Summary

• Din Djarin's essential role in uniting Mandalore is subtly depicted through his actions.
• The shriek-hawk attacking the foundling symbolizes the Children of the Watch's past haunting them.
• Only Din Djarin was capable of defeating the symbolic past and uniting the Mandalorians for a better future.

While Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) seemed to take more of a backseat role in The Mandalorian season 3, one scene proves that he has always been absolutely essential to Mandalore and the unity of its people. As one of Star Wars' most recognizable Mandalorians, Din Djarin always had to be a part of Mandalore's story, despite the fact he was raised on the moon Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff)'s side as she leads the effort to reclaim Mandalore, even if he has future plans that stretch beyond Mandalore.

Mando is much more than just a loyal follower and a faithful right hand, however. His role in this story is subtle, yet absolutely essential, as it is Din who is ultimately responsible for bringing his and Bo-Katan's people together for the first time in many years. One scene especially puts this into perspective, depicting what Din's true role would really be, even in the heat of intense and high-stakes action. It calls back to the earliest depictions of Mandalorians as a society in Star Wars canon, drawing upon their history to foreshadow their future.

A Shriek-Hawk, Death Watch's Symbol, Took The Foundling

The Symbol of Death Watch Attacked One of its Own

While it's not explicitly stated by the characters in The Mandalorian, the raptor-like creature in season 3, episode 4 "Chapter 20: The Foundling" who takes Ragnar Vizsla is, in fact, a shriek-hawk. These creatures are more famously known as the symbol worn by of the Armorer (Emily Swallow)'s words, "Death Watch is no longer." The Children of the Watch are a clear offshoot of this group, and they still respect this symbol of their ancestors.

The history of the Children of the Watch was quite literally coming back to haunt and hurt them.

Despite this, it's a shriek-hawk that attacks, and has been consistently attacking, a foundling from their own covert. If saving a foundling is the highest honor of the Children of the Watch, then having a foundling at risk must be their greatest tragedy. The symbolism behind the shriek-hawk attacking those who bear its symbol, then, is absolutely profound; the history of the Children of the Watch was quite literally coming back to haunt and hurt them. This foreshadows the change this group needs, and it's one only Din Djarin himself could bring.

It Was Din Djarin Who Ultimately Defeated This Creature

His Victory Symbolized Overcoming a Divisive Past

The fight against the shriek-hawk sees an entire team of Mandalorians, particularly the specialized and appropriately-named Shriek-hawk Training team, face the creature, but ultimately they are fairly unsuccessful. Bo-Katan is swatted out of the air hard enough to lose a pauldron before she manages to free Paz from the creature's jaws, which puts him out of commission once he lands on a jagged rock structure. The other Mandalorians also attempt to fire ropes and other grappling devices to seal off the shriek-hawk's mouth and wings, though their efforts are to no avail.

It's only Din who can fly in, fire a shot to tie up the shriek-hawk's wing, and stab the creature hard enough to release the foundling. This leads directly to the shriek-hawk's defeat, which sees the raptor swallowed up by another, larger creature in the water, all while Din flies just in time to catch Ragnar and save him. This is highly symbolic of Mando's role in this entire underlying story of Mandalorian unity and overcoming the past. Only he was capable of defeating the past that had been haunting them and saving their future.

Din Djarin Was The Only One Able To Fracture Mandalorian Prejudices

It Always Had to be Someone Like Din

Din was the only person who was capable of overcoming the Children of the Watch's past in such a way as this, one that would ultimately lead to a more united future for all of Mandalore. As a foundling himself, Din didn't have the burden of Death Watch's past weighing on his shoulders, as he was only adopted into this group either at the time Death Watch was fracturing or directly afterward. He carved his own path as a Mandalorian, especially after becoming Grogu's caretaker and father, and this set him up for this role perfectly.

Din has always proved that he sees far beyond the bounds of cultural groups and differences, with his knowledge of the Tuskens' language as evidence alone of this fact. His willingness to work with the Jedi to help Grogu is another piece of evidence The Mandalorian planted to set Din up for this unifying role. Taking down the shriek-hawk was simply another step of strong foreshadowing that led to him ultimately shattering the Mandalorians' prejudiced and divided history, ultimately leading to Mandalore's eventual unity in The Mandalorian season 3 finale.