‘The Mandalorian’: 9 Times Din Djarin Was the Best Father in the Galaxy

Emily Hannemann December 14, 2020, 10:00 am

Let’s be honest: The bar for being a good dad in the Star Wars universe is inches off the ground. (Han Solo definitely hasn’t earned any “best father” awards.) But in a galaxy seemingly riddled with absentee dads, one soars (literally) above the rest: Din Djarin, aka “Mando” (Pedro Pascal), on The Mandalorian. Sure, Grogu isn’t actually his son, but he becomes, for all intents and purposes, the adoptive father to the 50-year-old baby — and it’s totally heartwarming.

Here are our 9 favorite instances of Mando being a total dad.

Saving Grogu From the Imps

Mando just couldn’t live with turning Grogu over to the Empire. But it was no simple task to break him free. Thankfully, Din succeeded and the father-son bond was cemented.

Telling Him to Stop Eating frogs

Even though he hadn’t been taking care of Grogu for very long, his tone here was already so dad-like.

The Gifting of a ‘Toy’

Like a dad resigned to taking his kids to McDonald’s after being asked for the fifteenth time, Mando at first insists the lever’s “not a toy”… and then hands it over to his son.

His Dying Wish

After their first encounter with Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Mando wasn’t doing so hot. Unable to keep going, he told Cara (Gina Carano) to go on without him — and to make sure the Child was safe. Thankfully, IG-11 (Taika Waititi) was able to repair the damage to his “central processing unit.”

Encouraging the Child to Use His Powers

Ahoska (Rosario Dawson) didn’t succeed in getting Grogu to use his powers during the test, Mando did — and, after, he was the equivalent of a father cheering for his kid at a sporting event.

Crossing the Galaxy in Search of a Jedi

Mando’s journey to reunite Grogu with his kind has been an endless list of side quests and missions. Nothing’s gone smoothly. But Mando does it all without complaint, because he loves his son.

Being Excited About Grogu’s Name

He’s clearly happy to call his son something other than “the Child” and “little womp rat.”

Taking Off His Helmet for Him

Faced with the choice of either failing to get Moff Gideon’s coordinates or removing his helmet, Mando, in the above clip, takes it off — thus breaking the code of the Children of the Watch — to find Grogu and save him.

Being so Angry He Scares Moff Gideon

This scene shows not only how far Mando will go to get Grogu back, but how frightening he can be when someone threatens his son. Moff Gideon even looks a little nervous!

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