This article was originally published on SFFGazette.com.
In the second half of The Mandalorian and Grogu, Din Djarin is poisoned after a run-in with the Hutt Twins. Things start to look bleak for the bounty hunter, and Grogu is left to protect his father figure, building a mud shelter to hide the ailing hero.
Fending for himself, Grogu successfully finds food and water, but even his Force powers aren't enough to save Mando. Fortunately, a friendly local provides him with medicine, though The Child seems to come to terms with the fact that it may not work (and that he might have to say goodbye to Din).
A recurring theme in The Mandalorian and Grogu is the titular duo having vastly different lifespans, with it driven home to us—and Din—that The Child will live for hundreds of years after he dies.
While this is very much a standalone tale, Grogu's journey lays the groundwork for him one day being without the Mandalorian. However, there's also a hint that he won't necessarily be alone.
There's a moment in the movie where it's made clear that Hutts have an extended lifespan. Rotta, meanwhile, bonds with Grogu, and it feels a lot like filmmaker Jon Favreau might be laying the groundwork for Rotta the Hutt and Grogu to be paired up somewhere down the line.
When The Mandalorian and Grogu ends, the son of Jabba the Hutt decides to join the New Republic, and with the rise of the First Order still a couple of decades away, it seems highly probably that, in the absence of Din Djarin, Rotta and Grogu will either join the Resistance or find a planet somewhere they can take refuge. That, however, is a story for another day.
During a recent interview with GamesRadar+, Favreau confirmed he has Grogu's Star Wars future mapped out:
"Creatively, I have a lot of plans, and I have a lot of thoughts about these characters, especially for Grogu. Grogu is a character that is – his species lives for centuries. He's on a path to be both a Jedi and a Mandalorian. He's making certain choices and decisions, and he has a great teacher now. And so, as he develops and grows, there's opportunities for stories that would emanate from that."
"He's not on the typical Jedi path of a youngling, but he has trained with some of the best Jedi teachers that there are. We know for sure he's studied with Luke Skywalker. There's implications that he may have crossed paths with Yoda, because he does recognize the name, is what we imply. And he also was there at the Jedi Temple before Order 66."
"So, it's a big part in talking to Dave Filoni, and by extension, to what he learned from George [Lucas], which is that the Force is about training. It's about refining, just like an athletic ability or any skill. And we do see that, although Grogu is not serving under somebody who is teaching him, he still clearly is meditating and going through some version of the Jedi discipline. So, I think that his Force use has definitely leveled up a bit."
"The Mandalorian and Grogu is a fun, pulpy reminder that Star Wars doesn’t need to grow up; it just needs to be entertaining," we said in our review. "Jon Favreau's action-packed love letter delivers exactly the crowd-pleasing adventure fans have been craving."
In The Mandalorian and Grogu, the evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu.
Directed by Jon Favreau, the movie also stars Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White. It's produced by Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Ian Bryce, with music composed by Ludwig Göransson.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is now playing in theaters.