I Know Exactly What Star Wars Story I Want Bryce Dallas Howard To Make

Summary

• Bryce Dallas Howard should create a Din Djarin origin story show due to her expertise with the character in The Mandalorian.
• Exploring Din Djarin’s past could fill in gaps in Mandalorian history and deepen the character’s story.
• Howard’s balance of action and vulnerability would make a gritty bounty hunting show for Din Djarin ideal.

Now that Bryce Dallas Howard has expressed interest in creating her own Star Wars TV show, I know exactly what story she should tell, and it has everything to do with those she’s already brought to life in her previous directorial episodes: Mandalorians. Howard made her Star Wars directorial debut in The Mandalorian season 1, episode 4 “Sanctuary,” where she was tasked with what was admittedly the trickiest episode to direct, according to showrunner Jon Favreau. She, of course, did a fantastic job, and has since gone on to direct several other Star Wars episodes.

Howard has always been one of my personal favorite Star Wars TV show directors, especially with her work in The Book of Boba Fett. That episode remains one of the most highly praised in all of Star Wars TV to this day, and to me, it further proves just how well she understands Mandalorians – particularly Din Djarin. As someone with an affinity for Mandalorians as a whole and Din Djarin himself, I know exactly what Star Wars story I want Howard to tackle, and it would yet again place this character at the heart of a Star Wars project.

Bryce Dallas Howard Should Make Din Djarin’s Origin Story Show

Little Is Known About Din Djarin’s Origin

Clearly, I can’t get enough of Din Djarin if I’m asking for an origin story show when The Mandalorian already exists, but there are many reasons why I think it would be a compelling story to explore. There are just as many reasons to explain why I think Howard should be the one who tells it, but those all boil down to the reality that she understands Mando in her direction perhaps better than any other The Mandalorian director does. Howard’s episodes have often portrayed Din at his most vulnerable, from falling in love to grappling with his son’s absence.

Howard’s episodes have often portrayed Din at his most vulnerable, from falling in love to grappling with his son’s absence.

It’s obvious to me, then, that Howard is the perfect person to tell the tale of Din Djarin’s tragic past. While The Mandalorian has supplemented viewers with brief flickers of Mando’s past, most notably the attack on his homeworld Aq Vetina, little else is known about his upbringing with the Mandalorians and even his life before then. It’s clear this upbringing is what shaped Din into the ruthless bounty hunter he is in The Mandalorian, and Howard would be able to explore the intricacies of that story and that transformation better than anyone else.

Andor Proved Exploring Character’s Backstories Is Worthwhile

It Opens Up Opportunities For Exploring More Than Just The Character Themselves

I completely understand the knee-jerk response of many who may be asking why we need a Din Djarin origin story when The Mandalorian already exists, because it’s one I’ve heard and seen before, prior to the release of Andor. The biggest argument then was that Cassian Andor’s story didn’t need to be told, since his fate had already been sealed in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Since then, however, Andor has become the biggest Star Wars TV show success critically, and it’s generally renowned by fans as the best work Star Wars TV has ever done.

This character backstory exploration told in such a gritty yet vulnerable style would serve Din Djarin well, especially considering that Grogu’s presence at Din’s side prevents the story from getting as serious as it should in some places. Mando’s backstory would be even more than a further exploration into his character; it would bring the Clone Wars to live-action once again, and it would even have the chance to explore the Dark Times further – similarly to both Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi. There’s so much history it could fill in, especially where Mandalore is concerned.

This Origin Story Would Fill In Gaps In Mandalorian History

Death Watch’s Fracture, The Great Purge, & More Could All Be Explored

While The Mandalorian season 3 has done a lot of work in kicking off a new era of Mandalore and providing some of the context for their struggles, there’s still a lot left to learn about Mandalore’s history between the Clone Wars and the New Republic era. Star Wars Rebels has also filled in some gaps, but there are many, many years left to explore, and a lot of new lore to decipher. Star Wars: The Clone Wars shows the initial fracturing of Death Watch due to Darth Maul’s betrayal, but its further fracture that led to the Children of the Watch still has yet to be seen.

Din Djarin’s origin story could explore this and even more. As someone who likely would have been one of the Children of the Watch’s earliest foundlings, assuming this group broke off at the end of the Clone Wars and not before, his upbringing could explain why and how this happened – and how many other warring factions there truly were. It could also show what the Great Purge was like from the perspective of those living on Concordia, and how they were able to get away to Nevarro and any other previous hideouts safely.

Exploring Din Djarin’s Origin Story Has Several Appeals

It Could Be The Gritty Bounty Hunting Show Everyone’s Always Wanted

Filling in Mandalorian history is just one of the many appeals of exploring Din Djarin’s origin story. Though The Mandalorian was initially thought to be the bounty hunting show everyone had always wanted to see with a character like Boba Fett, the twist of Grogu at the end of the first episode changed all that. The story we have now is one we all love, with such a meaningful father-son duo at the heart of it, but the origin story of how Din Djarin came to be the best bounty hunter in the parsec would fulfill this Star Wars wish.

Howard would be the perfect person to do this, as she has already proven she can oscillate between deep, meaningful character moments and gritty action. “Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian” opens with what’s no doubt one of Star Wars’ most brutal fight scenes, but it still goes on to have moments where Din’s heart is seen on his sleeve as he mourns Grogu’s absence. This perfect balance would make the story of Din Djarin’s origin rich with both the action Star Wars viewers crave from a bounty hunting show and vulnerable character moments.

Howard would be the perfect person to do this, as she has already proven she can oscillate between deep, meaningful character moments and gritty action.

The Mandalorian has already opened up plenty of storytelling opportunities for Din Djarin’s past, and Howard has proven she’s the best one for the job. From the mysterious job on Alzoc III with Ranzar Malk’s gang to the offhanded comment Din makes in season 3 about seeing battle droids after the Clone Wars, there’s so much of his story left to explore. I think it would be fascinating to see it, and given how incredible Howard’s work on Star Wars has been so far, I trust her perhaps more than anyone else to be the one who tells it.