#friendly reminder this is a pro jedi blog and always will be

[ooops-i-arted]

Child development/Dad-thoughts for Season 2 Episode 8???

Poor little guy.  He has to be so terrified and traumatized by the time we see him again - ripped away from his father by scary bad droids, threatened by Gideon and his scary black sword, weakened from using his powers and blood loss, and we don’t even know if he was awake for any medical procedures that surely would have involved his autonomy, personhood, and fears being completely ignored let alone scary ouchy needles/medical tools.  It’s hard to gauge how he’s doing since we don’t have the entire picture of what he experienced, although we can assume it had to be terrifying.  But when we see him again, he’s patiently sitting by Gideon, apparently having complete faith that Dad will come save him and defeat the bad guy.

I do feel this episode hugely dropped the ball by not showing us Grogu being reunited with Din once Gideon is defeated and Din unshackles him.  It’s such an important missing piece - last we saw Grogu was so terrified he was giving in the Dark Side and harming stormtroopers, then he’s sitting (I infer) paralyzed with fear/scared enough to be quiet and still because of Gideon, and next we see he’s tucked in Din’s arms again.  How was he feeling to be reunited with his dad?  Did Din comfort and reassure him (it would be ooc for Din not to at this point imo)?  Did he feel better knowing that Dad came for him after all?  Sure, we can infer all that, but it’s a big emotional beat that should’ve been present because it impacts The Big Grogu Moment we get later:  Grogu choosing to go with Luke.

I’m not gonna lie, I was really surprised the show went this direction since it seemed like they were setting up Din choosing to keep Grogu as his own and I have my reservations about the story going this way tbh.  But I think Luke taking Grogu (for now) does work.

Season 2 Grogu is a much happier, well-adjusted, and more mature child than Season 1 Grogu.  Season 1 Grogu was quiet, subdued; he had moments of comfort or testing limits but overall generally made himself less noticeable and was hesitant to indicate his needs or wants to anyone, even Din.  Season 2 Grogu is a much more average child; he knows he can indicate what he needs to Din and it will be provided for, even something as the simple emotional comfort of uppies; he chatters more often and isn’t afraid to be more curious, more defiant, and just express himself.  In Season 1 Grogu didn’t even ask for food - probably thinking he’d be ignored - he just caught that frog by himself; Season 2 Grogu has a loving dad who tells him “I see you’re hungry, we’ll get you some food.”  Season 1 Grogu generally just follows Din around, not wanting him out of his sight but rarely requesting interaction until the end of the season but waiting for it to be offered instead; Season 2 Grogu is always running to Din the second he needs anything.  Does trauma magically go away?  No, Grogu is still affected.  But he’s clearly healing and growing under Din’s care, and having a stable adult in the child’s life is one of the biggest things that can reduce a child being affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Grogu seems to know who Luke is, or at least recognize him as a Jedi.  My guess is he did connect with Luke during the Scotty Beam Me Up scene.  So it’s not like a stranger showed up to take him away, this is someone he has “met” and “talked to”.  And since Grogu has the Force, he can sense for sure that this is a nice person and someone who truly can teach him, which eliminates some of the guesswork you usually get when a kid meets their new teacher/a stranger.  So while it looks to Din like some random guy just showed up for his kid, there was more stuff going on below the surface that Din (and the audience) didn’t really see because It’s The Force.  So it isn’t like Grogu is being sent off with the first strange Jedi who rolls up (like on Corvus).

Grogu certainly doesn’t act afraid of Luke or anything other than friendly.  The only issue is separating from his beloved dad.  Grogu will not go unless the person he loves and trusts most in the entire world says it’s okay for him to do so.  He goes up to the screen and almost seems like he wants Din to look and show him “This is an okay guy.  Look he kills things just like you, Dad.” before pointing and trying to get the adults to open the door.  And I definitely got the impression Grogu is calling or otherwise trying to commune with Luke through the Force, telling him “Hey we’re on the bridge, come save us and meet my Dad.”  So Grogu is open and willing to start interacting with Luke - as long as it’s okay with Din.  (And Din in turn trusts Grogu enough to open the doors when Grogu says it’s cool, this guy is okay.)

The #1 thing that makes Luke taking Grogu work for me is that everyone’s consent is involved.  Grogu may be a small child who still needs an adult guardian and guidance in his life but that doesn’t mean he should be carted around without taking his feelings into consideration.  This isn’t like a few episodes ago, where Din tried to hand Grogu over without really seeing if Grogu or Ahsoka were okay with it.  Luke addresses Grogu directly and treats him like a person, accepting that Grogu needs to be involved in this decision; Luke also addresses Din’s worries and even speaks up on Grogu’s behalf (”He wants your permission”).  Grogu is clearly open to the idea of going with Luke - if he didn’t want to, Luke would certainly say so - but also wants to make sure Din is okay with it.  And while Din balks at first, once he realizes that Luke can offer Grogu the training he can’t, he gives Grogu permission to go and even gives him a special good-bye so that Grogu knows how much he means to Din.  And the face-touch seemed to me, at least, to be Grogu saying, Don’t worry Dad, it’s okay to try and reassure him.  And Din tells him in turn “Don’t be afraid.”  The separation is hard, but Din and Grogu both realize that Grogu needs to be trained to use his powers safely.  They’re willing to do what’s right, even when it’s hard, which takes a lot of emotional maturity.  Grogu has certainly grown indeed.

Realistically this probably should’ve taken a lot more time - Din going with Luke to help transition Grogu - but 1. this is a tv show and 2. this is still better than small children usually get in media anyway, since people tend to lump anyone under age 5 as “cute and/or annoying prop for the adult characters.”  Also, we the audience know Luke (the real one, not the OOC Rian Jackoff version).  We know Luke is compassionate and kind and will take good care of Grogu.  If Grogu is troubled by leaving his beloved dad, Luke will do his best to guide Grogu through it, and I personally think that if Grogu ultimately decided this wasn’t for him and wanted Dad?  Luke would pack him up in the X-wing and fly him right to Din.  So ymmv but Luke training Grogu works for me and I think Grogu is in good hands.

I don’t wanna super go into The Discourse but since I know it’s gonna come up in the fandom and since I am a big Jedi fan, I’ll briefly address the whole No Attachments/Jedi Attitudes thing:

No Attachments refers to No Possessiveness, not You Can’t Love Anyone.  The Jedi don’t discourage compassion and love and even family ties, just the whole I’d Commit Genocide For My Loved One (looking at you, Anakin).  This post specifically refutes the comments Filoni made in the Making the Mandalorian show and goes into it way better than I could, if you’re interested.  I’ll just pull out this George Lucas quote: “But [Anakin] has become attached to his mother and he will become attached to Padme and these things are, for a Jedi, who needs to have a clear mind and not be influenced by threats to their attachments, a dangerous situation.”  So Grogu loving and caring about Din isn’t an issue - it’s only an issue when he’s willing to harm and endanger others over it (like choking Cara) or when he becomes so afraid he lashes out without thinking (the stormtrooper free-for-all).

Which is why it’s so important Grogu be trained by someone who knows and understands the power he has.  Even if Grogu still decides not to be a Jedi, he needs to know how to control himself and his power so he doesn’t hurt anyone.

Jedi are allowed contact with family and embrace their original cultures as shown throughout Star Wars media.  There’s no reason to think Luke will snatch Grogu and never let him and Din see each other again even if Luke did follow the prequel Jedi completely (which he didn’t in Legends anyway, which honestly makes more sense to me since so much Jedi knowledge was lost/destroyed by the Empire).

People have always been allowed to leave the Jedi Order.  If Grogu or Din decide “Nope, can’t do this, I want him back” Luke would 100% support them making a decision that works for both of them.

We follow Anakin and Revan because they’re interesting characters and because conflict makes good stories.  The Jedi Order didn’t work for them but most Jedi seem pretty well-adjusted so... I don’t tend to think Anakin is really the baseline we should be going by, y’know?  Grogu has past trauma but he’s been with people who care for him and listen to him.  And not to knock Din at all, but Luke being able to communicate with Grogu is a huge advantage and will actually probably be really good for Grogu.  So I think Grogu is in good hands and won’t be Ruined Forever by training as a Jedi.

And of course Din says they’ll meet again.  He promised.  (And Din & Grogu are Disney’s chief moneymaking duo these days, you want to make your audience worry about your dream team, not break them up permanently.)  So I think Grogu will be reunited with his beloved dad.  And while the parting was certainly heartbreaking, for now he’s in good hands who will help him continue to grow and thrive.

#i certainly have MANY reservations about how the jedi will be portrayed in the future bc the writers always give htem the shaft but #well that's a worry for another day #friendly reminder this is a pro jedi blog and always will be #the mandalorian #baby yoda meta #baby yoda

[ooops-i-arted]

Ok. How about a fic where The Mandalorian takes The Child to Luke Skywalker at the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4?

Alrighty here’s what I came up with.

Notes: 1. Kept timelines/characters present at the Praxeum vague because I do what I want. 2. Din got the baby into speech therapy for his language delay and he talks now.

-

The Razor Crest dropped out of hyperspace and the looming orange gas giant of Yavin immediately filled the viewscreen.  “Here we are,” said Din to the little green child in his lap.  “Yavin.”

“Abbin,” repeated the child.

“Yes, Yavin.  And we’re headed to Yavin IV.  To the Jedi… Praxeum.”  Din had never heard the word before, though the context he’d picked up from his call with Skywalker indicated it was a school of some sort.

“Pak-sum,” said the kid.

Din angled the Razor Crest towards the tiny green moon.  He’d barely heard of it, though Cara had told him all about how it was the site of the vital Battle of Yavin, where the Death Star had been destroyed by Skywalker himself.  Later, Skywalker had decided to establish his school there.  Cara didn’t know much about that, but she had been able to tell him a school for potential Jetii did exist and where to attempt contact.  Skywalker himself had answered the holo and eagerly invited him and the kid to come visit.

“Abbin!” said the kid, pointing out the viewfinder.  He tried to climb up the dashboard, but Din pulled him back into his lap.  He might be nervous about visiting the school, and Din didn’t want him to be nervous, and holding the kid always calmed him down.

The Praxeum sent him landing coordinates and he guided the ship down.  The kid squealed excitedly as they descended through the lush greenery.  “Bwee, bwee, gween!”

“Buir,” corrected Din automatically.  “And yes, it’s all green.”

“I wan fwog.”

“We can look for frogs later.”  Din had already checked the Holonet and the amphibian species on this planet were not poisonous.  “First we’re meeting Skywalker.”

The ship settled onto the ground on a duracrete pad that had been set up in a cleared area of the jungle.  Din could see the huge pyramid of the Praxeum nearby.  He was so busy looking he barely noticed that his kid had run ahead and was already sliding down the ladder and heading for the door.

“Hey!”  Din ran after in time to see the kid already raising his hand to try and move the door with the Force.  He scooped him up before he could succeed; disrupting his concentration was about the only strategy Din had left when the kid got stubborn.  “Bwee,” whined the kid.

“Hey, listen.”  Din held him so that he could see his kid’s face.  “Listen, there’s no reason to be nervous.  We’re just here to look.  If you don’t like it, just say so, and we’ll leave, okay?”

The kid scowled.  “Bwee, Abbin,” he said, pointing insistently at the door.

“Okay, okay.”  Din reached for the control panel and opened the door.

The humidity and smell of the Yavin jungle immediately hit them full force.  The kid squealed, kicking his feet, demanding, “Bwee, down!  Wan down!”

“Not yet,” said Din.  After all, the kid might still be nervous.  No need to let go of him yet.

As soon as Din stepped off the ship he saw Skywalker walking towards him, dressed in long Jedi robes; a woman with red-gold hair and the confident stance of a trained killer accompanied him.  Din tensed.  A bodyguard?

Skywalker was all smiles as he walked towards them.  “Hello!” he called.  “Did you find it all right?”

“Yes,” said Din.

“Then welcome,” said Skywalker, still beaming.  “Both of you, welcome.  We’re glad you’re here.”  He gestured to the woman.  “This is my wife, Mara.”

Mara smiled, but she was definitely getting the measure of him in case he tried anything, and Din didn’t need to know her past to know she was someone who would be a difficult opponent.

They were interrupted by a lot of shouting, and suddenly a gaggle of teens was pointing and running up to them.  “They’re here!  They’re here!” they shouted, and Din found himself and the kid surrounded by a quartet of humans and a Wookiee.

“Hi, hi,” said the kid, giggling, and the five eagerly greeted him.  Three of the humans appeared to be siblings, sharing similar features and brown hair; the other was a redhead with one arm cut off above the elbow.

“Some of my students,” said Luke, gesturing to each of them in turn.  “Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin are my sister’s children.  This is Tenel Ka, and this is Lowbacca.”

“Hello,” said the kid, demanding attention again and waving at the visitors.

“We can show him around, Uncle Luke,” said Jacen eagerly.  “Can we?”

“Bwee, I go,” pleaded the kid, but Din wasn’t convinced.  Not in new territory with people he didn’t know like this.  He didn’t want the kid to get worried over a separation.  “He stays with me.”

“They’ve just arrived.  Give them some space,” said Mara.  “Go continue your drills.  I’ll be testing you personally later.”

The students chorused agreement and ran off.  Mara watched them go.  “I’ll keep an eye on the students, keep them out of your hair.”  She leaned over and kissed Skywalker on the cheek.  “Don’t be too long, farmboy.”  She gave Din another measuring look that he didn’t respond to.  He knew a warning when he saw one.

“Mara is very protective of the students here,” said Skywalker.  “This place is very quiet, though.  We have good communications of course, and defenses, but we’re out of the way and isolated enough it’s a good place for young Force-users to train.”  He looked at the child.  “What sort of things do you do, little one?”

The big ears drooped.  “I bweak it.”

Skywalker’s brow furrowed.  “You… broke something?”

“Bwee say no bweak.”  The kid squirmed in Din’s arms.  “I bweaked it.”

“We were in a firefight.  He tried to knock the other ship out of the sky.  He almost breached the hull of my ship.”  Din didn’t like to linger on the memory.  Life as a Mandalorian was full of dangers, but nearly being sucked out into the vacuum of space because his own kid decided to use sorcery on a TIE fighter had been the moment he finally had to stop denying that the kid needed a teacher, a real teacher.  “He needs to learn to control it.  That magic he does, he doesn’t know how to really use it.  It’s just guesswork.  And I…”  Din swallowed, but forced the words out.  “I can’t teach it to him.”

Skywalker smiled.  “He sounds very strong in the Force.”  He must have sensed Din’s confusion the same way the kid could always pick up on what he was feeling, because he added, “The magic, as you called it.  It’s called the Force.”  He shrugged apologetically.  “I tried to look up the word in Mando’a, but I don’t think there is one.”

“I looked up the Jetii too,” said Din.  “I read plenty about you.”  His arms tightened around his child.  “I came to see what you’re about and what you can do.  But this is my son.  I’m not giving him up, I’m not going to let you take him, and if you try -”

Skywalker held up a hand.  “I understand,” he said seriously.  “I am not going to take your child from you.”  He sighed, folding his hands in front of him, and looked out into the jungle.  “You’re not the first I’ve talked to about this,” he said quietly.  “When the Emperor destroyed the Jedi, he did so from every angle.  There had always been rumors of taken children, but with Imperial propaganda, they transformed almost into common knowledge.  I can’t be sure that it never happened, but from what records I recovered, the Jedi only took children whose parents were willing.”  He looked back at Din, his gaze steady.  “I do not take children at this school without their parents’ consent, and theirs.”

The silence between them only lasted until the kid said, “Bwee, I down.”

Skywalker gave a rueful smile as he watched the squirming child.  “Truthfully, I’m not sure how much I can help you, Mandalorian,” he said.  “I’ve never had a student this young.”

“He can do so much already,” said Din.  “He needs to know how to control it, so he doesn’t hurt himself, or anyone else.”

Skywalker nodded.  “Learning to listen to the Force is always the start.  From there, control will come.  First not using it unwillingly, and then being able to let it flow through you.”

Din blinked, but admitted, “That makes no sense to me.  But maybe you can explain it to him.”

“That’s the purpose of this Praxeum.  To learn about the Force.”  Skywalker reached out for the child, playing with the tiny fingers that grasped at his hand.  “Like I said, I’ve never taught someone this young.  But I’m certain we could work on some sort of arrangement.  You’re welcome to stay here with him while he has lessons, or bring him here periodically, or let him stay for some time while you continue with your, uh, line of work.”  Skywalker patted the child’s head.  “Whatever you feel would be best for him.”

“I’m… not sure yet,” said Din.

“That’s understandable,” said Skywalker.  He gestured to the large stone pyramid ahead.  “Can I show you around?”

“Bwee, I go,” said the kid, kicking and trying to get out of Din’s arms again.

“Sure, let’s go,” said Din, and he set the kid down and followed Skywalker onto the Praxeum grounds.

#the mandalorian #star wars legends #star wars #fic #luke skywalker #din djarin #baby yoda #mara jade #requests #nerdtopia reborn #asks #friendly reminder this is a pro jedi blog and always will be