The Hobbit films provide many examples of the famous quote, "you can learn all there is to know about hobbits in a day, and yet after a year they can still surprise you." There are so many times in which Thorin, the head dwarf of the company on the quest to reclaim Erebor, doubts Bilbo, and believes he never should have been chosen to go on the quest with them. So why did Gandalf pick this particular hobbit, even though Oakenshield was so against it?
There are 3 very important reasons. The first has to do with Bilbo’s lineage. He is a peculiar blend of hobbit, combining the stoic and steadfast Baggins genes with the adventurous and mischievous Tooks. It is explained during the films that Gandalf knew Belladonna Took, Bilbo’s mother, and thus knew Bilbo himself as a small boy.
RELATED: Samwise Gamgee Is the Bravest Character Of Them All
Bilbo was brave and full of wild delight, not afraid to be himself even when others thought him queer, and loved tricks and games. He was very good at riddles, even then, and this becomes a key quality that Gandalf seeks in him later when appointing him to the role of Burglar. He knows that the hobbit, being neither strong and tall, nor battle-worn and experienced, would have difficulty fighting his way out of conflict, but he knows that Bilbo has a talent for words, and would be able to talk his way out and mediate between both friends and enemies. Mr Baggings is clever, and this trait saves his life and the lives of others on many occasions, such as using the barrels to escape the elven prison in Mirkwood, and distracting the trolls who are about to eat them long enough for the sun to rise and turn them to stone.
The second reason why Gandalf picks Bilbo, is because he has no family
Read more on gamerant.com