Warning! SPOILERS ahead for The Book of Boba Fett episode 5.
The Mandalorian's Din Djarin returns in The Book of Boba Fett episode 5, but he's no longer with Bo-Katan and the Nite Owls - why is that? As expected, The Book of Boba Fett has largely been about its titular character. Through flashbacks, the Disney+ show has explained how Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc Pit and rescued Fennec Shand, setting them both up for their returns in The Mandalorian season 2. In the present day, The Book of Boba Fett has picked up the narrative established by Mandalorian season 2's post-credit scene of Fett taking over Jabba the Hutt's criminal empire. Episode 5, however, doesn't even include Boba Fett and instead switches focus entirely to Din Djarin.
Djarin making an appearance in The Book of Boba Fett was all but guaranteed by episode 4's tease, but it's a surprise to see this episode focus solely on him. The episode is basically the premiere for The Mandalorian season 3 slipped into the middle of its own spinoff, and only in its final minutes does it reconnect with The Book of Boba Fett's story. Even more surprising, though, is how The Book of Boba Fett finds Djarin alone and bounty hunting, almost like the events of The Mandalorian's first two seasons didn't happen. Of course, those events did happen, and they changed Djarin's life forever, but his appearance in The Book of Boba Fett doesn't explain what happened after Din handed Grogu over to Luke Skywalker. It also doesn't explain why Djarin is no longer with Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls, though it does hint at why they've parted ways.
In The Mandalorian season 2 finale, Din Djarin is last seen with Bo-Katan, having stayed behind on Moff Gideon's cruiser while Grogu left with Skywalker. When Djarin is seen again in The Book of Boba Fett episode 5, "Return of the Mandalorian," he is a lonely bounty hunter once more. There's no explanation given for why, and it could be as simple as him craving the familiarity of his pre-Grogu life after such a heartbreaking separation. But as the season 2 finale also saw Djarin win the Darksaber from Gideon, it's expected that The Mandalorian season 3 will be focusing on Djarin, Bo-Katan, and the future of Mandalore. So why separate them? The answer almost certainly is the Darksaber itself, the mythical lightsaber whose wielder is prophesied to unite and rule Mandalore.
Previously, Bo-Katan had been given the Darksaber by Sabine Wren, who had won the blade in combat during Star Wars Rebels. With the Darksaber in hand, Bo-Katan led Mandalore against the Empire, but as the Armorer reiterates in The Book of Boba Fett episode 5, she ultimately fails and dooms the planet and its people. According to legend, this is because Bo-Katan was not the Darksaber's rightful owner since she herself had not won it in battle. Not wanting to make that mistake again, Bo-Katan sought out Moff Gideon so she could fight him and win back the blade, but Djarin unknowingly beat her to it. Now he is the Darksaber's rightful owner and, as a result, Bo-Katan's rival.
While Djarin doesn't explicitly mention on what terms Bo-Katan and he left off on, they surely aren't as good as they once were. Djarin's taking of the Darksaber has put him between Bo-Katan and what she perceives as her birthright. If Bo-Katan is to reestablish herself as Mandalore's leader, she will need to beat him in a duel. Whether or not there was an attempt to settle things before they separated is unclear, but Djarin's questions to the Armorer could suggest he's dreading their inevitable confrontation. His willingness to train with the blade may also suggest he intends to keep it, though he doesn't seem to have any interest in being a ruler. His intentions aside, Djarin having the Darksaber is the most likely reason why he is no longer with Bo-Katan and the Nite Owls when he reappears on The Book of Boba Fett. They will almost certainly cross paths again The Mandalorian, but when they do, it likely won't be as friends but as combatants in a fight for the Darksaber.
The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney+.
