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[violettavie]

Din Djarin Can Swim

Why do ya'll assume he can't swim? Did you not see S2:E3 where he dove into the water like an Olympic diver? The only reason why he needed rescuing was because a literal gate was between him and getting out and they were thrusting spears at him.

When Din sunk in the living waters, the man was so enthralled with redemption, that he wasn't paying attention. Then because he's suffered blood loss and possible paralysis (when that creature injected him the first time), he couldn't respond and lost consciousness.

Really, ya'll be treating this man as though he is incompetent every time he looses because of injury or lack of sleep or inexperience.

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Bo Katan: your cult fractured our people.

Wasn't wearing armor outlawed on Mandalore because the Kryzes wanted Mandalorians to be pacifists? How did Din's tribe draw the line in the sand when they fled to Concordia for religious freedom?

And then she has the nerve to ask where was he when the purge happened? Fleeing yet again from the Empire because Mandalorians were to weak and fractured to put up a fight they couldn't actually win.

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think Bo Katan has a selective memory.

There was no way Din's tribe would rally behind Bo when she didn't earn the darksaber and she was Death Watch.

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Yeah, you can see it in his face. lol

Done Djarin™ (continued)

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In The Name Of Honor

Why do some people think that Din willing to stand by Boba's side, fight and die with him means that he wants to die?

Honor does not mean you want to die. Honor means you keep your word. And Din promised Boba he would help him with Mos Espa.

When Boba talked about Din leaving, Boba assumed that Din might do it because Boba isn't used to people sticking around when things get tough. But Din isn't most people. He doesn't turn tail and run. He is the type of person who will let a krayt dragon swallow him just to get the bombs inside. That is the level of ride or die friend Din is. He will stand with Boba because he honors his word.

Din knows that any given situation could be his last and he has been trained as a Mandalorian to stare death in the face and not back down. That's what makes him so scary. You cannot bargain with him if you're his enemy unless you surrender. And as a man of honor, a true Mandalorian (doesn't matter what the armorer said) loyalty and solidarity are The Way and Din has never abandoned those principles, no matter if his tribe abandoned him.

So he said he would die with honor because he was reassuring Boba that he wouldn't leave him. He would stay with him till the end, if it came to that.

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Why Din Djarin is an Amazing Character

I was trying to think of why I love Din so much, why I think he's so well written, and I think I have an idea.

He's a well balanced character.

He isn't too one thing or too another, he's fleshed out in a way that gives you a look at the different layers of him. Showing us both sides of the coin so to speak.

Let's take a look:

1. Emotions

He's shown to be a cold, stoic bounty hunter, someone who you don't want to get on the wrong side of. He can keep his emotions in check on a mission. But he also shows his more vulnerable side. Din doesn't try to suppress all of his emotions. He's soft around Grogu, is willing to show his fear and his sadness, is able to be emotionally vulnerable but also cool and collected.

2. Fighting ability

Din Djarin is a talented bounty hunter, no question. That man has proven himself in a fight time and time again. But he isn't invincible. He doesn't win every match, every face-of, every fight. He's won and he's lost. But he also doesn't let that get in his way. He doesn't get humiliated, or start getting grouchy when he loses, he picks himself up and tries again.

3. Beliefs

Din can be very set in his ways. He has the creed that he has been following for years and he wants to honour the people that rescued him as much as possible. But despite his strong loyalty, he is willing to work past that. Even though he's had some rocky starts, he is willing to look past the beliefs of others (e.g. other Mandalorians) and work with them, even though they don't stand for the same things as him. Also, he's willing to put aside his creed for the benefit of others. It doesn't mean he isn't loyal to it, he just feels like some situations are more important.

4. Leadership

He has proved himself to be a great leader. He's good with coming up with plans on the spot. Sure, they don't always work, but he can assess a situation and assign roles. He has shown that he can take charge. However, Din Djarin is also willing to let other people take the lead. He doesn't have a strong urge to prove himself as the Alpha. Someone else can lead one particular mission better than him? He'll let them do it. He can lead, but he can also follow.

5. Intelligence

He may have his moments, but Din Djarin is one intelligent human being (?). This man can speak multiple languages, can (as mentioned before) come up with plans and strategies on the spot, and can repair spacecraft to name a few things. No doubt about it, he is smart. But he doesn't know everything. He isn't this omniscient being who knows every detail about every thing. I mean, Din sometimes doesn't even know how his own franchise works.

In conclusion

Din Djarin works so well as a character because of his balance. He's cold and caring, talented and flawed, loyal and accomodating, willing to lead and willing to follow, smart but doesn't know it all. He is the perfect example of imperfections. His flaws are what make him real.

To put it simply, Din Djarin is one hell of a well-written character.

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I didn’t realize how much development both Din and Grogu underwent until I went back to the beginning. Din’s never been talkative, but he was practically silent at the beginning of the series—whole scenes pass without him saying a word. And when he did speak, he was a lot more cold… polite, but short and and to-the-point. Grogu was also much more subdued, almost reserved. He didn’t act like the mischievous baby we know he is. He just sat in his pram and observed quietly.

Grogu brought out Din’s inner gentleness, his kindness, his true self. He gave him his first real connection with another living being, likely since childhood. Din in turn made feel Grogu safe and loved enough that he was free to be a happy, playful child, who didn’t have to worry about being harmed or abused.

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As much as I love Din and Grogu together, I hope Grogu chooses to become a Jedi. Luke is good for him, connecting back with the force and using it to dodge and jump and stop attacks. Grogu needs this. He needs to see what he can do so he can no longer be afraid.

And Luke pointed out something a lot of people aren't taking into account. Grogu will live a long life, up to 1000 years. Him becoming self-reliant is necessary since Mando will not be around for much longer. Giving into his attachment is going to hurt him in the long run when he is unable to handle Din's death and the many deaths of people he will meet throughout the centuries. He needs to start now and strengthen who he is as an individual who can do for himself.

It makes me sad because the best thing that Star Wars has offered me is Din and Grogu and I love them so much.

But you may choose only one.

THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT | 1x06 “From the Desert Comes a Stranger”

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So excited!

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It's also important for people to understand that this is world building. Maybe the Core remembers the Jedi, but the Outer Rim, which was always lawless would not know the Jedi. And then with the Empire and their propaganda and also destroying anything Jedi, how would anyone in the Outer Rim know about the Jedi?

Kuill being confused and asking Din to repeat the story is an excellent example of this. Even Cara was confused and scared when Grogu force choked her, proving that even a Shock Trooper of the Rebellion didn't know of Luke Skywalker Jedi Master.

But audience thinks just because we know then the main character should. That's not how narrative works.

Okay to anyone who mocks Din Djarin just because he doesn't know who the Jedi are or what the Force is, may I remind you that Luke Skywalker too didn't have a clue what either of them were either until Obi-Wan told him!

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Yes. And when Din told Kuill what Grogu did to the mudhorn, Kuill was confused, too. He knew very little as well.

Okay to anyone who mocks Din Djarin just because he doesn't know who the Jedi are or what the Force is, may I remind you that Luke Skywalker too didn't have a clue what either of them were either until Obi-Wan told him!

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I used to watch theory videos

I am a Marvel fan and I used to love watching videos and breakdowns about movies and upcoming movies. It was fun because we really didn't know what we were going to get. But with everything that's happened post Endgame, fans are getting smarter with their research and predictions.

Now these types of videos are taking the fun out of the movies for me. I like not knowing what's going to happen in a movie and experiencing the surprise for myself on first viewing.

But now with the upcoming Spider-Man movie. There are all these leaks and fan speculation. And I have avoided it all to the best of my ability, but of course things get through.

I think that when this movie comes out people are not going to like it as much as the hype surrounding it because they are going to know what's going to happen.

When the season finale of the Mandalorian aired and we got to see Luke Skywalker show up, there was so much joy and happiness. People might have speculated but no one believed he would show up. It was one of these moments you wish you could capture and hold forever. We kind of can with reaction videos. But I fear we aren't ever going to experience that surprise again. And we only have ourselves to blame.

I'm not here trying to judge anyone. I want to watch theory videos and breakdowns. And if you do, that's cool and I hope you're enjoying yourself. I just feel sad. Like an era of surprise and excitement is going away.

Either that or the people working on Spider-Man No Way Home should be seriously vetted because whoever is leaking this stuff should never work on a big movies like this again.

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Yoda also wants to show Luke to find the humor in life. Don't let it weigh you down so much that you cannot laugh and play. Luke needs to have hope and joy to combat the darkness, the sadness, the devastation, the tragedy. Luke needs to soften himself to roll with the punches, bob and weave: get bruised but don't break.

I genuinely love Luke and Yoda’s relationship and think it’s WAY underrated.  Do I love Luke’s relationship with Anakin?  Yes, so very much.  Do I love Luke’s relationship with Obi-Wan?  Also, yes, so very much. But what I love about Yoda and Luke is that Yoda is the one Luke spent the most amount of time with, where they spent days, weeks, possibly even months together, the kind of time where you know someone’s eating and sleeping and burping habits, where you know them on a day to day kind of level. Yoda is the teacher that Luke had that with and it creates a kind of bond that’s unique to them.  So, I love them for the big, epic moments–

–and I do love them for those big, epic moments, because– –say what you will about The Rise of Skywalker, seeing Luke’s Force Ghost raise that very same X-Wing out of the water that Yoda did once upon a time on Dagobah, to see the lessons that Yoda passed on to him, to see Luke be the one at peace with himself again, to honor what Yoda taught him–

That got me RIGHT IN THE FEELINGS PLACE. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker showing a student what can be done with the Force if you have the right training and the right discipline, if you face your fear and overcome it, not just once, but over an entire lifetime of it–miracles can happen. But I also love them for the silly moments, like their first introduction is an absolute DELIGHT and utterly iconic–

Yeah, sure, Yoda’s testing him, seeing how Luke treats someone he thinks is unimportant, seeing how Luke comports himself when not under the direct gaze of a Jedi Master, but Yoda’s also having FUN WITH IT, gleefully being a little shit stirring frog grandpa to deliberately egg Luke on. AND THAT’S NOT THE ONLY TIME:

“Stubborn and hard is your head.  Soften it we will.�� “I stood on my head to soften it?” “Mysterious are the ways of the Force.” “Did you make me stand on my head for two hours because I was annoying you??” “Very mysterious.” I CRACK UP EVERY TIME.  THAT’S THE KIND OF THING I AM HERE FOR.  EPIC, ICONIC DUOS, BUT ALSO PEOPLE WHO ARE DELIBERATELY TROLLING THE HELL OUT OF EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY ARE TRAPPED TOGETHER ON A SWAMP PLANET FOR MONTHS ON END TOGETHER. And I love how much they came to really, truly matter to each other, how much Yoda was looking out for Luke, even when it came to the issue of Darth Vader.  As GL says, it’s not that they’re training him to kill Vader, it’s that they need him to be willing to face the possibility that it may be unavoidable.  And Yoda was worried–completely accurately, given what happened on Bespin and the aftermath of it, where Mark Hamill has multiple times said was like Luke committing suicide after he heard the truth–that Luke wasn’t ready to hear it yet. LUKE: Master Yoda… is Darth Vader my father? YODA: Rest I need. Yes. Rest. LUKE: Yoda, I must know. YODA: Your father he is. Told you, did he? LUKE: Yes. YODA: Unexpected this is. And unfortunate. LUKE: Unfortunate that I know the truth? YODA: No. Unfortunate that you rushed to face him… that incomplete was your training… that not ready for the burden were you. LUKE: I’m sorry.

Yoda cared deeply about Luke, wanted to protect him, and had a connection with him even after his death–Luke tells a woman on Lew’el that he still speaks to his Masters (Yoda and Obi-Wan, and possibly Anakin), smiling softly as he does so. And it’s one of the best moments in The Last Jedi, where Yoda shows up one more time to drag Luke Skywalker out of his self-defeating pit, in the most timeless of ways–by whacking Luke with his cane, as Yoda has done for generations of Jedi.

“Ahhh, Skywalker, missed you, have I.” Yoda is such a great mix of whimsical and cackling frog grandpa and serious wizened mentor in that scene, which is exactly what Luke needs to help drag him out of his pit, to get back up, dust himself off, and find his place in the galaxy again, as a Master teaching the student who needs his help, as a Jedi facing off against a dark sider, as a Jedi giving hope to the galaxy, as a Jedi sacrificing themselves to help others. Luke has many important relationships that I love very much, with his sister, with his father, with Han, with Chewbacca, with Artoo, with his father, with Obi-Wan, with his nephew, all of them are unique and fundamental to who he is. But Luke’s relationship with Yoda is just as fundamental to who he grew into being AND IS VASTLY UNDERAPPRECIATED.  WE STAN YODA AND LUKE’S RELATIONSHIP IN THIS HOUSE.

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Bad Batch: leaves because Crosshair shoots at them

Crosshair: I hate you

Empire: destroys Tipoca city with Crosshair in it

Crosshair: I love you

Me: 😣

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Yes. This is what I saw too. He has to learn that the Empire is a bad place to be. Only then can he decide to go back to this brothers.

That scene where Crosshair drew his rifle to save Omega and everyone drew their weapons on him because they thought he was going to kill Hunter absolutely gutted me, but I also loved it a lot. Because it showed us a lot about where Crosshair is going, and his relationship with the Bad Batch right now, by doing very little.

Firstly, it showed that Crosshair still cares about The Bad Batch. He knew it would destroy them if anything happened to her. It showed that, on some level, he cares about Omega. He didn’t want her to die. And, most importantly, I think it showed that he still has at least some small sliver of good left buried within him.

However, it also showed that, right now, The Bad Batch does not trust him. They obviously still care about him — you can tell by the way Hunter refused to leave him, the way Omega tried so hard to save his life, the way Wrecker and Tech were hurt that Crosshair never tried to find them just like they never tried to find him. And you can tell by the way they all turn to Crosshair and still offer to take him with them even after everything they’ve done to hurt each other.

….but.

They don’t trust him. And I don’t blame them. Up until Return to Kamino they could excuse Crosshair’s behavior as the inhibitor chip forcing him to do what he’s done. But after Crosshair reveals that his chip was taken out (whether it’s true or not), at this point in time they have to accept that Crosshair chose to attack them. To hurt them. To try and fry them alive in an proton engine. If what Crosshair said is true and his chip is gone, and they don’t know for how long, then that means Crosshair was actively choosing to work against them this whole time. And if Crosshair was choosing to do all of that before, why would he stop now? Especially once he reached safety at the surface of the ocean. It would be so easy for him to just shoot them all, let Omega drown, and take their ship. They see Crosshair draw his rifle on Hunter and have to assume the worst - that he’s going to kill Hunter. Because they have no reason to think he wouldn’t. Hell, in that moment, even my first thought was “what is shooting Hunter going to do” before I realized what he was doing. And I like Crosshair! I want him to be good! I believe that one day he’s going to realize he’s wrong and leave the Empire! But I also recognize that he’s an antagonist, and the Bad Batch has every reason to be wary of him based on what’s happened up to this point and what they know.

I think that moment may have been a big part in Crosshair’s decision to stay behind. Because Hunter and Wrecker and Omega can talk big game about how Crosshair is family and they are willing to take him back and be brothers and sister again. But Crosshair knows they’re afraid of him. He knows they don’t trust him. He knows that if he goes with them, things will never be how they were before. They’ll be looking over their shoulder every time Crosshair sneezes and Crosshair will be walking on eggshells constantly trying to prove to them that he doesn’t want to hurt them. Ultimately, I think choosing not to go with them at this point was the right call. Crosshair needs to redeem himself and prove himself a little for that to happen, and for that to happen he needs to realize that the Empire is wrong. That Crosshair is wrong. And do something about it.

It doesn’t mean that they won’t ever be reunited. It doesn’t mean that they’ll never trust Crisshair again. It doesn’t mean that Crosshair will never realize his mistakes and go back to them. I firmly believe this episode was meant to set up a long-game redemption arc for Crosshair. I think Hunter pointing out that the Empire left him for dead, his interactions to Tech and Wrecker in the tube, and his conversation with Omega in Nala Se’s lab did get through to him enough that the seeds of doubt are planted. You can see the conflict on his face as they’re leaving at the end of the episode. Hopefully with that, combined with how much he obviously still cares for his brothers, he’ll start to realize throughout season 2 that everything he believes about the Empire is wrong. Then hopefully he’ll start the process of making amends and doing the right thing. This episode actually ended up giving me a lot of hope for the future of Crosshair and The Bad Batch.

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I completely agree. I initially thought that he was lying to them in order to get them to side with him. But the more I've been thinking about it, the more the narrative has more impact without the chip driving his actions. The Bad Batch have been assuming all their troubles with Crosshair comes down to the chip and now they realize that their brother may not be a good person.

It reminded me of the first episode when they were walking the halls of Tipoca city and Echo was put off by the idea of the Galactic Empire and Crosshair said, "Republic, Empire, what's the difference." It was an apt line because it was true but then it was also foreshadowing. Even though the two regimes share similarities the Empire as we know it is tyrannical.

And Tech responded to Crosshair by saying, "The systematic termination of the Jedi is the big one for me."

This is the conversation that sets Crosshair apart from his brothers. They see what the Empire has done on its first day and they do not like it. But Crosshair doesn't seem to bat an eye.

Yes, he still has his inhibitor chip but as explained, it wasn't functioning at full capacity, like the Regs. And later they had it enhanced.

A theme across the finale and one that is touch on a lot through the season is agency. I think having Crosshair's actions his own and his siding with the Empire a wedge between him and them is such good writing. There is no easy fix. Not off switch. This is what they are dealing with and they have to figure it out. If Crosshair loves his brothers are they more important to him than the Empire and his sense of purpose?

I think going forward Crosshair is going to learn more and more why the Empire is not where he needs to be. He his going to go through it and it might get really bad for him. Because the Empire does not care about his agency. He will be a pawn just like Hunter mentioned with blind obedience. It could make for some very dramatic storytelling. Especially if pushing Crosshair to his limit could make him aid or be a driving force in the clone uprising.

So yeah, I am completely on board with season 2. I cannot wait to see where they take these characters.

The Bad Batch S1 finale spoilers

I'm annoyed with how I've seen folks discussing the finale two-parter. People who think Crosshair could still have his chip in are deluding themselves. You don't have a dramatic reveal like that to just undo it, it would be terrible writing. He clutches his head because he has an extremely visible burn scar.

And more to the point, Crosshair not having his chip is GREAT writing. He's a logical consequence of the genetically-modified clones' creation and their established conflict with "regs." Crosshair thinks he's superior to the regs because he knows he's been "genetically-enhanced," it makes sense that could go to his head, and if the regs mistreated the Bad Batch (as we've seen some examples of) it makes sense it would build resentment. Crosshair's philosophy could have always been how he felt, and the Empire's rise just radicalized him -- only worsened when he feels like the Bad Batch, his brothers, abandoned him, making him double down on the Empire because it aligns with how he's always felt: that people who are "better" than everyone else should be in charge.

And the conflict between him and the other Bad Batchers that that generates is extremely interesting, way moreso than if he was simply mind-controlled. Because Crosshair clearly still loves his brothers, he wants them to join him, he went against orders for the sake of having them be a family again, and the other Bad Batchers want that too, but the place Crosshair has chosen for himself is just completely antithetical to what's right, so they can't. They love each other but find themselves tragically at-odds because of their differing philosophies.

That's like...the smartest thing the show has done, I think. Otherwise the characters are pretty simple, the episode stories fun but easy. Everything they establish about Crosshair in these last two episodes is some really good complex, thematic character-building, it's something that has really sold me on a season 2, and I hate that so many people want it to just be...more boring. More simplistic, more comfortable.

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I really appreciate that they respect his choice, even if it hurts.