The Mandalorian‘s many adventures have caused Din Djarin and Grogu to change significantly as characters between their first appearance and their upcoming movie. The Mandalorian first aired in 2019, proving to be the catalyst for the many upcoming Star Wars TV shows. The Mandalorian‘s overwhelming success proved that the franchise could dominate the small screen as well as the cinematic landscape, forming the many stories and characters of Star Wars‘ New Republic timeline.

The Mandalorian has since spawned two subsequent seasons, each of which has taken the two main characters of Din Djarin and Grogu on many life-changing adventures. These adventures are soon set to change with the bounty hunter and his lovable adopted son prompting the franchise’s return to theaters with an upcoming Star Wars movie. The Mandalorian & Grogu will continue the journeys of the titular characters on the big screen, begging the question of how both have changed between their first appearance in The Mandalorian season 1 and their cinematic debut.

8

Din Djarin Has A New Suit Of Armor

Din Djarin Has Upgraded To Beskar Armor Since The Mandalorian Episode 1

Undoubtedly the most obvious way Din Djarin has changed from a visual standpoint is the upgrade of his armor. In The Mandalorian season 1, episode 1, Din’s suit of Mandalorian armor was much more haphazard. His leg plates, pauldrons, chest place, and other armor coverings were from a variety of sources, each one bearing a different material and color scheme. Although the armor still looked cool, Din’s physical appearance looked much messier in the early stages of The Mandalorian season 1.

The only Beskar Din possessed at the onset of the show was the helmet he still owns. However, in The Mandalorian season 1, episode 3, Din upgraded his entire suit of armor with the Beskar he received from Werner Herzog’s Imperial Client. From that point on, every inch of Din’s Mandalorian armor was made from the shining silver material, giving the titular bounty hunter his now-iconic look. With Din’s armor remaining the same since then, it remains one key physical difference between the show’s premiere and The Mandalorian & Grogu.

7

Grogu Is No Longer Considered A Jedi

The Youngling Is Now More Aligned With The Way Of The Mandalore

In The Mandalorian season 1, Grogu was introduced as a nameless baby with mysterious Force powers. Lovingly known as Baby Yoda up until The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5, Grogu was viewed more as a potential Jedi than anything else in the Star Wars galaxy. From the revelation that he grew up in the Coruscant Jedi Temple and survived Star Wars’ Order 66 to his Force powers and brief training under Luke Skywalker, Grogu’s nature as an aspiring Jedi was common throughout The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2.

That said, the events of The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian season 3 changed this, marking one primary way Grogu has changed between the beginning of the latter and The Mandalorian & Grogu. In The Book of Boba Fett, Grogu declined Luke Skywalker’s offer to take up Yoda’s lightsaber, instead choosing to return to Din Djarin and commit to the way of the Mandalorians. This was further detailed in The Mandalorian season 3’s ending, in which Grogu became Din Grogu, an official Mandalorian apprentice, setting up his role in The Mandalorian & Grogu.

6

Din Djarin Isn’t Just A Bounty Hunter

Din Has Learned More About His Place In The Star Wars Galaxy

Another way in which DIn has changed since The Mandalorian season 1 and The Mandalorian & Grogu is that he is no longer a common bounty hunter. Din’s debut in the Star Wars franchise was as exactly that, an Outer Rim gunslinger taking endless bounties to make his way through life. This eventually led him to Grogu which changed him forever, meaning he transitioned to become more than a bounty hunter, something that will be notable in The Mandalorian & Grogu.

With that in mind, Din will still take on bounties in the future, though the subject of these bounties and the reason why he is taking them has changed drastically. In The Mandalorian season 3’s ending, Din committed to tracking Imperial remnants as bounties, giving the New Republic unofficial aid in their battle against the Empire’s remaining loyalists. Din decided to do this both to aid the New Republic and protect Grogu, who has long been sought after by an Imperial remnant. While his bounty-hunting roots remain, Din’s motivations and moral code are much different.

Similarly. Din has figured out his greater place in the universe rather than being just another bounty hunter. From helping to restore the power of Mandalore to taking down the likes of The Mandalorian‘s Moff Gideon, Din is a much bigger hero than his humble bounty-hunting origins initially suggested. This is the primary way Din’s character arc has been altered between his Disney+ debut and his big-screen adventure in The Mandalorian & Grogu.

5

Grogu Isn’t Afraid To Use The Force

Grogu’s Power With The Force Has Grown Greatly Since His Star Wars Debut

In The Mandalorian season 1, Grogu’s Force powers were only utilized in life-or-death situations. Scenarios such as the Mudhorn’s attack on Din from The Mandalorian season 1, episode 2 or the flame trooper cornering Grogu and Mando in The Mandalorian season 1’s finale saw the young green Jedi unleash his abilities. However, it became clear that Grogu was hesitant to use his Force abilities otherwise, as he was smart enough to realize the Imperial remnants – and other dark forces in the galaxy – would take advantage of such powers.

Between The Mandalorian season 1 and The Mandalorian & Grogu, though, this has changed. Grogu’s relationship with Din has allowed the former to feel much safer and at ease in the galaxy. That, combined with Grogu’s more powerful abilities that come with age and his brief training with Luke, means the youngling is less afraid to use the Force. He was shown to use it more often than ever in The Mandalorian season 3, something that will certainly continue in The Mandalorian & Grogu and mark a stark difference between the film and Grogu’s Star Wars debut.

4

Din Djarin Is More Open To Other Mandalorian Ways

Din Djarin Has Learned About Other Mandalorians Outside Of His Zealot-Like Creed

A big element of Din Djarin’s character since the beginning of The Mandalorian season 1 was his religious beliefs. Being raised as a Child of the Watch, Death Watch from Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ timeline, Din Djarin had many beliefs not common with most Mandalorian depictions in the franchise. This involved not taking off his helmet where others could see, as well as finding and raising foundlings to expand the Children of the Watch’s numbers.

Din was shown to be steadfastly loyal to these ways, rendering him and his allies a zealot-like sect of Mandalorians in the wider Star Wars galaxy. Since then, however, Din has become more open to other ways of Mandalore. From meeting the likes of Bo-Katan Kryze to learning more about Mandalorian history via the Darksaber, Din has come to accept that the Children of the Watch are not the only Mandalorians in the galaxy. This will be part of his character in The Mandalorian & Grogu, showcasing another way he has changed since 2019.

3

Grogu Has Overcame His Trauma From Order 66

Grogu’s Experiences In The Jedi Purge Have Been Explored

Just as Din’s character has changed by accepting other Mandalorians, Grogu’s character has changed by overcoming past trauma. It was revealed in The Mandalorian season 2 that Grogu was in the Coruscant Jedi Temple during Star Wars’ Order 66, tying into his hesitancy to use the Force in the era of the New Republic. Grogu experienced his friends and masters being killed by clone troopers, causing a great deal of trauma for the young Force-wielder.

Through a series of flashbacks throughout The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Grogu has adequately explored his trauma. The burden of his experiences and the effect it had on Grogu’s confidence in himself and with the Force has been lifted, making him a much more powerful character since then. This came to a head in The Mandalorian season 3, meaning The Mandalorian & Grogu will highlight this difference in Grogu that has taken place since his debut.

2

Din Djarin Has Embraced His Role As A Father

Din’s Relationship With Grogu Has Changed Him Completely

As a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin had little to fight for in The Mandalorian season 1. While he had his covert of Mandalorians, their relationships with each other were cold, distant, and somewhat formal due to the beliefs of the Children of the Watch. This meant that Din came across similarly, with only selfish desires and much more emotionally distant. Upon meeting Grogu, though, Din changed completely and has since embraced his role as the youngling’s father. This was shown in The Mandalorian season 1, with Din constantly fighting against his prior beliefs to save Grogu from the Imperials.

In The Mandalorian season 2, this was taken to another level when Grogu was captured by Gideon. Din’s assault on Gideon’s ship and emotional goodbye with Grogu, who left with Luke Skywalker, proved just how much Din cared about the little green alien. Since then, Din and Grogu have reunited and the former has officially adopted the latter, proving that Din stepping up as a father is another way he has changed between The Mandalorian season 1 and The Mandalorian & Grogu.

1

Grogu Is Not Hunted By The Empire After Moff Gideon’s Death

Grogu Has Much More Freedom In The Star Wars Galaxy

Finally, one of the last major ways Grogu has changed between The Mandalorian and The Mandalorian & Grogu is that he is no longer hunted by the Empire. Throughout all three seasons of The Mandalorian, Din and Grogu have clashed with Imperial remnants led by Moff Gideon. It was revealed in The Mandalorian season 3 that Gideon desired Grogu in order to create Force-sensitive clones of himself. With these clones, Gideon intended to rule the Empire himself.

However, Din managed to free Grogu from Gideon’s clutches. With the aid of Bo-Katan Kryxe, the Armorer, and other Mandalorians Din had allied with throughout the show, Din and Grogu defeated Gideon and liberated Mandalore from Imperial control. As of The Mandalorian season 3’s ending, Grogu is free from Gideon’s plans for the first time. While Imperial remnants, likely led by Star Wars‘ Grand Admiral Thrawn, will still be an issue in the future, Grogu’s newfound freedom from Gideon is one final way he has changed between his debut in The Mandalorian and The Mandalorian & Grogu.