Like many other Star Wars fans, I waited years for The Mandalorian and Grogu after the announcement. As a massive fan of the series, seeing Din Djarin and Grogu on the big screen seemed like a dream come true. I remember telling my dad about it a few months before it was released. I told him we had to go see it together because we had never seen a Star Wars movie together. He wasn't a Star Wars fan, but he watched Star Trek occasionally growing up.
By the time the movie was released, my dad wasn't feeling well, and a couple of months later, the unimaginable happened, and I lost him. It's the loss I dreaded my entire life and always hoped was years away. My dad had always been an extremely active, fit, healthy, and optimistic man. He took an interest in everything I did, including my writing and my love of Star Wars.
The first time I watched The Mandalorian and Grogu, my dad was in the hospital, and it was hard to appreciate it fully because I was burnt out from anxiety. Like Grogu, I had hoped to save my dad, and I spent all my energy day after day making sure that I did everything I possibly could for him. Unfortunately, unlike Grogu, my efforts weren't enough. Two months after losing him, I watched the movie again, and thankfully, I enjoyed it.
I thought it would be hard to enjoy Din Djarin and Grogu's story after what I went through this year. The father-child bond was integral to the show, and after the story took a detour to the ruins of Mandalore in season 3, the movie once again put the spotlight on the unbreakable love between a father and his child. This time, I saw Din Djarin in a different light.
At times, I watched the show and saw myself in Din and wondered how I would react to a child like Grogu. Now, I saw a man who knows his time is limited. Din Djarin lives in a different galaxy, governed by different rules, and yet, he's a father like any other good father in our world. Maybe I was able to love and relate to the show because I saw my dad in Mando the whole time. I saw a father who did his best with what he had and tried to prepare me for the inevitable. No matter how healthy or how old they are, every parent knows that one day they won't be around, and all their purpose in life is to raise their child to be able to face that reality.
Like Grogu, I now find myself walking the streets my dad walked, meeting the people he met, and at times, repeating the same words he said. If I'm angry, I find myself saying a lot of similar things; if I'm worried, I act in a similar way. The Mandalorian and Grogu may not satisfy anyone, but it's a love story, and that should've been enough. Star Wars is filled with examples of terrible dads, but the show's unconventional lead is the opposite. The love between Din and Grogu is pure and unconditional and the most consistent element of the show's writing, which the movie did a fantastic job of justifying.
As hard as this year was, and as difficult as it is to imagine the future without my dad, it serves as a reminder that losing a parent is a universal heartbreak. I'm glad Grogu was able to save his Din Djarin. I hope they'll get to have many more adventures together, even though I'll never get to see one of their adventures with my dad. Star Wars should never be completely realistic, and it should have as many fantasy elements as possible, but at the heart of every successful Star Wars story, there needs to be pure love, and this particular story by Jon Favreau has never lacked in this department.
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