The Best Dads in the ‘Star Wars’ Galaxy
Okay, so Vader won’t be getting any Father’s Day cards this or any year. But there are actually some great dads in the Star Wars galaxy.
Father’s Day is this weekend, and for many of us, it’s a day we’ll be spending with our families. Maybe we’ll even spend it watching Star Wars with our families. While the galaxy far far away seems disproportionally high in the number of absentee fathers, there are also a whole bunch of stand-up dads. This week let’s talk about the Galaxy’s best dads and all of the fatherly advice we can glean from them.
Din Djarin
It was a bit of a joke in the Star Wars fandom that Din Djarin is Grogu‘s unofficial adopted father. But thanks to this last season of The Mandalorian, it is a cute joke no longer and Din Djarin is absolutely and officially Grogu’s adopted father. I guess Mandalorians don’t have any bureaucracy or galactic paperwork anymore. But they had the meeting and did the ceremony and now Din and Grogu are family. Congrats to them!
But even if this hadn’t happened, it wouldn’t change their relationship at all. Over the course of The Mandalorian and Boba Fett, we watch Din grow to love The Child. This leads him to make choices that, though hard and heartbreaking, were best for the little guy. And then when sleep-away Jedi school wasn’t right for Grogu, Din was ready with a baby seat in his brand-new spaceship. Din Djarin and Grogu also perfectly exemplify a lesson Star Wars teaches us over and over again: love makes a family more than blood.
Galen Erso
Galen Erso, the father of Jyn Erso, is the dictionary definition of “just doing his best.” Unfortunately, the Empire was working pretty hard against that goal. And the Empire was generally better funded than the Ersos.
Galen took his family on the run to try and keep them safe from Imperial wrath, and when the Empire found them anyway, he made sure that his daughter would be safe even if he wasn’t. It didn’t turn out great for any of them, but his closeness with Jyn persevered for years. He was even able to sneak her a secret message to the secret in finding the Death Star‘s plans.
Owen Lars
Until the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru got a bad rap. They were portrayed as boring and stuffy, not letting Luke Skywalker leave the moisture farm to join the academy or spend time with old Ben Kenobi next door. But Kenobi showed us what we all knew in our hearts the whole time, Uncle Owen is a good father figure who was doing his best to raise his stepbrother’s kid. And Luke shouldn’t join the academy.
So much of Owen’s rigidity comes from knowing who Luke’s biological dad really is and what the Empire truly is. Of course, he doesn’t want Luke to join the Imperial Navy or get involved in the Rebellion. And of course, he wants the boy to stay safe and live a quiet, safe life. Just how fiercely protective and brave he is has only recently been highlighted for us. But it’s clear that he would have done just about anything to keep Luke safe… And did.
Cut Lawquane
Cut doesn’t show up often in Star Wars, but he’s primarily featured in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch animated series. A former clone trooper, he decided that fighting somebody else’s war wasn’t the life that he wanted. Instead, he settled down with Twi-Lek Suu Laquane.
Together they’re raising Shaeeah and Jek on a family farm in the outer rim. Every time somebody discovers Cut, he has to re-defend his life and family. In the end, all he really wants is to be there for his wife and kids and wants to see them grow up relatively safe and happy.
Bail Organa
Bail Organa somehow balances being a senator, leading a budding revolution, and raising a child who he knows is subconsciously using the Force all of the time. He’s a loving dad who has probably had to have the “you are a real Organa” conversation a dozen times. And it seems like he’ll have the same chat a dozen more times if that’s what it takes to put his daughter’s mind at ease. Leia Organa has the combined tenacity of Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. But Bail Organa is more than happy to show her how to channel all of that energy for good.
Who is your favorite Star Wars Dad? Do you think we left anyone off of the list? What do you think Father’s Day is like in the galaxy far far away? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventurers!
