'The Mandalorian' Season 2 Ending Explained: What's next for Din Djarin, Grogu, Mandalore and the Jedi?
Spoilers for 'The Mandalorian' Season 2
The day has been saved, the Empire beaten back once again, and Din Djarin's (Pedro Pascal) quest has come to a close. So what happens now? As Din and Grogu part ways, 'The Mandalorian' is set to introduce an all-new journey for the titular Mandalorian, one that's been a long time coming. But first, we take a closer look at that historic ending.
On the season finale of 'The Mandalorian', Din Djarin recruits Bo-Katan Kryze (Aimee Sackhoff) and her Mandalorian allies to help him rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon's (Giancarlo Esposito) clutches. Bo-Katan agrees to help, on the condition that Din agrees to consider helping her retake Mandalore and restore it to its former glory. The Mandalorian impatiently and quickly agrees without much thought.
On the ship, the ever-wily Gideon managed to unleash the robotic, deadly dark troopers on Bo-Katan while hiding right where he knew Din Djarin would show up - in Grogu's cell. The two battled it out, Din with his staff and armor of pure Beskar steel, the only thing that Gideon's Darksaber could not cut through. At the end of the battle, a victorious Din picks up the Darksaber from a vanquished Gideon -- a seemingly minor plot point that will likely be a major factor in Season 3 of the series.
As Gideon explains, the Darksaber is a symbol of power -- those who wield it are the true heirs to the throne of Mandalore. Like Harry Potter's Elder Wand, however, there's a deadly catch: Only those who win the Darksaber in battle can wield the blade's symbolic power. The blade will work for just about anyone, but if Bo-Katan is to truly regain the throne, it matters to the warrior people of Mandalore that she won the Darksaber in combat. None of them will accept a leader who didn't fight to win the symbol of Mandalorian reunification.
So it doesn't matter that Din Djarin wants to give her the Darksaber. Bo-Katan has to fight him for it, and it's a fight that Din Djarin is going to have to mean. Until that moment, however, Din is the heir to the throne of Mandalore. Whether or not he wants that responsibility, the fact that he agreed to consider helping Bo-Katan retake the planet means that Season 3 will undoubtedly revolve heavily around the planet, which was largely devastated in the Mandalore-Jedi Wars.
Speaking of the Jedi, this episode featured one of the most recognizable Jedi of them all. Grogu's signal, sent out on planet Tython in Episode 6, called out to whatever Jedi were still alive. There has been much fan speculation as to which Jedi would respond, and this episode, we find out who, as he tracks Grogu down and takes out the dark troopers single-handedly. It's none other than Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) himself, reprising the role with the help of significant de-aging technology, accompanied by his constant X-Wing companion, R2-D2.
Luke Skywalker agreed to take in the child, and teach him the ways of the Force. Though Grogu was reluctant to leave Din's side, the both of them knew that it was in Grogu's best interest, and they went their separate ways: Din with Bo-Katan, and Grogu with Luke. Having returned Grogu to his people, the Jedi, Din's quest is now complete. Luke Skywalker will train Grogu in the ways of the Force, much like he did until the disaster with Ben Solo, as mentioned in 'The Last Jedi.' It's unclear what happens to either Grogu or Mandalore. Neither are mentioned in either the sequel 'Star Wars' movies or the canon comics and books associated with them.
Another shocking moment that happened in this episode is that Din removed his helmet, unprompted. In the last episode, he only did it under duress, but throughout this season, we've seen that Din has been given reasons to doubt the Mandalorian way, or at least, the Way that he was taught by the Death Watch extremist group who raised him. By removing his helmet, it appears that Din has an allnew code he follows - one that isn't all that strict about helmets, but will see him do everything in his power to protect those who he cares about.
All episodes of 'The Mandalorian' Season 2 are now available to stream on Disney+.