An ancient religion

An ancient people, exiled and scattered across the stars 

A foster father among the line of kings

A child persecuted by an Empire

A child of great power

A child taken into hiding

An escape to the desert

A child found in the Temple

If I just listed all those characteristics, what do you think I would be talking about? The Jews, St. Joseph, and the child Jesus, right? 

But this also described the story of the Mandalorian, Din Djarin, and the Child, Grogu or, more affectionately, “Baby Yoda.” 

This silent foster father of the Child bears a great resemblance, despite his Mandalorian mask, to St. Joseph. Joseph is often described as being completely silent in the Gospels. Did you know that he actually did say something in Scripture? Joseph says one word in the Bible. Do you know what it is?

The Jews and the Mandalorians

Let’s begin with the people. St. Joseph was a Jew, a Hebrew. Din Djarin was a Mandalorian. Though the Jews were much more racially homogenous, the Mandalorians were, nevertheless, similarly united by a common creed—“This is the way!”—language, and code. In short, a common religion. Like the Jews, the Mandalorians were also ancient. The rule of the Mand’alor began on Mandalore almost 10,000 years before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope.

Also, like the Jews, the Mandalorians were scattered across the stars following the destruction of a Temple. The Diaspora or “scattering” of the Jews began with the loss of the Lost Tribes during the Assyrian Captivity. The Assyrians captured the Northern Kingdom of the Jews (“Israel”) and then the Babylonians captured the Southern Kingdom of the Jews (“Judah”). The Babylonians destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, which was not rebuilt until the time of Herod the Great, a span of almost 500 years. Even then, in the time of Joseph and Jesus, the remnant of the Jews still in Jerusalem were ruled by another oppressive empire, the Roman Empire. 

The Mandalorians helped to attack a Temple that was not their own. They attacked the Jedi Temple. The ultimate result of this attack and war with the Jedi was a cataclysm that turned the entire planet of Mandalore into a lifeless, bleached desert. Eventually, the warrior people left their broken world and were scattered across the galaxy as mercenaries. 

In the time of the Mandalorian and the Child, the remnant of the Mandalorians still on Mandalore were ruled by the Empire. The Empire had just completed the Great Purge of Mandalore, killing millions of Mandalorians during the Night of a Thousand Tears. This was when Bo-Katan Kryze, the Mand’alor, lost the Darksaber to Moff Gideon. 

The phrasing of the “Night of a Thousand Tears” also bears a resemblance to some of the Jewish purges of history, such as that by the Nazis, “Nigh of Broken Glass” or Kristallnacht. 

The Foster Fathers: Din and Joseph

This is probably the most obvious connection. Both St. Joseph and Din reluctantly become the foster fathers of a child of great power and significance. 

St. Joseph is initially reluctant to take the pregnant Blessed Mother into his home. This is not because he does not know the baby in the Virgin’s womb came from God. It’s because he does know. Joseph realizes that the Virgin Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant, and he does not feel worthy of this mission. The angel of God assures Joseph, and he takes her into his home. 

Likewise, Din Djarin is reluctant to become the Child’s caretaker. Initially, the hero even gives the Child over to the Empire, but later rescues the Child. This is not at all the mission that Din had chosen for himself. This is somewhat strange considering that Din, himself, was a foundling, an adopted orphan. Not only that, Grogu is eventually adopted by another adoptee: Luke Skywalker, himself! Remember Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru adopted Luke and hid him from his father, Darth Vader, on Tatooine. More on the desert planet of Tatooine later …  

But there’s more! It is also believed that St. Joseph was adopted. This is the theory that St. Augustine puts forth to explain the differences in the genealogies of St. Joseph provided in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. Who better to raise an adopted child than an adopted child?  

Foster Fathers and Reluctant Kings

St. Joseph and Din Djarin were also both in the lines of kings. 

After defeating Moff Gideon in combat, Din claims the Darksaber and becomes the heir to the title of Mand’alor and the kingship of Mandalore and all the Mandalorians. Din does not want this title, nor even the Darksaber, itself. He even tries to give it away. 

St. Joseph is described as being “of the House of David.” Joseph is not merely described as being a descendant of David; he is a member of the royal house. If I were to tell you that I was a member of the House of Windsor, I would likely be wearing a crown and bearing some royal title, like prince, duke, or king. Because of his legal adoption by Joseph, Jesus is born into the royal line of King David. Jesus is truly the King of Kings and Son of David, in every sense of the word.

But St. Joseph is not the rule of Israel. King Herod is the puppet rule appointed by Rome. Herod is only a half-Jew from Edom, and, therefore, unfit to rule Israel as king. Herod knew this—that’s why he burned all the genealogical records held in the Temple. 

Similarly, Emperor Palpatine installed Gar Saxon as the puppet ruler, the Viceroy of Mandalore, despite having no claim to the Darksaber.

Baby Jesus and Baby Yoda

There are quite a number of similarities between Baby Jesus and Grogu or “Baby Yoda.” There are so many, let’s just make a list: (1) both have remote homes, (2) both survive purges, are persecuted by a King Herod-figure, and must flee to safety, and (3) both are extremely powerful children in need of an earthly father.  

1) Remote Homes 

Baby Yoda is located by the Mandalorian in the Outer-Rim on the desert planet of Arvala-7. As Luke describes the Outer-Rim planets, “if there’s a bright center of the universe, you’re in the place it’s farthest from.” Luke and Anakin, both of whom are Messianic figures (Anakin is even a Virgin Birth!), both come from the Outer-Rim planets, specifically another desert planet, Tatooine.

Likewise, Baby Jesus is from Israel. All of Israel is considered a backwater of Imperial Rome—about as far as you can get from the bright center of the Roman world. Bethlehem and especially Nazareth are, therefore, the backwaters of backwaters.

2) Moff Gideon, King Herod, & Flights to Safety 

The Holy Family had difficulty finding a safe place for Jesus’ birth and infancy. “There was no room for them in the inn.” After Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, St. Joseph is told in a dream to take the Holy Family to Egypt—the so-called Flight to Egypt. This is how the Holy Family escapes King Herod’s Slaughter of the Innocents. 

Baby Yoda survived the Great Jedi Purge and was hidden away. After rescuing Grogu, Din Djarin and Cara Dune literally fly to Sorgan and various other planets, seeking sanctuary from the Empire. But no place is safe. The Empire is pursuing them through bounty hunters and, specifically, in the person of Moff Gideon. Gideon is a King Herod figure because, as we have already discussed, he is attempting to re-establish the Empire’s rule over the Galaxy, in part by wielding the Darksaber. He is also trying to collect Grogu’s blood, just as King Herod was trying to slaughter Jesus and the bloodline of the kings.  

3) Powerful Children in Need of Earthly Guardians

Baby Jesus, though extremely vulnerable, is the God-Man. He is God and possesses supernatural powers. Jesus’ powers are used to heal and to protect. Jesus is the Son of God and goes to the Temple in Jerusalem to be with His Heavenly Father: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” He nevertheless returns to Nazareth and obeys Joseph as His earthly father and, in so doing, “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”  

Baby Yoda, though extremely vulnerable (still a “baby” even though he is fifty years old), is an extremely powerful Force-user, like Yoda. Likewise, Grogu uses his powers to heal and to protect. Grogu heals Karga’s poisonous injury. Grogu also protects the Mandalorian by lifting a giant, charging mudhorn into the air. He also tried to strangle Cara Dune when he thought she was hurting Din while the two were arm-wrestling. This mistake illustrates how Grogu needed Din as his guardian and teacher. Also, though it appears that Grogu returns to the Jedi when he is taken by Luke Skywalker, Grogu ultimately chooses to return to Din to hopefully “increase in wisdom and stature” under Din’s training. 

So many similarities, right? Does that make The Mandalorian a Christmas series? I say yes! I mean, if Die Hard is considered a Christmas movie … 

Also, in reading this, I hope you come to see that all the greatest stories told in this or any other galaxy are great insofar as they originate in the Greatest Story Ever Told.  

Now, about that one word from St. Joseph. You didn’t think I forgot about that, did you? 

Remember the naming of St. John the Baptist? Zechariah was mute until at the naming ceremony he wrote, “His name is John.”

St. Joseph was the foster father of Jesus. To St. Joseph are accorded all the rights, privileges, and dignities of the earthly fatherhood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. One of these legal rights is mentioned in the angel’s words to Joseph: “Son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife … she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Did you catch that? It was St. Joseph’s legal responsibility to name Jesus, a name above all names, a name which means “GOD saves.” The father had to provide the child’s name. So what was the one and only word accorded to St. Joseph in the Bible? “Jesus.”   

 Also, place yourself under the protection of St. Joseph, the Mandalorian, and consecrate your families to St. Joseph using my and Father Donald Calloway’s Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families.

Scott L. Smith

Scott L. Smith is an attorney, author, and theologian from Louisiana. Smith is the author of The Lord of the Rings and the Eucharist; The Catholic ManBook; Pray the Rosary with Saint John Paul II; the Cajun Zombie Chronicles, the first ever Catholic zombie apocalypse; a new translation of Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary; and The Seventh Word, the first pro-life horror novel. Scott is also a co-host of the Catholic Nerds Podcast (iTunes, Stitcher, Facebook, and Twitter @NerdsCatholic). Subscribe to his blog at www.thescottsmithblog.com and follow him on Facebook, YouTube, and @scottsmith8100 for Twitter and Instagram.