Star Wars: The Din Djarin Breakdown – Will the Real Mandalorian Please Stand Up
Let’s take a look beneath the mask of Mandalore’s newest Mand’alor and Grogu’s favorite guardian, Din Djarin.
Din Djarin has made a name for himself and for Mandalorians throughout the galaxy. But who exactly is the eponymous Mandalorian? And where does he come from? Let’s find out.
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Din Djarin: The Foundling
It all starts during the fall of the Republic as the Clone Wars are winding down. On the world of Aq Vetina, separatist battle droids launched an attack that would forever alter the life of a young boy named Din Djarin.
As droids slaughtered everyone in Din’s settlement, a Mandalorian wearing Death Watch armor arrived to save the young boy. The Mando took him in as a foundling, a very important aspect of Mandalorian culture.
Young Din Djarin was taken into the Mandalorian Fighting Corps, a subgroup of the Children of the Watch. The Children of the Watch illustrate the religious aspect of Mandalorian culture. As a group, they were regarded as zealots by mainstream Mandalorians, who followed the Way of the Mandalore. But inside the Fighting Corps, Din Djarin’s tribe grew strong.
The Way of the Mandalore
The Way of the Mandalore is a discussion all its own. Suffice it to say these are warrior practices that imbue great significance into various aspects of Mandalorian culture. Things like finding Beskar, the steel used to craft armor. Armoring is also a meaningful practice in Mandalorian culture. The Way of the Mandalore also dictates that a member may never remove their helmet in the presence of other living beings.
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These tenets would ensure The Tribe’s survival when the Great Purge would drive them into hiding. The Great Purge was an Imperial operation to wipe the Mandalorians from the galaxy. It also saw the culturally significant weapon, the Darksaber, removed from Mandalorian possession.
The Mandalorian Bounty Hunter
During this time, the Fighting Corps and the Tribe—whom Din Djarin believed to be an example of all Mandalorians—gave Djarin the skills he needed to excel as a bounty hunter. After the second Battle of Yavin during the fall of the Galactic Empire, Din acquired his ship, the Razor Crest. This old, beaten-up patrol starship from the pre-Imperial Republic would help him make a name for himself across the galaxy.
Din’s exploits as a bounty hunter are legendary. He fought alongside criminals, arrested gangsters, and proved to be one of the best bounty hunters in the Outer Rim. If life had gone another way, Din Djarin might still be a bounty hunter. But a fateful assignment took him to the world of Arvala-7, where, among a company of Nikto mercenaries, he found The Child.
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Din Djarin & Grogu
This was the moment that set the Mandalorian on a path away from being a lone wanderer. After deciding to care for this Child, the Mandalorian found himself following a new path. One that is, as most things in his life, followed according to the Way.
With The Child, later known to be Grogu, Din managed to find himself in every variety of trouble. Some of his most significant moments came when he met fellow Mandalorians. Boba Fett and Bo-Katan and her crew would open his eyes to what else a Mandalorian could be outside of his small sect.
Simultaneously, Moff Gideon attempted to get Grogu into Imperial custody and experiment on the Force-sensitive child. It is revealed that Gideon has, at some point, come into possession of the Darksaber.
Gideon is finally defeated by Din, with help from most of the Mandalorian friends he had made and Luke Skywalker. As a result, Din becomes the rightful wielder of the Darksaber and, by extension, the Mand’alor.
This is an honor that Bo-Katan had hoped to earn for herself. But the Darksaber and title of Mand’alor must be won in battle. So it’s Din’s honor and burden alone. Din attempted to give Bo-Katan the weapon freely, but she could not accept it.
After sending Grogu to study the Force “with his own kind,” Din returns to his fellow Mandalorians. He trains with the Armorer to better wield the Darksaber. But he is asked if he has ever removed his helmet and allowed another person to see his face. Answering honestly and in the affirmative, Din Djarin was swiftly cast out from his sect.
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What’s Next for Mando?
From here, we look forward to seeing what Din will do with his title as the Mand’alor. Will he reunite the galaxy’s scattered Mandalorians and bring the planet back to its former glory? Will he return to being a simple bounty hunter with a very unique weapon? Only time will tell for sure, but what do you think? let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventures!
