WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic: Midnight Horizon, on sale now, Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett "Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger" and "Chapter 7: In the Name of Honor," streaming now on Disney+.
Throughout the Star Wars saga, the path of the Jedi has been one that must be embraced wholeheartedly. In Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, Luke Skywalker presented Grogu with an ultimatum: the path of the Jedi or the way of the Mandalorian. The season finale showed that Grogu chose to return to Din Djarin. However, the Jedi Order's past shows that this choice may not have to be permanent and Grogu's bond with Din could still go hand in hand with being a Jedi.
In the novel Star Wars: The High Republic: Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older, Jedi Master Kantam Sy -- one of Yoda's former students -- reflected on a similar choice in their youth. Kantam fell in love with Aytar, an acrobat in a traveling circus, and they wanted to leave the Jedi Order for a time. When Kantam approached Yoda with this desire, Yoda stated that to be a Jedi "'You must choose the Force. One does not fall into being a Jedi Knight by mistake, hm? Or because it is convenient. You must choose the Force with your whole heart. To do this, you must learn again to listen.'" Yoda argued that Jedi should not choose to become knights just because they thought they had no other options.
Kantam chose to leave the Jedi Order, and while their romance with Aytar fizzled after the initial infatuation, they still spent a year traveling the galaxy. When Kantam encountered a young Lula Talisola, they realized that they wanted to return to the Jedi, and Yoda not only welcomed them back with open arms but also knighted Kantam almost immediately. Kantam's time away from the Order was indicative of the High Republic Jedi Order's more relaxed view of membership. Some Jedi, like Wayseekers, made their life's mission seeking out new ways of viewing the Force outside of the Order's confines and many of the regulations of the Clone Wars era were more relaxed and viewed more as guidelines rather than strict mandates, especially regarding attachment.
This proved that Yoda's ultimatum was never meant to be final. Instead, the decision was meant to give Kantam space to grow. Yoda had to let go of Kantam to allow them to reach their full potential, but he never stopped caring about Kantam. Yoda equated letting go with love and allowing the people he cares about to make their own choices. Kantam also later equated letting go with recognizing what situations were in their power to act upon, and they passed this lesson down to their Padawan Lula, as seen in Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #12 by Daniel José Older, Harvey Tolibao of Magnus Art, Pow Rodrix, Rebecca Nalty, Jake M. Wood, Riley Farmer and Heather Antos. That mandate of care was a far cry from the teachings of detachment found in the later eras and was a far more compassionate way of approaching the Jedi Order and the Force.
Kantam's choice to return to the Order did not mean that they gave up on attachments. In fact, they returned specifically because they formed an attachment to Lula. Their time as a Jedi Knight was filled with deep connections with their fellow Jedi. Alongside Torben "Buckets of Blood" Buck, Kantam was one of the main Jedi Masters teaching the Padawans and younglings on the Starlight Beacon. Kantam and Buckets of Blood recounted their work to help save the retired Jedi of a damaged starship in Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures Galactic Bake-off Spectacular by Daniel José Older, Vita Ayala, Jo Geyoung, Toni Bruno, Jake M. Wood, Riley Farmer, and Heather Antos. Kantam and Torben worked well together because of their deep friendship and connection. Kantam's attachments and their time away from the Jedi Order made them a stronger Jedi Master and better equipped to handle the rising threats of the Nihil, the Drengir and the Great Levelers.
Luke Skywalker's ultimatum to Grogu in The Book of Boba Fett could serve a similar purpose, even if that purpose was not what he intended. When making the ultimatum, Luke made sure to mention Grogu's long life span and the fact that Din might die in the time it would take for Grogu to grow up to become a full Jedi Knight. Grogu's connection with Din could make him an even stronger Jedi in the future, just as Kantam Sy's attachments strengthened their own connection with the Force. Grogu may choose to fully commit to the Force later on or he could learn to combine both his Jedi training and his lessons from Din to form a new order of his own.
To see Grogu's reunion with Din Djarin, the first season of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett is streaming now on Disney+.