By MORLEY SHARPE ’28
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 9 Oct 2026
2019 was the last year that the legendary “Star Wars” franchise had a film: “The Rise of Skywalker.” Then came “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a sequel to the brilliant Mandalorian TV series which follows a Mandalorian bounty hunter and his adopted son, an infant member of Yoda’s species. This movie finds them working for the New Republic, which replaced the evil Empire after “The Return of the Jedi.” Their job is to track down and capture surviving members of the Imperial leadership, who are trying to overthrow the New Republic. But the mission they receive throws them into an adventure involving the galaxy’s crime lords, the Hutts. What makes this movie so good is its battle scenes and the massive character arc it gives to one of the most obscure “Star Wars” characters ever known.
Of course, “Star Wars” material needs battles, and “The Mandalorian and Grogu” provides many of them. It even starts with one, where the Mandalorian takes out one of the giant walkers that first appeared in “The Empire Strikes Back” and fights stormtroopers with exciting gadgets. However, the battle that really gave me a thrill is the scene where the Mandalorian is trapped in an arena shaped like a holochess board – and has to face the living creatures that inspired the figures that made their debut in the very first “Star Wars” in 1977. It is an excellent tribute to the origins of the franchise, and a fine example of how the “Star Wars” movies have still kept their quality when it comes to battle scenes.
But the greatest part of the movie is the return of a lesser-known character: Rotta the Hutt, the son of classic villain Jabba the Hutt. He first appeared in “The Clone Wars” movie, where he was an adorable baby needing rescuing by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. Now he returns, and he is not the helpless baby from the animated series – nor is he the lazy, monstrous criminal his father was. Instead, he is a muscular gladiator concealing a meek and kind personality, and he is given a strong character arc that incorporates the franchise’s trope of family friction and enables him to grow into a braver, more confident hero. He, like many “Star Wars” characters, is dealing with his family’s dark legacy. But unlike Luke Skywalker, who tried to end that legacy, or Kylo Ren, who embraced it, Rotta runs away from it. He wants to have nothing to do with his father or the criminal empire left behind by his death (shown in “Return of the Jedi”). That is why he is reluctant to go with the Mandalorian to the rest of the Hutts, who will only give the New Republic information if Rotta is returned to them. He wants to keep avoiding his father’s legacy and is also scared because he knows that as Jabba’s heir, the Hutts will kill him to take over the crime enterprise. In the end, he convinces the Mandalorian to let him flee but gets caught by the Hutts. However, when the Mandalorian and Grogu arrive to rescue him, he finds freedom in two ways: he is released by his new friends, and he breaks away from his family’s dark legacy, forging a heroic path unlike any Hutt previously shown on screen in “Star Wars” history. Of course, this arc is made better by the very relatable performance of his voice actor, Jeremy Allen White (whom fans of “The Bear” probably know well). The result is a powerful and genuinely interesting story for a secondary character who was once a small part of the “Star Wars” legend, which gives the movie a firm and necessary emotional hook.
All in all, this movie is a great continuation of “The Mandalorian” TV show. It has excellent battles and brings an absent character back with depth, while giving the Mandalorian and his son a chance to face their own issues and develop their bonds at the same time. Of course, people may not agree with me. But that is a beautiful fact about movies – you can watch them and make up your own mind. As for me, I hope Rotta appears in another project after his successful return in “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” ★
