The Mandalorian season 3 finale perfectly evolves Star Wars' family themes
"Then I will adopt him as my own." These few words from Din Djarin, at last officially claiming baby Grogu as his son in The Mandalorian season 3 finale, don't just serve to melt hearts around the world. They also act as a poignant culmination of Mando and Baby Yoda's arc in the show, which saw the duo transition from bounty hunter and target to father and son. Of course, Mando has unofficially been Grogu's dad since season 1, but the season 3 finale sees the Child take Din's name in a ceremonial cementing of their bond. It also continues the evolution of Star Wars's family themes, which are moving to deeper, more complex waters.
It's no secret that Star Wars has always been about family – it's not called the Skywalker Saga for nothing. The nine mainline movies revolve around the galaxy's most infamous brood, and even Rey turned out to be part of a legendary bloodline herself when The Rise of Skywalker revealed her as a Palpatine.
Ultimately, though, Rey declared herself a Skywalker. It's a moment that has been unfairly derided since the film's release, but I've always seen it as a particularly moving assertion of a found family. Rey has few memories of her parents and – for obvious reasons – wants nothing to do with her grandfather or his legacy, so she turns her back on her toxic heritage and instead embraces the people she sees as her true kin, driven home by Force ghosts Luke and Leia watching over her from afar with smiles on their faces.
It's a baton that The Mandalorian well and truly picked up from the beginning. Mandalorian culture is already built on a bedrock of found family, to the point that it's literally in the name: foundlings. Din Djarin and Grogu swiftly became a clan of two in the debut season, but
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