[ad_1]
The Book of Boba Fett finale reveals Grogu’s choice after episode 6’s cliffhanger, but that decision happening offscreen is a major mistake.
Grogu making his big decision offscreen before the Book of Boba Fett finale is a major Star Wars mistake. After leaving with Luke Skywalker in the Mandalorian season 2 finale to study the ways of the Force, the adorable toddler surprisingly made his return in The Book of Boba Fett. The spinoff’s penultimate episode, « From the Desert Comes a Stranger, » focused heavily on Grogu’s training under Luke. It became clear to Skywalker Grogu was torn between continuing his Jedi studies and missing Din Djarin. The episode ends with Luke presenting his pupil with a choice – stay at the temple for training or to return to Din.
The cliffhanger was resolved early in the Book of Boba Fett finale, as R2-D2 flew Grogu to Tatooine so he could be reunited with Din. That Grogu decided to go back to Din, with whom he shares a powerful bond, isn’t all that surprising. What is a bit of a shock is Grogu’s choice happened offscreen. It reads as a massive missed opportunity on the part of Star Wars given the moment’s significance to both the character and the story.
With Grogu being a main character on The Mandalorian and his Jedi training a key aspect of the narrative, audiences should have been able to see him make his fateful choice. The moment feels shortchanged because the creative team didn’t deem it important enough to depict onscreen. This was probably done primarily to preserve the reveal of the diminutive Grogu sitting in the X-wing cockpit, but it’s still an odd decision. It treats Grogu choosing his future as a foregone conclusion and skips over certain aspects that could have fleshed it out further. Audiences don’t know if Grogu hesitated at all before making his choice, or what Luke’s reaction was to seeing his first student abandon his training.
The rushed nature of resolving the Grogu cliffhanger speaks to a larger issue with The Book of Boba Fett’s storytelling. While it was fun to see Luke train Grogu, The Book of Boba Fett wasn’t the right place for this thread. It’s material that should have made up the crux of the upcoming Mandalorian season 3, giving it the proper room to breathe over an entire season of television (as opposed to condensing it into a single episode). Grogu’s internal conflict between studying with Luke and his love for Din could have been compelling to watch unfold slowly over time. With this approach, his ultimate choice likely would have been seen onscreen, deepening viewers’ connection to the character and the story. This is a crucial part of Grogu’s arc, and it was essentially brushed aside because The Book of Boba Fett needed to shift back to its main Tatooine underworld storyline.
Grogu being separated from Din in the Mandalorian season 2 finale was a monumental moment treated with the reverence it deserved, giving the two characters an extended, emotional goodbye. Undoing that development so soon, and in this manner, is curious, since it seems like something that should be much more impactful. It was almost as if the creative team was in a hurry to get back to the status quo in time for The Mandalorian season 3, continuing Din and Grogu’s adventures together. It will be interesting to see how The Mandalorian season 3 handles the pair’s sudden reunion, but if it was something that had to be done in The Book of Boba Fett, they might have been better-served actually showing Grogu make a decision that could alter his future.
[ad_2]