in him. This could give us some perspective into Luke’s overall sense of precaution around Grogu too.
Put simply, the theory could come to pass because people love Grogu. There’s no denying that when he first appeared in the series (affectionately called Baby Yoda), he took the world by storm. He was trending on social media and the toys were wildly successful. After two seasons with the fan-favorite, it’s hard to imagine The Mandalorian without Grogu because he’s been such an integral part of Din’s journey. Having Din decide that he no longer wants Grogu in the hands of a restrictive group could inspire him to steal him away, allowing their adventures to continue. It also creates more drama as fans won’t know which side Grogu will land on.
Catch up on all the Star Wars drama on The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett streaming now on Disney Plus.