Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 2, episode 1.
In The Mandalorian season 1, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) makes his dislike of droids well known, but in season 2 his attitude towards them has noticeably softened. Picking up not long after season 1’s events, The Mandalorian season 2 finds Djarin and the Child (a.k.a. Baby Yoda) on the search for more Mandalorians in the hope one can lead them to any remaining Jedi. For many, such a task would seem a fool’s errand given that both Jedi and Mandalorians are now a rare sight in a galaxy far, far away — but for Djarin, it’s his best shot at reuniting Baby Yoda with his own kind.
While his quest in The Mandalorian season 2 is bringing Baby Yoda to the Jedi, season 1 of the Disney+ show has Djarin mostly concerned with protecting him. He doesn’t manage this alone, however, as Djarin is aided by other humans, aliens, and yes, a droid: IG-11 (Taika Waititi). Originally an assassin droid sent to kill Baby Yoda, IG-11 is eventually reprogrammed to protect Baby Yoda at all costs. This is hard for Djarin to accept at first because of his lifelong distrust of droids, a result of his family being killed by battle droids during the Clone Wars. In The Mandalorian season 1 finale, though, IG-11 sacrifices himself so that Djarin, Baby Yoda, and others can safely escape. It’s a pivotal moment not just in the story, but in changing Djarin’s opinion on droids — something The Mandalorian season 2 is already pointing out.
In The Mandalorian season 2 episode 1, Din Djarin and his tiny charge find themselves again on Tatooine and in the company of Pelli Moto (Amy Sedaris), a mechanic who works with three pit droids. When they first meet, Djarin makes a fuss over Moto’s droids working on the Razor Crest, but in the season 2 premiere, he’s fine with the pit droids giving his ship a once over. This change in demeanor towards droids doesn’t go unnoticed, with Moto even remarking, “So he likes droids now.” And while it’d be a stretch to say Djarin is now a fan of droids, he’s certainly softened towards them since The Mandalorian season 1, and that’s in large part because of Djarin’s interactions with IG-11.
Even prior to IG-11’s sacrifice in The Mandalorian season 1 finale, Djarin begins to have a change of heart about droids due to not just the new behavior he observes in IG-11, but because of something Kuiil, the Ugnaught who reprograms IG-11, tells him: “Droids are not good or bad. They are neutral reflections of those who imprint on them.” Upon hearing this, Djarin comes to understand that hating droids en masse is foolish as they are simply tools. When programmed with good intention, a droid can be helpful, but when programmed with bad intention, they can be dangerous and even kill. IG-11 is the perfect example of this principle because while following his initial programming he was a threat, but under Kuiil’s tutelage, IG-11 becomes Baby Yoda’s most ardent protector and helps Djarin a great deal.
The Mandalorian season 2 is making a point of Djarin being more accepting towards droids, no longer casting aspersions on all their kind just because of bad run-ins with droids in the past. It’s a sign of growth for Djarin, but also a reflection of the effect IG-11 and his creator, Kuiil, had on him. Allowing the pit droids to work on the Razor Crest is a small step, but it will likely lead to Djarin becoming more trusting of other droids in the future.
