There is a hot new Mandalorian season 3 speculation going around this week and it’s a Din Djarin and Bo-Katan romance!
Now naturally, the big question regarding any romantic speculation or theory is the ship name. I’ve seen Din-Katan out there, but the best one is Dinbo. Dinbo not only is a cute pormanteau on its own, but it sounds similar to himbo.
And Din Djarin is very much a himbo. The guy never actually knows he’s in a Star War, and it’s the best thing about him.
But in all seriousness, could a Din Djarin X Bo-Katan romance happen? Let’s break this down.
The very idea of a Din Djarin and Bo-Katan romance has haters
Now the very reason I’m seeing this speculation being tossed about is that it already has haters, preemptively wanting it to not happen.
This reminds me of how reylo was treated during the Force Awakens era. This was fascinating because this wasn’t the case of a crackship people hated. Reylo haters also saw hints of a reylo romance, especially when the Last Jedi trailer came out. They were afraid it would happen.
The Dinbo hate feels very similar. There are character trope beats being played out on screen, that are often a prelude to a romance. They see it and are worried about it.
Now as to why some hate the possibility of it, those reasons are varied. Some think the story doesn’t need it (true). Others want to see Din and Cobb Vanth get together (valid).
Some see Din Djarin as not needing romance when he has a son. Which is odd, since people generally have several different kinds of relationships in their lives. Having a child doesn’t preclude you from having friends or romance.
But why do they see Dinbo happening?
Personally, I think the story isn’t clear enough yet to suggest a romance with Din and Bo. In fact, what makes their story fascinating so far is Bo-Katan’s clear ambivalence towards Din.
It’s an ambivalence that could see her become Din’s enemy. I’ve theorized she could be the antagonist of this season.
But that’s what also makes it great kindling for a romance. Bo-Katan respects Din, and vice versa. But she also sees him as a fool.
But episode 2 of The Mandalorian, makes it clear that Bo-Katan never wants to see Din hurt. She saves his life. Twice. She comes to respect his desire to seek atonement, even if she doesn’t truly share the belief that he needs to.
Bo-Katan sees Din as a humble fool, who’s too good of a man to fight against. He doesn’t want to rule Mandalor, despite winning the Darksaber fairly.
In some ways, Bo-Katan comes off to me as an anime heroine, proud and defiant, but in love with a man who annoys her. I couldn’t help but think of 70s and 80s Rumiko Takahashi characters such as Akane of Ranma 1/2. In other words, she’s a bit of a tsundere.
In Star Wars, conflict makes for great romance. There’s a reason why Luke and Leia would never happen, nor Finn and Rey. These relationships never show the characters in significant enough conflict to make for an interesting romance. And while I’m fond of Bonnec, I must concede that it so far doesn’t have the conflict to make for an intrigueing romance (may for season 2 hopefully).
Generally, the romances that are the best in Star Wars have high drama. Anakin and Padme, Leia and Han, Rey and Ben. At the very least, they must bicker constantly. Anything less than that is snoozeville.
This intense ambivalence that Bo-Katan has for Din makes for delightful drama and a classic Star Wars romance. A Din Djarin and Bo-Katan romance has the high stakes and high drama that is perfect for a soap opera in space.
How a Din and Bo-Katan romance would fit into the story
Fans have joked in the past about Din and Bo-Katan marrying their Houses, but that could actually be a plot point. After all, Bo-Katan doesn’t want to fight Din for the Darksaber any more, but perhaps she’ll seek strategic marriage.
Or maybe the Mandalorians will get over their obsession with the Darksaber. That would probably be healthier for their society, but since it is so entrenched in their culture, I don’t see it becoming a meaningless relic anytime soon.
However, I can see a one-sided romance for this story, namely for Bo for Din. It may be temporary, either she comes to accept a platonic relationship, if he does not want one, or she becomes antagonistic again.
But how would Din feel? I don’t think the guy has ever had a romance. He seems to have bumbled through life in general before Grogu. He may have had a liason with that one Twilek criminal, but she also seemed to have been making fun of him, and not necessarily honest.
Din has been steadily opening up to different kinds of relationships throughout this series. With Grogu he has learned to be a father. With Boba Fett, he has learned to be a brother and friend. It would be interesting if he learns to be a romantic partner as well. And thus, The Mandalorian is also a story about Din learning to open up and love people in different ways, as well as learning different ways to be a Mandalorian.
While we don’t know yet if a Din Djarin and Bo-Katan romance will happen between the two, both characters are going to have a high stakes relationship of some kind. And that’s worth tuning in for alone.