The first season of ‘The Mandalorian’ comes to a close in 'Redemption.’ This season pulled off a feat that not much has in the ’Star Wars’ universe since the days of 'A New Hope.’ It got people, even people outside of 'Star Wars’ fandom, talking about 'Star Wars’ again. Of course, a lot of that discussion is due to a particular asset’s cuteness, but not all of it. The writing and the direction throughout the season, especially on 'Redemption,’ are what kept people coming back.
Nurse Droid
Taika Waititi sits in the director’s chair for 'Redemption.’ I have to say I’ve been looking forward to his episode all season long and I wasn’t disappointed. He can inject humor even into the darkest moments. Witness the scene between an injured Din Djarin and the reprogrammed IG-11 to see Waititi’s mastery. Waititi is also good at bringing the humanity of his characters to the fore. The path of IG-11 this season is a beautiful example of this. We start the season glad Djarin kills IG-11, and we end the season not wanting to see their new partnership end.
Darksaber
Moff Gideon comes on to the scene and makes quite the impression. Comparable to Darth Vader’s appearance in 'A New Hope,’ there is no mistaking Gideon means serious business. The revelation at the end of the episode that Gideon has the Darksaber was a little lost on me. I haven’t invested in 'The Clone Wars’ or 'Rebels’ enough to understand the weapon’s importance. I’ll be giving those shows some time while waiting for 'The Mandalorian’ to return. It seems evident that Gideon has an interest in the Mandalorians and Din Djarin in particular. How this plays out in season 2, we’ll have to wait and see.
Finale
There were a few loose points I would have liked to see addressed in 'The Mandalorian - Redemption.’ If we’ve learned anything this season, though, it’s that patience is rewarded. Assuming there aren’t significant behind-the-scenes changes before season 2, I’ll get the answers I want. New questions too, but that is really what any 'Star Wars’ fan wants. And 'The Mandalorian’ is the most welcome addition this year to the 'Star Wars’ universe.
Wanted to check in and say hello, also wondering if anyone is interested in/is a fan of Star Wars. Looking into building a Star Wars discord for writers, fans, shippers the works. Lemme know if ya’ll are interested!
Wanted to check in and say hello, also wondering if anyone is interested in/is a fan of Star Wars. Looking into building a Star Wars discord for writers, fans, shippers the works. Lemme know if ya’ll are interested!
I already wroteon why I think that Mando aka Din Djarin was conceived as a more positive version of Darth Vader (the Dark Father), and why I think that Grogu made the right choice when he went back to him at the end of The Book of Boba Fett.
Thinking back now on their story so far, it strikes me how Grogu also seems to have been conceived as a “better Yoda”, despite the fact that he looks like him, is powerful like him and has a similar mischievous humor.
Grogu is still a child - he’s a new start, not the last echo of a bygone era and a religious order long gone.
Grogu does not avoid attachments - he has a strong bond with his “father” Mando and together they also find new friends.
Yoda usually stayed at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant - not unexpectedly, since he was very old; but Grogu travels a lot through the galaxy and sees the things that go on there with his own eyes. He’s not afraid because he knows that Mando has his back.
Yoda spoke often and had a lot of wise things to say. Grogu doesn’t talk at all, which may seem irritating but also doesn’t make him say foolish things (yes, sometimes Yoda said things that seemed wise but spoke of narrow-mindedness and lack of compassion).
But most of all, I find it surprising, in a very positive way, how utterly practical Grogu’s attitude is. Yoda e.g. sensed Anakin’s pain when his mother died, but he never knew what had happened and never enquired. He sometimes said he would “meditate” on this or that and we never learned what the result of his meditation was or whether he took action. Where Yoda was all about theory, Grogu sees in an instant was needs to be done and just does it.
Is that childish innocence and naivety? Perhaps, also. But in many instances, it’s the exact right thing to do. And Grogu doesn’t even seem to care much that using his powers exhausts him.
Grogu shows this right away when he notices that his protector is wounded, and reaches out to him.
When Mando is attacked by the Mudhorn, he makes it float to protect him.
When he sees that Greef Karga is wounded, Grogu does not know or ask whether he’s one of the good guys. He sees a man in pain, maybe dying, and heals him. And without knowing it, with that gesture he also heals Karga’s heart, who reveals himself as a loyal friend and a good magistrate to Navarro.
When the rancor terrorizes the citizens of Mos Eisley, everybody shoots at him, only making things worse. Grogu senses that the creature is terrified itself, and calms it down.
Which is also why I think Grogu chose to leave Luke Skywalker to stay with his adoptive father. He did it because he loves Mando, of course, but also because he instinctively feels that Luke is all right on his own. Luke doesn’t need him - Din Djarin does.
Grogu is not and may never be a Jedi. And that’s not a bad thing. He may grow to be something significantly better than a Jedi. He is technically a child but already more powerful than both Yoda and Luke. There’s no limits to what he might still do.
warnings:pregnancy, pregnant reader, mentions of periods, hiding a pregnancy, violence, din’s horrible baby name suggestions, reader and din are married, grogu is in the story
a/nI know many people don’t like pregnancy stories, but this is so cute. I love Din Djarin. look how cute pedro looks in that gif
summaryY/N tries her best to hide her pregnancy from Din.
Three months. You think. That was the last time you had gotten your period. You also had been gaining a bit of weight. Not enough to be noticeable, but you were so critical of everything about yourself. Your pants were not as flexible as they used to be, which pissed you off. You needed to be flexible to fight. But you knew in your gut that your fighting days were coming to an end.
The first thing that alarmed you was Grogu. About three months ago he started sticking to your side. Constantly. He would cry if you went into town without him. He would follow you to the bathroom. He insisted to be at your side always, no matter what. Showering, cooking, going out and helping Din bounty hunt. Grogu always had to be there or he would throw the worst temper tantrums Din said he’s ever seen. You had to even make a makeshift baby sling so he could be as close to you as possible. Ironically, it would make great use to you in a few months.
You accepted you were pregnant when you weren’t getting the usual symptoms you would usually get for your fourth period. You have denied it for the past three months, but when your tiny bump started to grow bigger, you had to face the truth.
Din of course had noticed a change in your behavior. You were more tired. He attributed that to the kid’s new obsession with you though. You were eating more. He didn’t mind it, but he would notice it when the food stock ran out earlier than usual. And when he was due to pick up sanitary items for you, you refused them.
“I have some left over, they were lighter these past few months.” you lied.
And the clothing. It was always cold on the ship, but wearing two sweatshirts was a bit obsessive. He wasn’t going to comment though, you were allowed to live. He wasn’t going to critique his wife over some small changes.
-
You heard rustling around the bedroom. Grogu was snoring at your hip. You then felt the coldness of your husbands spot next to you and went to investigate.
Taking Grogu with you, you checked the whole ship. The fresher, the pit, everywhere. The last place you were to check was where he kept the bounties. You were banned from entering when there was one un frozen. The guy you two picked up at the last planet seemed pretty docile though. He was only wanted for a taxing issue with an imperial general, and was pretty willing to go. You two made small talk on the way back. Seemed like a nice enough guy.
What bounty can really be that nice though?
You tapped in the code. When the doors whooshed open, you found your husband with the prisoner. Maskless, Din was trying to get the man off the top of him. He had stolen Din’s knife, and he was struggling to get him off.
You gasped and rolled Grogu on the floor, jumping into action to save him. As the man twisted his torso to face you, he got a good swipe on your hip. You swore in pain, but your distraction was enough for Din to hit him in the head with his helmet and knock the guy out cold.
He fell on top of Din, and you struggled to stand and help. “Dont!” he yelled, using all his force to push the heavy man off of himself and tend to you.
“Where did he get you- where are you hurt?” Din scrambled, searching your body with his hands. This sent you into a panic.
He can’t know yet. He can’t know yet. I’m not ready.
“I’m fine, please.” you protested, but hissed when Din found the spot on your hip. “Take your sweatshirt off, I’m going to go find some bacta” he demanded, leaving your side for only a moment.
You had to face the sad reality when you realized you had to tell him. Bacta wasn’t to be used on pregnant people.
“Din- wait.” you sighed, holding the cut through your shorts. “Y-you cant,”
“What? You need this,” he questioned, grabbing the container from the cabinet. “Don’t be difficult Y/N, I’m really not in the mood for one of your martyr moments.” “Din, no, it’s unsafe.” you whispered. “You gotta speak up Y/N,” he said, shaking the can to spray in your face. You panicked and slapped the can out of his hand across the room.
Din looked at you, pissed. “The hell was that for?”
“You can’t use that on me.” you finally said.
“Why?”
You took a deep sigh.
“I think I’m pregnant.”
His eyebrows rose as his face went soft. His mouth opened a bit, looking at you with a haze. A slight smile came to the corner of his lips as he knelt down beside you.
“Your joking,”
You pulled off your sweatshirt to reveal your cropped shirt under it. Din saw the small formation of a bump and gasped. “No,” he said in astonishment, reaching out for it. “C-can I touch it?” he asked. You smiled and nodded. His hand touched your stomach and he let out a tiny whimper. “I’m going to be a dad?” he asked, breaking his gaze from your stomach to your eyes. His eyes were glossy with a tear threatening to fall.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, remembering the unconscious man behind the two of you. He began to drag his body to the freezer. “I didn’t know you’d react like this,” you chuckled, rubbing the area around your wound.
“Grogu!” Din yelled, catching the attention of the small creature. He had found the can of bacta and was playing with the safety seel on it. “Heal your mother,” he asked. Grogu waddled over to you. He let out an excited giggle when he finally saw your stomach out in the open. You had finally revealed the secret he had known for months. He placed one hand on the cut and one on the stomach, healing your wound. You scooped him off the floor and followed Din into the freezer. You heard the satisfying whirr and your husband throwing his body into storage.
Din then ran up behind you, scooping you up bridal style. “I am over the moons happy Y/N.” he said, looking down at Grogu in your lap.
