Despite being one of theStar WarsTV show’s most controversial choices,The MandalorianreunitingDin DjarinandGroguhelped to fix a franchise-wide issue that’s been ongoing ever since the beginning. There’s no doubt that the speed with which Din and Grogu were reunited has harmed the TV show’s legacy, in addition to the fact this key reunion happened in a completely different spin-off TV show,The Book of Boba Fett. Ever since this controversial story choice graced viewers' screens, there have been discussions that Din and Grogu’s story should have ended with their separation.
While it’s true that keeping Din and Grogu apart forever would have made the emotional impact ofThe Mandalorianseason 2 finale and its memorable goodbye scene everlasting, there’s a big reason why that simply couldn’t be the case, and why this controversial reunion absolutely had to happen. Though the nature of this reunion certainly could have changed,the better story would not have been keeping these two apart. This duo has long since had the job of reversing one ofStar Wars’longest-running tropes: poor father-son relationships.
Star Wars Has Always Been About Broken Father-Son Relationships
The Galaxy is Full of Parent-Child Duos
Even before it was revealed that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father, Luke already had a broken relationship with his father, due to Anakin’s “death.” Uncle Owen was the closest person Luke ever had to a father, and even then, it’s fairly obvious the two of them didn’t get along very well. Then came Obi-Wan Kenobi, who Luke also had to mourn after he died at Vader’s hands. When it was revealed that Vader was Luke’s father, Luke was shattered yet again, and he only got to experience mere minutes with his redeemed father before Anakin’s death.
The 12 Star Wars Characters Who Had The Worst Father Issues
Darth Vader wasn’t the only bad dad in Star Wars; these 12 characters each had their own unique issues with their fathers throughout the franchise.
Luke’s relationship with Vader set a precedent for father-son, and father-daughter, relationshipsinStar Wars. Anakin had no father, and those he considered fathers - Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi - died and failed to save him from falling to the dark side, respectively. Rey also had little memory of her parents before their deaths, including her father, and Jyn Erso only rectified her relationship with her father, Galen, as he lay dying in her arms. Then, of course, there is Han and Ben Solo, the latter of whom killed his father to cement his allegiance to the dark side.
Leia also never rectified her relationship with her biological father, due to the torture she endured at Vader’s hands; rather, she always considered Bail Organa to be her true father.
The Mandalorian Is Such A Refreshing Change For Star Wars
Finally, a Healthy Relationship is at the Heart
Amongst all of these broken relationships is Din Djarin and Grogu, a pure father-son bond that isn’t destroyed nor torn apart by the narrative. Instead,they get to actively choose one another, with Grogu choosing his father over his Jedi training and Din choosing to formally adopt Grogu as his own. Din breaks his Mandalorian Creed on multiple occasions for his son, despite the consequences, and Grogu leaves behind the Jedi life he always knew in favor of being with his father. It’s a wholesome relationship that fixes these age-old broken relationships inStar Wars.
Grogu
While the circumstances of the duo’s reunion certainly should have been different, there’s no doubt that it still should have happened eventually.Star Warshas long since needed a father-son relationship like Din Djarin and Grogu’s, and now, they are delivering it - and giving them a chance on the big screen inThe Mandalorian & Grogumovie. At long last,The Mandalorianhas provided the franchise with a healthy relationship to hold dear, proving that this controversial decision to reunite them was, despite the nature of it, the right choice.
It’s worth noting thatStar Wars: The Bad BatchemulatesThe Mandalorianby having a healthy father-daughter relationship at its core, with Hunter (and Clone Force 99) and Omega.
The Mandalorian
Cast
Released on August 11, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
