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During an interview with The Mandalorian co-creators Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, Favreau revealed the reason behind the decision to include Grog and Dean Djarin Pedro Pascal in The Boba Fett Book.
At the end of the second season of The Mandalorian, Grog and Mando went their separate ways: Grog went to train with Luke Skywalker, and Mando pondered his next steps after he became the rightful owner of the dark sword and lost his companion. With the first two seasons focused almost entirely on their travels and relationships, fans of the show have wondered how The Mandalorian season 3 will play out after Grog and Mando’s breakup. The answer to this question was found in an unexpected place – in the 1st season of “The Book of Boba Fett”.
Favreau explained why it was necessary to dedicate part of The Book of Boba Fett to the story of Mando and Grog.
We couldn’t just do a hard reset. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds for those who may not have seen The Boba Fett Book. But I think there was a time in “The Book of Boba Fett” for everything to pass. You’ve seen what Mando was like without Baby Yoda, and we’ve seen what Grog was like without The Mandalorian, and neither of them had a good time. So getting them back together was a really good plot point that allows us to return for a third season while still maintaining the central relationship.
While The Book of Boba Fett mainly focuses on the journey of the titular character, played by longtime Star Wars actor Temuera Morrison, Mando and Grog appear in the second half of the season, who are revealed to be connected by the events of The Book of Boba Fett’s season finale. Viewers saw not only Grog’s training with Luke, but his decision to forgo his life as a Jedi in favor of a life with Mando. After helping Boba Fett in his battle for power in Mos Espa, Grogu and Mando fly off, ready to face whatever comes next together.
This revelation by Favreau clarifies the plot decisions of the first season of The Book of Boba Fett. While the two characters’ separate existence has given them the opportunity to explore their own goals and priorities, playing out this storyline in The Mandalorian could have slowed the pace of the series and left less time for Mandalore’s upcoming release. By introducing this story into The Boba Fett Book, the creators saved valuable screen time for the third season of The Mandalorian.
The story integration of the two series also helps to achieve a sense of coherence in this new era of Star Wars content. While it’s not guaranteed, it’s entirely possible and almost inevitable that future Star Wars stories will intertwine in such a way that the story of one series will develop within the season of another.
The third season of The Mandalorian will premiere on March 1, 2023.
