'Star Wars' Exec Dave Filoni Shares George Lucas' Main Concern With Grogu

What Could It Be?

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • Updated 2 years ago • 3 min read

When The Mandalorian debuted back in 2019, no one could deny the impact of Grogu a.k.a the Child or Baby Yoda. He was everywhere, even if you hadn’t watched it, you couldn’t escape him online. Not only was he a key character in the wildly popular show, Grogu merchandise flooded the market. It seems like he was a surefire success story for the show and the Star Wars fandom at large, but is that the case? It seems like there were at least a few concerns among higher-ups and consultants at Lucasfilm, including from George Lucas himself. What were his thoughts and fears, and how did it inform the main story of The Mandalorian? Read on, and find out more, as we take a dive into a recent success story from the Star Wars universe.

An interview with Dave Filoni reveals just what George Lucas’s main concern was, with Filoni saying; "I had a talk with George, at one point, about the Child, and his main concern was that the kid has to have a proper amount of training," and that’s all there is to it. The man himself thought that the kid needed a proper amount of training. Not exactly the biggest concern out there, but it doesn't put into perspective where Grogu's story seems to be going and what seems to be in store for him.

The Mandalorian made its premiere on November 12, 2019, on the streaming service Disney+. The Child debuted in the first episode, as the first major plot twist in the series. Din Djarin was hired to retrieve it by “The Client”, but instead made a run for it in order to keep the youngling safe. This would serve as the main plot for the rest of the season, sheltering the Child from further harm, including bounty hunters, Imperials, and Bill Burr. The second season saw Mando attempt to find Grogu a guardian, at the behest of the Mandalorian Armorer (played by Emily Swallow). This guardian would eventually turn out to be Luke Skywalker, who agreed to train him. Afterall, who best to carry out Lucas' instructions of training the kid than Luke Skywalker himself. The aftermath of this can be seen in The Book of Boba Fett, which has just finished it’s run on Disney+.

It’s highly likely that George's advice influenced the decision to have Luke train Grogu, though it’s also entirely possible that the decision had already been made at that point. George Lucas, despite effectively stepping down from the Star Wars franchise, still continues to wield considerable influence over the franchise that he created, understandably so. As such, it is important to consider his point of view on these things, in spite of some of his lesser ideas, to say the least (we are not naming names today). It feels highly likely that his ideas had an impact on The Mandalorian, no matter how minor they turn out to be.

As Book of Boba Fett has recently finished airing, as of this writing, new Star Wars content is well on its way. It won’t be too much longer of a wait, with Obi-Wan on track for a release this year on May 25th, the fanbase is sure to be pleased. With that, thanks for reading, and may the Force be with you.

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