If you’ve watched the Mandalorian and Grogu (or even if you haven’t) you’re bound to have heard about Rotta the Hutt’s quest to be his own man. It’s become something of a small Star Wars meme, in large part because of how the character repeats this desire more than what is needed for the story.
While Rotta the Hutt certainly does repeat his desire to be a separate person not identified with his villainous father Jabba the Hutt, what is not accurate is the notion that this represents his character arc. Yet, I’ve seen this stated a few times, usually with some commentary that Rotta’s story arc sucks because it is such a simplistic arc.
And I agree. Except, being his own man isn’t even Rotta the Hutt’s story arc in the first place.
What Even is A Character Arc?
Firstly, it’s probably best to say what a character arc is. An character arc is the story progression of a character, with a beginning, middle and end. It’s the character’s story within the story. Not every character has a significant arc, and that is fine. Character arcs can be round, in that there is a full, development of the character within the story. In Star Wars, the Campbellian protagonists of the Skywalker Saga all have round, full arcs.
Lesser characters, that support the main Skywalker, such as Han Solo to Luke Skywalker, or Finn to Rey, will have smaller arcs in comparison to the main leads. They have their main epiphany or change, and then switch to supporting the main character in their story.
And lastly, there are flat character arcs. These characters do not change within the story. It is actually possible to have a main character with a flat arc, that induces change in the surrounding characters. Paddington 2 is a good example of this: Paddington the Bear has no story arc, but he still moves the story along by his ties to other characters. A flat character arc is not inherently a bad thing. Characters such as Leia, Han Solo, and Finn have an arc that covers 1 to 2 movies of their trilogies, and then work as static characters from then out. Han Solo’s arc is completed in A New Hope, Leia does not even have on in the first film, but gets one later.
I had thought before watching the Mandalorian and Grogu, that Din Djarin and Grogu would have flat character arcs, as is typical for many TV-to-Film stories that seek to not alienate film watchers new to the character. This is not really the case, and The Mandalorian and Grogu manages to give each character a story arc.
And Rotta the Hutt’s story arc is concluded in the first act of the film, so that it can influence and create arcs for Din Djarin and Din Grogu.
So What Is Rotta’s Real Character Arc?
So as I state in the title of this post, Rotta the Hutt’s story is not about becoming his “own man.” Yes, he states it twice, but that does not make it an arc. Rotta has already decided he wanted to be someone not like his father before the events of the film. What Rotta desires is the PREMISE of his arc. Desiring to be his own man is his MOTIVATION, that pushes his arc.
Rotta the Hutt’s story is that, in his young and well-meaning desire to be his own person, seen by others independently of the specter of his father Jabba, he has rushed headlong into a life that cannot give him meaning or love.
Think of Rotta as a teenager that wants attention and validation. That teen may make a Tiktok channel or Youtube page, and become an influencer. He may think for a time that all his many followers love him for who he is, and that these people are his friends. He may think he is known. But these followers don’t really care about him. They only care about the little endorphin rush of a funny video. They may just as easily turn and bully the girl on social media they had “liked” weeks before.
Jabba the Hutt loved spectacle, both violent and lurid, and kept entertainments for his associates and hangers-on. Rotta the Hutt is accustomed to spectacle and knows on a surface level that people love them. He tells Din Djarin that his fans cheer for him and that he does not need rescuing.
However he quickly finds out that his father’s former associate Lord Janu Coin has no intention of offering Rotta any freedom, and the crowd that relishes Rotta’s wins are just as easily satisfied with seeing him killed. There is no validation found in being a spectacle, there is no true love there.
THIS is Rotta’s character arc. It is short but it’s conclusion is what ultimately leads to decisions made by Din Djarin later in the film that push his arc along. Rotta the Hutt learns he cannot be loved or validated by fans, who never saw him as anything more than entertainment.
How Does Rotta the Hutt’s Story Arc Shape Din Djarin’s?
As I stated in my last paragraph, Rotta’s story is what propels the Mandalorian’s story arc. Regrettably, there is one bit of dialogue in the film trailer that is left out of the actual movie. But this dialogue concerns Din Djarin’s fears about his son Grogu living beyond him, and possibly still being a child. Grogu’s species is long-lived, with Yoda living to over 800 years old.
The most important scene in the film, is the beautiful one in which Rotta happily plays and cavorts like a great seal around the little Grogu. It’s a quiet scene in which Rotta gets to be the young child he never got to be, and Grogu plays with a figure that may very well be a sort of older brother for him down the road.
Din Djarin watches it unfold below him, and it is intended to be his point-of-view. He realizes he must help the “kid” [it is emphasized multiple times in the movie that Rotta the Hutt is young, perhaps he’s the equivalent of a teen or early 20 something]. Later in the film, as he watches the Twins torture their nephew Rotta, the villains remark that Rotta will live in suffering for centuries. And, they threaten, so will Grogu.
While the trailer dialogue was left out, it’s clear that this is something that the Mandalorian has been thinking on. The father must take care of the son, and the son, growing older, takes care of the father. But one day, the father will be gone. And the son must rely on others. And who will Grogu rely on? All the humans Grogu knows now, from Luke to Bo-Katan, to even Boba Fett, will die. And this brings us ultimately to the message of the movie.
What The Mandalorian and Grogu is a About
The Mandalorian and Grogu has a simple message. But it is a lovely one, and a good one.
It’s not enough to care about the future of your own child, you must also care about the future of children not your own.
Because one day, your generation will be gone, and your child is not going to live as some lone island, but will be surrounded by peers of their own. What will you do for them? How will you ensure the world’s children, have a place as well? Even for the children of people you may not like?
Rotta the Hutt ends his story trying out a new life, with the New Republic. He may not do it for long, and possibly the NR won’t last so very long at all after the sequel trilogy. But he is trying to find a life outside of the world of his father, that he had unwittingly internalized and never truly left. It will take some trial and error, but with support he will find it, just as Grogu is navigating his own idea of self as a small child. Rotta the Hutt’s story is not over and will continue to evolve.
You can watch a video form of this blog here: