The Mandalorian Stuff

DIN DJARIN’S COSTUME

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I'm telling you, that expression has had me in a chokehold since I first saw it in the trailer. (Sometimes trailer cuts can be misleading, but I had a feeling the trailer was accurate in depicting Din's reaction as being a result of Grogu being threatened, and lo and behold I was right.)

I literally will NEVER EVER EVER get enough of Protective Daddy Din! ❤️😍🥹

Lucasfilm: "Okay, so, Din Djarin will have his helmet removed..."

Focus group: "YESSSSS!!!!!"

Lucasfilm: "... Uh, anyway, what should we..."

Focus group: "Keep the facial hair."

Lucasfilm: "Well, yeah..."

Focus group: "Make sure he gets to be protective about Grogu, while we get to see his expressions."

Lucasfilm: "We can make that work. Anything else?"

Focus group: "Make him wet."

Lucasfilm: "... What."

Focus group: "You heard us."

Lucasfilm: "?"

Focus group: "Make. Him. Wet."

Not only is Grogu is able to walk and move on his own, Din no longer needs to carry him, but the opening of the movie shows he plays an active role in missions with Din. When Din is kidnapped, Grogu manages to put his own armour on and is instrumental in rescuing him, despite how distressed he must have been at seeing his father taken by Embo in such circumstances. Then obviously we have the fact that he is independent enough to carry the film all by himself as we watch him save Din’s life, which consists nor merely of using the Force to heal him, but also camouflaging Din, building shelter and scavenging food/water. It’s a remarkable feat for such a tiny being!!

I would even say that Grogu was showing all of these traits in season 3 to a certain extent - he's not as independent as he is in the movie, but he's definitely on his way there.

(I definitely sympathize with Grogu there because he's me every time I have to get on the phone with IT 😂 Especially since my go-to method for figuring out anything technical is "press some buttons and hope nothing explodes/shorts out.")

(There are enough differences between the two scenarios, though, that neither feels like a copy-paste of the other.)

Here are a couple things I've been thinking about: 

✨ I LOVE that Din takes Grogu's opinion into account in both scenarios. This, above all else, indicates to me just how much Din recognizes and respects his son's intelligence and understanding, despite Grogu often acting like a toddler. 

✨ That being said, it's interesting to note that when it comes to Gideon, Din has already made up his mind as to what the correct course of action is and mainly asks Grogu to join him:

Season 3: "Grogu, I'm going to need you to be brave for me, okay? We can't keep running. If we don't take out Moff Gideon, this will never end. You with me?"

Whereas with the Hutts, Din presents both options and basically leaves it up to Grogu to decide what to do:

Movie: [paraphrasing because I don't have a full transcript] We can leave in this ship, but we'll be on the run forever because the Hutts won't stop coming after us [noting, of course, that the Hutts have a long life span]. Alternatively, we can stay and fight them. Which will it be? 

✨ In season 3, Din's choice of words reflect the fact that he recognizes how difficult it must be for Grogu to even consider deliberately going anywhere near the man who had hunted him, kidnapped him, imprisoned and tortured and threatened him. Yet at that point, Gideon is not only threatening Grogu, but also Grogu's and Din's people (the Mandalorians). And it has become clear that running has only put off the inevitable. And so, Din asks Grogu to be brave 🥺🥹 And succinctly explains that it's time to take a stand. And invites Grogu to stand with him. 

✨ In the movie, Din has an extra, personal reason to want to go after the Hutts: to permanently silence the enemies who forcibly removed his helmet and saw his face against his will, dishonoring him. But Din doesn't mention this factor at all to Grogu. Indeed, after getting away from the giant snake, Din seemed more than willing to disregard any need for vengeance in the interest of escaping Nal Hutta with his son and his life. And when he's survived his injury and the choice to leave or fight is before them, he matter-of-factly points out why it would be in both his AND Grogu's best interest to stay and fight, and then leaves the choice up to Grogu. 

✨ If I had to choose one, I would say the season 3 scene does hit harder for me - honestly it's one of my top favorite scenes of the entire story - maybe because Gideon is such a deeply personal villain for Grogu, maybe because Din asking Grogu to be brave is such a tender moment, maybe because it's the first time we see that particular type of scenario where Din asks Grogu to do something that he knows is hard. The movie scene still has an impact for me, though, mostly because it reinforces the dynamic and the understanding between Din and Grogu that was first established in that season 3 scene, and because it shows yet again that Din is willing to sacrifice anything - including regaining his honor - for the sake of his son. 

is he an incredible fighter? yes... it was cool to see him kicking ass on the big screen.

but more than that, i really appreciated his interactions with the anzellans how empathetic he was to rotta and of course how patient and loving he was with grogu. i loved how it was highlighted that din is actually kind of averse to violence, and mostly views it as a last resort that should only be turned to when talking doesn't work. that is one of the things i adore most about his character.

I have always described Din Djarin as unapologetically a warrior AND with a heart of gold. It might seem like he's a bloodthirsty mercenary in his role as a bounty hunter, but in his first ever scene he doesn't start the conflict (though he certainly finishes it) and he gives the bounty multiple opportunities to be brought in "warm." And all through the rest of the story, he really only fights when he has to. Weapons may be part of his religion, but he often shows his preference for diplomacy over violence.

To put it even more simply, he's honorable.

Screenshots I could get from the trailer:

Reference picture of the whistling birds:

MY MAN AND HIS KID ARE COMING BACK!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Personally, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that they skipped the "reluctant ruler/forced destiny" trope. I have no issue with this trope in general; but for this story, I feel that avoiding this trope fits both Din's baseline character and his character development better: he's never struck me as ever wanting to be a ruler, and his development throughout the show was toward him becoming a father rather than a ruler. And I also love that the show depicts that a person can be excellent leader without needing to default to becoming the ruler who's stuck on the throne and has to deal with the politics and laws etc.

Besides, with the way the story is going, Din and Grogu are set to have a huge impact on the galaxy at large - after having already had a major impact on the Mandalorians and their home planet. Ironically, by not becoming Mandalore's ruler, Din has the potential to become even more important to the galaxy's future.

share your flag <3 i'll be adding these babies as stickers & prints this friday on my shop!! happy pride!! 🌈 🫶🏻