WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 7: In the Name of Honor,” streaming now on Disney+.
The Book of Boba Fett Season 1, Episode 7, “In the Name of Honor” answers some big questions about the fate of Grogu. In the process, it opens a new realm of speculation when – after being offered the choice to stay with the reborn Jedi Order – Grogu instead chooses to rejoin Mando on his travels. That begins to clarify the events that took place between this season of The Book of Boba Fett and the destruction of the Jedi temple in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. It also places Grogu’s choice in a far harsher light than it might initially appear.
Grogu’s future had been a significant concern for Star Wars fans ever since Luke Skywalker’s showstopping return to the franchise in The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 8, “The Rescue.” Sending him off with the Jedi made sense, but it also left the lingering issue of what happened to Grogu when the temple was destroyed. That appears to have been resolved – he left the Order to be with Mando, so he simply wasn’t there – but at the same time, it’s suggested some darker implications that neither Grogu nor Luke may have been aware of.
The Book of Boba Fett Season 1, Episode 6, “From the Desert Comes a Stranger” ended with Grogu offered two clear paths: take up Yoda’s lightsaber and remain on the path of the Jedi, or accept Mando’s Beskar chainmail and return to the Mandalorian. “Honor” makes the choice clear when Luke’s X-wing arrives on Tatooine, piloted by R2-D2, who’s delivering Grogu back to Mando. That lets the infant Force-user step in to save the Rancor at the end of “Honor” and cement Boba Fett’s victory over the Pyke Syndicate.
What it doesn’t show is the impact on Luke. “Stranger” depicted him as troubled and uncertain, even as the new temple was being constructed. With Grogu less than willing to embrace the ways of the Jedi, Luke may have begun to doubt his own abilities as a teacher early on. And while he avoided his father’s fall to the Dark Side, those doubts certainly could have grown in his mind as the years went on, and ultimately led him to his disastrous confrontation with his nephew Ben.
The destruction of the nascent Jedi followed, along with the First Order’s ascent and the events of the sequel trilogy. The fault still lies with Luke — whose actions were his own the whole time – and yet there was always a contrast between the feeling of hope at Grogu’s joining him and the doom that will inevitably follow. Viewers have yet to see – and indeed may never see – Luke’s reaction to Grogu leaving, but the incident definitely turns that hope to something darker. It’s hard to imagine it not having an affect on someone as moody and temperamental as a Skywalker.
Presumably, the upcoming season of The Mandalorian will explore the matter further. That would also explain why the content landed in the midst of The Book of Boba Fett, which otherwise doesn’t involve the Jedi at all and is presented solely as background for Din Djarin’s return. Regardless, it suggests that far more is happening not only in The Mandalorian’s part of the galaxy, but with seemingly incidental events taking place on Tatooine in The Book of Boba Fett.
Grogu’s choice also likely has implications for Mando’s Darksaber, which he’s still struggling to control and which may decide the fate of Mandalore before the story runs its course. The presence of a powerful Force-user so near such an artifact might ignite the development of a new order of Force-wielders: something to replace the Jedi after the end of the sequel trilogy in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. But in order for that to happen, the Jedi had to die, and Grogu’s departure might have weakened Luke’s resolve enough to let that happen. It’s a lot to set on those tiny little shoulders, but that doesn’t change the facts.
All seven episodes of The Book of Boba Fett are streaming now on Disney+.
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