This post is a reprisal on a piece I did in the depths of fan-fic, about the Mandalorian and his alchemical journey. 

However, after doing a post about how disintegration looks like the alchemical journey, I thought I’d revisit The Mandalorian through a T-shaped lens of the theory of positive disintegration (TPD).

Din Djarin is a very interesting character from a TPD perspective, so here are some musings on The Disintegrating Mando as an analysis of season 1 of the series…

Socialisation

When we first meet Din Djarin, he is very much the product of his socialisation. 

We find out that Din was not born Mandalorian, and was rescued by the Death Watch (at around the age of 8). So everything he is as a Mandalorian was learnt – taught to him by the Fighting Corp who raised him. Being part of a tribe which are Death Watch remnants, he lives life according to the Resol’nare – The Six Actions. It is a code which dictates how Mandalorians should behave. This means the values he lives to are not ones he has discovered for himself.

This code influences all his life choices – the fact he never removes his helmet, the wish to die a “warriors death”, and the notion that he seems resigned to the fact (when we first meet him) that he cannot have a “normal life”. 

It’s a strange paradox, because having a “normal life” is also a societal expectation he is willing to forsake for The Way. So here we have a dichotomy of a restrictive Mandalorian culture, juxtaposed with that very same Way being in conflict with what others would expect from him as “normal behaviour”.

I’ve always been fascinated by the scene with the Mudhorn, and not because of the miraculous feat of the child, but because of Din Djarin’s choices. The Mudhorn incident seems particularly stupid and poorly thought out, (“Oh, you want an egg – what kind of egg? One from a rampaging, nesting beast? Yeah, no worries, mate.”). It’s almost suicidal to the point of outright reckless self-destructiveness. 

We find out later that part of the Mando code he follows compels him to complete any job he agrees to take. But seriously, what’s the point of trying to finish the job if you die in the process (and hence never finish the job at all)?

It’s as though Din needs to move directly forward or he has no idea what to do with himself. He follows his code almost blindly, and his run in with the Mudhorn just shows how little self-reflection he gives in these moments. There is no questioning the code…

Karga’s suggestion that he take a break is not well received. I think that this because the Mando knows nothing but how to hunt, and desires nothing else, because that is The Way. The code is so important to him, he’s taken it quite to heart. As Hemmingway said:

“There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”

To highlight this difference, we have the scene with Omera on Sorgun, who believes that the best thing for him and the child would be to give up the Mandalorian life and settle on Sorgun with her. But should he? Is living in accordance with The Way any different from living in accordance with the expectations that the people of Sorgun have? Omega feels sorry about Din’s upbringing, because it is so far from her expectations of life – but should we feel sorry for him?

What is clear is that Din has been happy following the rules without question. He enjoys the hunt, but is that his own value, or just what he has grown to believe? He follows the Way, but is that because he truly believes it, or because he has never questioned it?

Disintegration (Episodes: The Mandalorian – The Child – The Sin)

Going into the first phase, we need to acknowledge what exactly it is in Din Djarin which needs breaking down or disintegrating.

This man, in the very first episode, makes a business deal with the very people responsible for the demise of the Mando’s – the Imps. Paz later calls him out on his business ethics in the covert tunnels. But far less concerning than a slight against the Mandalore, is the potential insult to his own soul, and the positioning of that conflict with the feelings of the rest of the covert. The Armourer calls out that it is good that the beaker has returned to the tribe.

So whose values are the right ones? Who should Din listen to? What should he do? Here we see an example of how people have different interpretations of what is right and wrong, even within the same group of people. 

What is important to note in these episodes is the value of relationships. Din does not seem to have very good relationships with anyone at this point – not the Imps, or the guild, or his own covert.

Din Djarin needs to rid himself of the denial he seems to carry that within him – the denial that he needs others in his life, and he is perfectly fine on his own. This denial which impedes him from genuine emotional connection. The biggest lie he has told himself is that he needs no one else in his life. He tells himself he does not seek connection. He tells himself he does not need love. Which is all a total sack of Dewback shit. 

Grogu is going to highlight that for him, when he begins to bond with the baby. He is going to start questioning his values, and his need for relationships. He is about to head into a uni level disintegration.

The thematic clues of unilevel disintegration sit in the episode names – The Mandalorian, The Child, and The Sin. This is about Mando shedding his past and his past sins, with the catalyst for his disintegration being the child.

But what exactly do we see break down in the first three Mando episodes when Din has his disintegration? Are you surprised when it comes to seeking relationships, what is actually destroyed is relationships? Din Djarin pretty much destroys every single alliance that he has, even with himself. This is his breakdown.

He betrays the Imps, falls out with the Guild, and even falls out with his own covert. Although the covert ultimately assists him to escape, it will eventually cost them their lives now they are exposed. We also see flash backs to his childhood where his family and people are destroyed.

He also betrays the child who saved his life, turning him over to the Empire. Although he has an obligation under the fourth action of the Resol’nare to earn for his tribe, he still must have felt like a total Judas in that moment. This was expressed when he “uncharacteristically” questions the client about his plans 

Critically, he betrays himself, by aligning himself with the Empire. He hands over the kid when he knows it’s wrong, and accepts the blood money in the form of beskar. Not least of all, he betrays his own will to live when he stares down the Mudhorn. It’s not so much a fall from grace, but a plummet at terminal velocity.

To translate that into modern speak, this is where our hero turns into a hot mess.

Heirachization (Episodes: The Sanctuary – The Gunslinger – The Prisoner)

So Din’s crashed and burned, and his assumptions have been challenged. He has performed the noble act at the end of his disintegration, in rescuing the child, and no doubt found some astonishment in himself. But he is now totally alone.

Most of these three episodes is him trying to absolve himself from his past and move forward with the child, which although not mandated yet by his covert, he accepts as his duty. In ep 4, Din truly accepts his commitment to the kid (he tries to leave him behind, to which Dune tells him it will break his heart, but the appearance of the other bounty hunter reminds him of that duty).

This is where he rediscovers himself and his purpose. He starts a multilevel journey, and begins to sort out his true values.

In the episode names, again we see clues. These episodes are about our gunslinger questioning his purpose and life as a bounty hunter. But he is still a prisoner of his past, although he is now seeking sanctuary for his soul. Now that Din Djarin has broken down, it is time to wash away those parts of him and his past which no longer serve his higher self. He is in active multilevel disintegration.

This purification can only be achieved by opening his heart to others, and by allowing other people into his world and taking the first tentative steps in engaging in love with other people. He slowly starts his cleansing. He helps the people of Sorgun, forms an alliance with Dune, and approaches his old crew with a different attitude to when he worked with them in the past.

The Mando by now is trying to save and spare lives, and while he kills Ran and Qin, he lets Xi’an, Burg and Mayfeld live (hooray for Mayfeld!) and tries to save the Republic prison guard. He severs ties with his past and leaves behind those who no longer serve his true purpose.

He is figuring out what is “less like him” and what is “more like him”, and importantly starting to get a glimpse of “who he ought to be”. We also see him going through a lot of dynamisms, across both unilevel and multilevel disintegration.

To translate again into more modern terms, this is where our hero ‘comes clean’ to himself about who he really is.

Organisation (Episodes: The Reckoning – The Redemption)

In this stage, Din Djarin’s salvation comes not at his own hand, but from his ability to bond with and love others. Din pretty much accomplishes nothing on his own, except for killing a couple of Imps and getting himself trapped. The only exception is when he uses the Rising Phoenix technique to single handled take down Gideon’s TIE fighter. 

The phoenix, in alchemy, is the symbol of rebirth. When it comes to his disintegration journey, we see Din taking a stand for what he believes in. This is highlighted by his determination to protect Grogu, no matter the cost, and in the moment when he allows IG-11 to save his life (against his will to “die a warrior’s death”). The removal of his helmet for the first time is symbolic of his willingness to rethink what he has been taught, and instead put his faith in love.

The names for these episodes are clear and speak to the re-birth and awakening. This where our hero starts to reimagine his true self, his values, and live by them.

The Armourer rebirths Din as the Mudhorn Clan of Two, giving Djarin a true family and purpose. She bestows on him his ability to become the phoenix (his jetpack) and allows him to replenish his weapons. This shows him being re-born to what is truly valuable to him – his clan, his heart, and his new family. It speaks to him affirming his new values, and preparing to live his life according to them.

The biggest shift we see is in Din Djarin’s heart. Cara is a trusted ally and friend. Karaga and Din resolve their differences. Kuiil is laid to rest with the respect befitting a true friend. He even feels bad for a droid… 

Again, it is his interactions with IG-11 which show his changed perspective. The fact that he has developed a relationship with a droid, where previously he has refused to, speaks volumes to his shifted values.

Din Djarin leaves Karga and Dune with a new commitment to his new family. It is this commitment – to truly live his Creed in a new way, and protect his new family – which marks the end of Din Djarin’s transformation. 

I think, considering where he started, Din Djarin (at least in the matters of self and heart) has indeed been reborn. 

Final Thought

The one thing that stands out to me is that after everything he has been through, Din Djarin is still a committed Mandalorian. But it seems to me that when he leaves with Grogu and his jetpack, he is now committed to The Way, because he has been forced to question it. 

It’s a theme which we will see continue in season 2 when he meets Bo-Katan, who calls him out on being a religious zealot. We will see it again when he makes the hard choice to remove his helmet for Grogu’s sake in the ISB stronghold, and when he relinquishes Grogu to Luke Skywalker. 

Again, we’ll see him reflect and consider his values during the Book of Boba Fett, when he speaks with Ahsoka about what is best for Grogu. We will see it throughout season three when he chooses to seek out the sacred waters on Mandalore, and yet discovers that even though he owns the Dark sabre, he doesn’t really want it. We will see it one last time when he decides to settle down with Grogu on Nevarro, rather than return to either the covert, or to Bo-Katan.

At every turn through the series so far, Din Djarin is forced to reflect and reconsider what he believes. He will go through difficult emotions, he will question himself and his values, and at the end he will remain Mandalorian. Although now, he is a Mandalorian who knows that his Way (and how he lives to it) is a Way he has reflected on and chosen for himself.

Din Djarin has disintegrated, reflected, been challenged, grown, and expanded his heart. It was not a process which was without emotional turmoil, and certainly not without having to find out the answer to the ultimate question – who he really is. 

As any of us who’ve walked the path through disintegration towards authenticity know – This is The Way.