#i'm just very passionate about the parallels between din djarin and hunter okay? okay.

[dindjarindiaries]

Din Djarin & Hunter: The Rhyming of Two Star Wars Dads (Analysis)

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) and Hunter (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) are two Star Wars characters who both end up becoming a primary caretaker for, and ultimately adopting, a child in need. Their journeys share even more similarities than what meets the eye, telling a tale of love, loss, and eventual peace for each of them.

Both stories begin with Din and Hunter at their status quo. For Din, this is a lone life of bounty hunting, providing for his hidden Mandalorian tribe. He's good at what he does, and he seems to enjoy it. He's made a name for himself as "the best in the parsec" and he's proud of that reputation.

For Hunter, this is leading his squad to a 100% success rate during the Clone Wars. He's often described affectionately as a "frat boy" in this era for his behavior, which sees him acting much like an adrenaline junkie who truly enjoys the rush of battle and action. He enjoys the fact that the Bad Batch's reputation precedes them.

Then, both men come across a child. (Ironically, it's revealed that these children are both technically older than Din and Hunter, which is a fascinating similarity.)

This complicates things for both men. Din is instantly conflicted by the morality of what he's doing; he's supposed to be turning this child in for a price. But as someone who lost his family at such a young age and would have been lost in the galaxy had it not been for the Mandalorians, how can he fathom doing that? Still, he does end up sticking to the Guild code and doing what he initially signed up for, and he turns in Grogu.

Hunter is genuinely confused about Omega at first, but the more she tries to fit in with their squad, the more that confusion is exchanged for worry. He knows the galaxy is changing quickly with the rise of the Empire and that his squad often brings trouble wherever they go. For her sake, he finds it best to have her keep her distance, and he leaves Kamino despite her warning of what's to come.

And when both men find out these children are at risk, they're faced with a life-changing decision: will they sacrifice the life they've always known for this child?

It's an easy yes for both.

Both these men make major sacrifices to save these children. Din goes against his livelihood and even receives assistance from his covert on Nevarro, which puts them all in danger. He only narrowly escapes, and even as he does, he has no idea what his next steps are. His life is forever changed.

Hunter takes his squad back to Kamino and is immediately imprisoned with Omega. He loses Crosshair at the hands of the Empire because of this, and he has to leave him behind to get away safely. With no Republic backing them up anymore, Hunter now has to protect a child and care for his squad in an ever-changing galaxy.

Their first stop is meant to help them lay low and start figuring things out. For Din, that's on Sorgan, where he meets Cara Dune, Omega, and the Sorgan villagers. He gets a glimpse at what a peaceful life would look like, and how Grogu seems to enjoy it. Din insists that's not a life he can ever give Grogu, and so he tries to leave Grogu there, but a threat to his safety (and no doubt some of Grogu's own desire to stay with his new father figure) leads Din to keeping the child with him.

The Batch's stop on Saleucami serves a very similar purpose. Hunter sees the life Cut and Suu have with their children, and he sees how happy it makes Omega to live amongst the kids and simply enjoy a peaceful life. He believes it's not something he and the squad can ever give her, so he decides to have her go with Cut and Suu. But just as with Din, the galaxy has other plans, and Omega stays with her new father figure and brothers.

From there, both men struggle with two primary things: first, their new role as a protector to a child, and second, life on the run. Din needs a way to make credits, but cannot return to work from the Guild. He agrees to questionable jobs to make this possible, all to keep both himself and the child in his charge alive. In the meantime, he's constantly dodging betrayals, from Toro Calican to his old gang, all while Grogu is being pursued by various bounty hunters.

Hunter also knows he needs credits, or else his squad cannot survive. This is complicated even further by Omega being under threat by bounty hunters. It leads Hunter to agreeing to Cid's less-than-ideal partnership, which sees them completing mercenary work for a rather lousy share of credits. He also struggles with the betrayal of Crosshair, who catches up to them on two different occasions.

Everything culminates for these men when it's time to return to the planets where everything started. For Din, he knows he cannot continue to outrun the Empire and their bounty hunters. The only way both he and Grogu will be freed is by taking out the Client. He gives himself up to get closer access, but this plan quickly backfires when the true mastermind behind it all arrives. Din nearly sacrifices his life to save Grogu and his allies, but in the end, a droid makes a heroic sacrifice to help save everyone and see them to the other side—keeping himself and his child safe for the time being.

Hunter doesn't get as much of a choice at first. He sacrifices himself to let his squad get away on Daro, and he falls into the Empire's—and Crosshair's—captivity. This leads them all back to Kamino, much to Hunter's displeasure. Though they survive through the Empire's and Crosshair's initial plan, they nearly meet their demise due to the destruction of Kamino. It is yet again a droid who sacrifices himself to save them, though he at least makes it through. Hunter has thus gotten himself, his child, and his squad on the other side safely, but only for the time being.

It's at this point these men's stories begin to differ, yet still share many similarities in the process. Din has been sent on a mission by the Armorer to reunite Grogu with his kind, and this is what defines much of his journey in The Mandalorian season 2. The overall theme is the same, however: Din doing whatever it takes to protect Grogu, and even considering a life or a possibility that Grogu wants to stay with him for a lifetime.

Hunter's main concern in The Bad Batch season 2 is keeping Omega and the rest of the squad safe. He, similarly to Din but for different reasons, continues to lead his squad into missions, but at the core of it all is his desire to protect—and a search for a deeper purpose. Pabu is what helps him realize what that would be, and that a life of peace could actually be possible for him, Omega, and the squad.

(This is where things begin to get less linear. We'll be going back to The Mandalorian season 2 even as we discuss The Bad Batch season 3.)

Then comes a pivotal event for both men: the inevitable separation of them and the child in their charge. Din's is difficult for him in the way that he knows it's right, but it's still hard to give up the relationship he has with the child he's come to love. He's sacrificed so much for Grogu, and now he has to let him go. It's a devastatingly bittersweet moment that begins a new chapter for Din. Unfortunately, it's not a great chapter, as he becomes lost in his grief for the missing child.

Hunter loses both Tech and Omega, both of which he feels heavily responsible for. Neither loss is something he had control of. What's worse is the irreversibility of Tech's loss, and the difficulty of getting Omega back. He's at his lowest, having lost so much, and he too is overwhelmed by this grief—but also an intense determination to get back Omega, at all costs. Both men have now been changed, but not necessarily for the better.

The path ahead is dark for both men. The Book of Boba Fett finds Din unable to do what used to be easy for him, nearly failing a bounty hunting mission and giving himself a horrible injury in the process. It's only made worse by him being excommunicated from his tribe for removing his helmet, sending him on an even worse spiral. He's certainly at his lowest, with only a few allies there to support him along the way. He's even refused a chance to see Grogu, and though he could go against this, he chooses what's best for his son again.

Hunter is making rash decisions in his and Wrecker's quest to find Omega when The Bad Batch season 3 rolls around. The usual level-headed sergeant is impatient and impulsive in his desperation, with Wrecker having to act as the voice of reason quite often. Like Din, he certainly isn't himself anymore, and the things that used to come easily don't anymore—even his enhanced senses. Though he still helps others and does what he thinks is best for the children, he's utterly lost.

Then, a glimmer of light and hope returns. Din is suddenly reunited with Grogu, and even amidst the chaos of the battle for Mos Espa, Din stops everything to enjoy the moment. It's an emotional reunion which informs viewers that Grogu will be staying with Din for the long run.

Hunter also gets his light returned to him, and like Din, it's his child who finds him first. This reunion is nothing short of emotional, especially with the shared relief both Hunter and Omega have to be back in each other's arms. It's obvious at this point that Hunter and Omega (and Wrecker) want nothing more than to enjoy being a family for the long run.

This is where The Bad Batch season 3 begins to echo the latter half of The Mandalorian season 2. Going back in time for Din, he's completing missions to get answers on Grogu, most notably about the Jedi and where he can find them. He helps his allies along the way, but his main priority is always protecting Grogu and getting the answers he's seeking.

This is much of what Hunter does with Wrecker and Crosshair after Omega's been returned to them. He and Wrecker even team up with Fennec Shand (an ally of Din's as well) to get the answers they're looking for regarding Omega. They also help Echo and Rex, but their main priority is keeping Omega safe from the Empire and finding out what exactly it is about her that they're so eager to get.

Then comes the pivotal capture. Din and Grogu are on Tython when the Empire catches up to them, and Din can't be in two places at once. He has to go out and fight, leaving Grogu vulnerable in the process. This allows the Dark Troopers to get a hold of him and whisk him away, just after Din's trusty ship—the one that was much like a home to him—is destroyed. By the end, Din is left with no leads on Grogu's location, and no ship of his own.

Hunter and the Batch are on Pabu when the Empire finds them. Their ship is also destroyed, taking away what was once their home—and their only means of escape. Hunter has to leave Omega in Crosshair's care as he tries his best to find them a way out. Rather than being taken by force, however, Omega gives herself up, but Crosshair's missed shot also leaves them in the same situation as Din: no ship, and no leads.

Their journeys and plans then become very, very similar. Din gets the help of his allies Boba Fett and Fennec Shand to ferry him over to Nevarro, where he hatches a plan with Cara Dune to spring a prisoner who's a former Imperial. The prisoner is freed, but there are complications to getting the coordinates, and it requires the use of juggernaut vehicles to get there.

Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair get help from their ally Phee Genoa, who ferries them to a planet where they can also spring an Imperial prisoner. This is where the juggernauts factor in for them, as they must hijack one that holds the prisoner so they can get the coordinates from him. However, there are also complications with this, and there are extra steps they have to take.

The stakes rise to their highest for both men. Din is faced with a harsh truth: if he wants to find Grogu, he has to break his Mandalorian Creed. He does it, removing his helmet for the first time in front of other living beings since he was a child and thus risking his identity for Grogu. He gets the coordinates, but it comes at a high cost. He also has to blend in as an Imperial to complete this mission, which adds to the already mounting stakes.

Hunter also has to strip himself of an identity, but for him, it's the customization of his armor that has long since represented his squad's history. This is to help him blend in as an Imperial as he and his squad gets the coordinates. The stakes mount even more as they discover the only true way to find Omega is to go to Tantiss themselves with no backup, and Hunter doesn't back down as they do just that.

And then they reach the big rescue mission. Din has a slew of allies at his disposal, which makes the raid of Moff Gideon's ship rather easy. He earns the massive weight of Mandalore's throne by accidentally winning the Darksaber, but The Mandalorian season 3 resolves this by passing the responsibility on to Bo-Katan Kryze, which frees Din and Grogu for a future of their own making once the three of them at last take down Moff Gideon. This allows Din and Grogu to live a life of peace on Nevarro, even if they still have future adventures in store with the New Republic.

Hunter and the squad's mission isn't as simple. They nearly don't make it out, and they're tortured horribly in the process. Omega has a lot of agency in her freedom and their own, though it's still Hunter and Crosshair who get to take out Dr. Hemlock—also freeing them to a life of their own choosing. Hunter tells Omega that they can finally rest, and they at long last get to do so on Pabu.

The last thing to address is the epilogue of The Bad Batch. Interestingly enough, it goes back to paralleling The Mandalorian season 2 finale. Hunter letting Omega go is very reminiscent of Din letting Grogu go, as both fathers sacrifice their love and protection for the sake of the children's futures. Though Grogu would ultimately choose to return to Din, Omega is now set on her destiny, even if there is a high chance she hasn't seen the last of her father and her brothers on Pabu.

At the end of the day, these two Star Wars dads are just two guys trying their best to raise a child in a dangerous galaxy—and even if it's gotten rough around the edges at time, they've done a wonderful, beautiful job of it.

Thank you for reading! All screen caps (minus one) came from cap-that.com. Feel free to share your thoughts!