Warning: Book of Boba Fett Spoilers Ahead!

After watching episode 6 of The Book of Boba Fett, I realized that my fondness for Jedi only goes so far. When the Jedi face off against the Dark Side, I love rooting for good vs. evil. A battle is one thing, but relationship building is another. This episode, ending with a cliff-hanger, left me disappointed in the Jedi ways. During this episode, the Mandalorian finds where Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) is training with Luke Skywalker and he wants to check on him to make sure he is safe. His love for Grogu could not keep him away. After all, this little green child is the reason the Mandalorian denied the code in The Mandalorian and removed his helmet (I talk about the strong father/son bond between these two unlikely characters in A Little Child Shall Lead Them). And now, after locating the dwindling Mandalorian tribe, the leader asks if he has ever removed his helmet. He answers honestly that he has, and they banish him from being a Mandalorian. He makes no defense. He only requests “atonement,” but it seems like this is an impossibility.

When the Mandalorian arrives to see Grogu, Ahsoka (another Jedi) says that the little guy has been missing Mando greatly but if he sees him, it will only be harder for Grogu. The Mandalorian, in another act of true and selfless love, leaves a gift instead of gratifying his desire to see him. At the end of the episode, Luke Skywalker, being concerned with this attachment, gives Grogu a choice. He can choose the beautiful Beskar chain mail gift from his father figure or he can choose the late Yoda’s light saber and continue his training with Luke. If he chooses the light saber, he will most likely not see the Mandalorian again. And if he chooses the Mandalorian, he will not get to develop his gifts in using the Force.

The Mandalorian wonders earlier in the episode about the Jedi being against attachment; this is completely opposite of the Mandalorian code, which values loyalty and protecting each other. So the poor Mandalorian is stuck between these two groups, not really fitting into either one.

We are left wondering what Grogu will choose. Will he choose to continue his training as a Jedi for the greater good of the universe? Or will he choose the one he loves.

This brings me to a deeper question about Jedi philosophy, and that is, what is the purpose of “good” if you do not have love. Who are you protecting? For what purpose? What is the point of good deeds if they are not for others? Just so that the universe can be a better place? You cannot tell me that Luke is not attached to Han Solo or Princess Leia, or R2 for that matter! That is his whole impetus for doing good. In fact, he denies his teacher (Yoda) by going to save his friends in The Empire Strikes Back. He leaves his training out of love.

Paul says in the famous 1 Corinthians chapter about love, that no matter what amazing and powerful gifts I have, if I do not have love I am only a “resounding gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Cor 13:1-2).” Have you ever been to a symphony performance? The clanging cymbal can add a powerful exclamation point to intense parts of the music, but if it stood alone, it probably would just sound like noise. A Jedi that does lots of great things without any attachments is as useless as a clanging cymbal.

I can pick on the Jedi philosophy, but if I look closely at my own life, I have to admit that I have this temptation as well. I want to do good things and I want to accomplish a lot in life, but I would rather not depend on others. And if they start to get in my way of success, then I start lashing out. The people I claim to be “doing it all for” are those who I reject.

There is this tension in life that many of us feel between relationships and success. It is an either/or approach that says you can either make a difference in the world and use your gifts or you can “settle” for love. It is a constant pull, and everyday I find myself asking if I gave my loved ones the priority over my own striving. Did I have my kids watch too many shows while I worked? Or did I sit on the floor and play games with them? Did I stop what I was doing to listen to my husband when he came home? Do they know that I love them more than my tasks? These are the types of questions I ask myself; maybe I am not the only one.

Love is not easy. The Jedi way breaks my heart — to think someone must decide between love and doing good, the way Luke did to Grogu … Why can’t he have both? Why can’t we have love and everything else we want as well? Unfortunately, love takes sacrifice. When you love someone, you will give up countless things, even good things, for the sake of that person. Why can’t we have the chain mail AND the light saber? In this fallen world, a choice seems inevitable. And yet, love tends to be strengthened by the giving up of something valuable. It communicates to the loved one, “You are worth more than all of this.”

I have to admit that I honestly have no idea what Grogu is going to choose. I’m just going out on a limb here, but if I had to guess based on the themes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, I’m guessing he will choose love. (Besides, they probably don’t want to keep doing CGI on Luke’s face.)

But whether he chooses the chain mail or not, Grogu can be assured of one thing: the Mandalorian will never stop loving him and making sacrifices for him. And we all know that that kind of love never fails.

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