Every Star Wars movie is defined by a single sequence. Whether it’s the Death Star battle at the end of A New Hope or Obi-Wan and Anakin’s emotional fight at the end of Revenge of the Sith, these epic moments often tie the movie’s themes and biggest emotional scenes into setpieces that have since become ingrained into the fabric of pop culture. Watching Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, however, I was surprised to see that its standout sequence, which most closely reflects those iconic moments, wasn’t an action scene but a quiet solo adventure for Grogu.
More than halfway through the movie, there’s an extended segment that focuses solely on Grogu. It features minimal dialogue and little action, but it stands out as the emotional heart of a movie that desperately needed it. Upon reflection, it’s also more similar to those more action-packed moments from classic Star Wars that I also love. Good character work and an emphasis on visual storytelling will always create Star Wars’ best moments, and this part of The Mandalorian and Grogu reminded me of that.
[Ed. note: Spoilers for The Mandalorian and Grogu to follow.]
More than halfway through the movie, Din Djarin is poisoned by a Dragonsnake after being captured and brought to the Hutt-controlled planet of Nal Hutta. While Grogu and the Anzellans (those tiny aliens introduced in Rise of the Skywalker) help him escape, it turns out the ship they came on is too tiny for Mando to get into. Djarin then attempts to sacrifice himself so the others can escape, but Grogu decides to stick around to take care of his injured adoptive father.
For the next 15 or so minutes, the movie follows Grogu, mostly in silence, as he cares for a comatose Mando. We see Grogu build a dirt hut to store (most) of Mando’s body in, acquire a walking stick that looks a lot like Yoda’s, and truly be independent for the first time since his introduction in the first episode of The Mandalorian.
There’s still tension in this scene as Grogu avoids the bounty hunter looking for them and doesn’t truly know how to help his dad. Eventually, an act of kindness from a strange alien gets Grogu the cure he needs for Djarin’s condition. After awakening, Djarin tells Grogu, “The old protect the young, then the young protect the old,” ending this sequence and kicking off the final confrontations against the Hutts.
In retrospect, this scene works so well because it’s the movie’s emotional and thematic core. For the most part, The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn’t spend a lot of time on character development as it moves from action sequence to action sequence. While the movie is shot well, many of its battles lack emotional stakes.
That approach feels misguided because the best scenes in Star Wars have that emotional backbone. There’s a reason we talk more about the Darth Maul duel in The Phantom Menace than Jar Jar Binks’ fight against the Droids. Modern Star Wars can often feel more concerned with fan service and spectacle than with everything else. While a well-made action scene, it’s not going to leave as much of an impact if I don’t care about what’s happening on a deeper level.
This sequence on Nal Hutta might not be an over-the-top action scene, but The Mandalorian and Grogu finally gave me a reason to truly care about what happened to its titular characters. In turn, I cared a lot more about what happened during the final confrontation. There were still some Easter eggs — the mud hut and walking stick Grogu makes are reminiscent of Yoda’s on Dagobah — but those aren’t the reason I like this part of the movie more than any other; great puppetry, special effects, cinematography, and storytelling are.
As Lucasfilm looks to chart the future of Star Wars under Dave Filoni’s leadership, I hope the studio draws more inspiration from what happens with Grogu on Nal Hutta than from the flashy but ultimately surface-level Dejarik gladiator fight. It might not be as action-packed as the moments I recalled from previous Star Wars movies, but it feels just as iconic because it understands the emotional undercurrent that makes Star Wars’ best moments special.
For much of The Mandalorian and Grogu, I was unsure whether Lucasfilm understood that. This part of the movie at least gave me a glimpse of hope that there is a fruitful future for Star Wars where filmmakers can pair wonderful visuals with meaningful storytelling to create moments that are truly special.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is currently in theaters.
