In The Mandalorian's season 2 finale, Din Djarin's time with Grogu reached an end when The Child was reunited with his own people and taken by Luke Skywalker to train as a Jedi.
Many fans were horrified to think that might be the last time we'd see Grogu, especially knowing that, years later, Luke's training academy was laid waste to by Ben Solo and the Knights of Ren. The Book of Boba Fett delivered a surprising retcon of sorts by reuniting the duo, with Grogu choosing to return to the Mandalorian and forego Yoda's lightsaber.
For anyone who didn't tune into the spin-off series, Din and Grogu being back together could be a tad confusing in the upcoming third season. That's something showrunner Jon Favreau is acutely aware of.
"We couldn’t just hit a hard reset," he tells Empire Online. "It’s going to be interesting to see how this unfolds for people who may not have seen The Book Of Boba Fett. But I think The Book Of Boba Fett offered time to pass. You saw what Mando was like without Baby Yoda and we saw what Grogu was like without the Mandalorian and neither of them was doing too good."
"So them coming back together was a really good plot point that allows us to jump back into Season 3 while maintaining the central relationship."
Favreau would go on to explain that The Book of Boba Fett was meant to show us Grogu didn't necessarily belong with his own kind and that it was important to give him the chance to choose his path.
"[This] little kid [Grogu] is given a decision to choose. And the kid chooses the emotional relationship and wants to be with the Mandalorian, and passing up Yoda’s lightsaber. Part of you wants to see him develop in that way, and part the other."
As for how The Child's ability to use the Force will factor into season 3 of The Mandalorian and beyond, the writer and producer teased: "Historically, Mandalorians developed all of those tools and armour and weapons to be able to counteract the Force abilities of Jedi. So as a storyteller this offers tremendous opportunity."
No matter how you feel about the decision to so quickly reunite Din and Grogu in The Book of Boba Fett, their continued adventures are rich in storytelling possibilities and it's clearly something that excites Favreau. Plus, we all wanted to see them back together again, so why drag it out?
The Mandalorian returns to Disney+ on March 1.