Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and the entire cast of The Mandalorian recently sat down with Empire Magazine. In the interview, Favreau explained why Din Djarin and Grogu reunited in The Book of Boba Fett. The beloved duo separated at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2 when Grogu left to train with Luke Skywalker. The episode was a tearjerker, and the fanbase remained split on whether it was right to separate these two characters.
However, it’s been obvious from the beginning that Grogu is extremely significant to Mando. Whatever growth has taken place in Din has come after he met Grogu. Favreau explained that story wise, they couldn’t hit the reset button. He also explained that The Book of Boba Fett tried to show that the father and son duo weren’t coping too well with their separation. Here’s exactly what Jon Favreau had to say about their reunion:
"“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.”"
Based on Favreau’s explanation it seems like a reunion was always on the cards. It wasn’t a matter of if, but more a matter of when. This seems justified, given that the two characters function as sort of a heart and soul of the series. It was always hard to imagine them being parted forever. How could the character Din removed his helmet for just leave him permanently?
That wasn’t all that the article covered, Favreau also compared the bond between Din and Grogu to the characters of Paper Moon, and explained that the entire point was to show that while it may have seemed like the quest was to hand Grogu over to a Jedi, the purpose behind it all was to illustrate that Grogu belonged with Din all along, and this entire journey allowed Grogu to choose that for himself.
Favreau went on to add that Grogu being trained as a Jedi and choosing the Mandalorian way creates an opportunity for rich, layered storytelling. “Historically, Mandalorians developed all of those tools and armor and weapons to be able to counteract the Force abilities of Jedi. So as a storyteller this offers tremendous opportunity.”
Surely, a character with strong Jedi and Mandalorian roots and who is being raised by a Mandalorian is one to look out for, and one Star Wars hasn’t covered in live action. In the meantime, fans should have a look at The Book of Boba Fett if they haven’t already to prepare for The Mandalorian Season 3. The final 3 episodes focus heavily on Din and Grogu’s relationship and shouldn’t be given a miss if you’re a fan of The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian Season 3 starts streaming March 1st on Disney+.