Warning: The following contains spoilers from Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger,” streaming now on Disney+.
When we saw ant droids stacking rocks in Chapter 6 of The Book of Boba Fett, some fans may have recognized the structure-in-progress as Luke's Jedi Academy from the Sequel Trilogy's flashback sequences. We've been led to believe the Academy fell into ruin because of Snoke's grooming of Ben Solo and Luke's mishandling of his training. But what if Luke's ill-conceived ultimatum to Grogu is what actually doomed the endeavor from the start?
In The Last Jedi, dueling flashbacks reveal that Luke -- foreseeing that Ben would succumb to the dark side -- nearly took his nephew's life as a preventative measure. Depending on who's perspective the viewer trusts more, Luke either had a change of heart and stopped himself or Ben fought him off to save himself. Either way, Luke fulfilled his own worst fear. Ben Solo destroyed the temple and (like his grandfather) killed most of the padawans, which completed his transition to dark Force user, Kylo Ren.
The Luke we see in the Sequel Trilogy some years later has fled to Ahch-To where he plans to live out the rest of his days as a hermit. Though he purposefully chose the birthplace of the Jedi Order as his final home, he's regretful about his own flawed interpretation of Jedi wisdom and jaded about the role the Jedi have played in the galaxy's political and military affairs. He somewhat reluctantly teaches Rey what he knows of the Force. It's not a power that lets people control other people. It's not about lifting rocks. It's about balance and energy that bind the universe together. However, this time, he adds a lesson about hubris.
Luke points out that the Jedi were so blinded by hubris, they failed to see obvious threats. Luke himself certainly displayed hubris in assuming that it was his responsibility to take one life (Ben's) in order to save what he hoped would be many more. He also acted with superiority in making Grogu choose between the Beskar armor Din Djarin had forged for him and Yoda's lightsaber. Luke's needlessly restrictive tutelage may have ended catastrophically with Kylo Ren, but it appears to have begun with Grogu, his first student.
Though it makes for a dramatic plot point, the choice between the armor and the lightsaber is merely symbolic and many of the Jedi rules upon which Luke bases the ultimatum are hypocritical or impossible to uphold. Jedi are forbidden from forming attachments and are taken from their families for training, but it's ridiculous to imply that Jedi maintain no relationships outside of the Order. Star Wars stories are full of Jedi who've broken this tenant to various extents. Jedi are also forbidden from accepting gifts (though it's implied this means political gifts) and keeping possessions. However, Jedi are extremely attached to their lightsabers (which, in this case, would be a gift), and plenty of Jedi choose to wear armor that presumably belongs to them. It's also never stated that a person must abandon their entire culture to become a Jedi. Though Grogu belongs to Yoda's species, he's been anointed a Mandalorian foundling by Din, and there's no reason he can't be both, as Tarre Vizsla was.
We don't know which gift Grogu will accept and which path he will take, but that Luke is making the novice Jedi decide at all could have unforeseen consequences beyond The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. If he becomes a Mandalorian, Luke may have just denied the Jedi one of their most pure-hearted, powerful and long-lived knights. If he stays a padawan but is ultimately unhappy away from Din, he could fall into the wrong hands and his future could be corrupted as Ben's was, plus he may be denying Mandalore its own savior. We also know that Snoke was cloned and that the remains of the Empire want Grogu for his genetics, so there could even be a direct cause and effect.
Luke in the timeline of The Book of Boba Fett admits he doesn't know what to do with Grogu, but seems unaware of his own potential for hubris, while Luke in the timeline of The Last Jedi has come to understand that the Jedi were as prone to absolutist thinking as the Sith, and that true wisdom is more complicated than adhering to simple rules. Ahsoka reminds him that sometimes the student teaches the master, though he doesn't seem to heed that advice. Time will tell what effect this moment has on Grogu's life, but in trying to put him on the right path, Luke may have just taken his first step down the wrong one.
To see Grogu make his choice, tune into the season finale of The Book of Boba Fett, airing February 9th on Disney+.