‘The Mandalorian’: Are Baby Yoda and Mando Destined To Save Each Other Like Luke and Anakin?
With The Mandalorian, fans discovered what the Star Wars universe looks like after the defeat of the Empire. But the origin of The Child, aka Baby Yoda, and his connection to Mando (Pedro Pascal) remains shrouded in mystery. However, in the new Disney+ documentary series, director Dave Filoni breaks down Luke and Anakin’s fate, and he may have revealed a clue about Baby Yoda and Mando’s destiny.
Dave Filoni explains the importance of the Duel of Fates in ‘Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian’
No one knows Star Wars like Dave Filoni. He’s a super fan who has worked with George Lucas on multiple Star Wars projects and serves as the showrunner for both Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars. Currently, Filoni is a writer, director, and executive producer on The Mandalorian.
In the new docuseries, Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Filoni breaks down the Duel of Fates from The Phantom Menace. It isn’t the most loved Star Wars film, but Filoni points out how the movie’s story arc and duel shaped Anakin and Luke’s future.
“I love the lightsaber fight with Darth Maul, not because it’s a lightsaber fight, but because George is so good at crafting why that fight’s important,” Filoni says in Episode 2 of the docuseries. “In Phantom Menace, you’re watching these two Jedi in their prime fight this evil villain. What’s at stake is really how is Anakin going to turn out.”
In passionate detail, Filoni explains that Qui-Gon is fighting Darth Maul to be the loving and caring father that Anakin needs, unlike most Jedi who’ve become detached and lost their way. He suggests the Qui-Gon knows what’s going on even before Yoda, which is why he never joins the Council.
“So he’s fighting for Anakin,” says Filoni. “That’s why it’s the ‘Duel of the Fates.’ It’s the fate of this child. And depending on how this fight goes, Anakin’s life is going to be dramatically different.”
‘The Mandalorian’ director explains how Anakin and Luke’s selflessness defines ‘Star Wars’
As Star Wars fans know, Qui-Gon loses the duel with Darth Maul. So, Anakin is left to be raised and trained by Obi-Wan. In Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Filoni suggests that after Anakin’s mother dies, he feels like he has no family, so he turns to the dark side to become Darth Vader.
But Filoni also emphasizes how Luke and Anakin’s fate brings them together to save each other. He talks about the Return of the Jedi scene in which Luke throws down his lightsaber and refuses to take Anakin’s life. Then, when Palpatine tries to kill Luke, Anakin saves his son.
“So the son saves the father, the father saves the son,” explains Filoni. “So that’s what I always go back to with Star Wars. It’s this selfless act and this family dynamic which is so important to George. So important to the foundation of Star Wars.”
How Baby Yoda and Mando’s fate could mimic Anakin and Luke’s
Filoni does a great job of breaking down the Duel of Fates and Luke and Anakin’s relationship. But he explains all of this in a documentary about The Mandalorian. This has some fans wondering if Mando and Baby Yoda will end up in a father/son relationship like Anakin and Luke.
There are already some parallels forming on the series. Similar to the way Palpatine was using Anakin and Luke, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) is hell-bent on acquiring Baby Yoda to advance his own evil agenda.
And if Moff Gideon does get to him, it’s possible Baby Yoda will be lured by the dark side like Luke. In fact, the little green guy has already shown a spark of darkness in Chapter 7 of The Mandalorian, when he Force chokes Cara Dune (Gina Carano).
Knowing that Mando is already somewhat of a father figure to Baby Yoda, it’s not far-fetched to assume that he’ll ultimately save him, and vice versa. And hopefully, as Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian continues, Filoni will keep dropping these insightful nuggets of wisdom, so that fans can discover the wondrous Star Wars connections they might have missed.
