While Star Wars' Grogu had a flashback to Order 66 in The Book of Boba Fett, it's ultimately a good thing that the child didn't witness Darth Vader's atrocity in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Not only would seeing Vader's slaughter of several younglings be traumatizing, but it also would have had adverse effects, seeing as Palpatine sends his new apprentice to the Jedi Temple in one of the film's darkest scenes. It would have also made Grogu's training with Luke Skywalker problematic.

In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker is corrupted by the dark side of the Force due to his fear that his wife, Padmé, would die in child birth. Manipulating and seducing the wayward Jedi, Darth Sidious christens his new apprentice with the name Darth Vader, instructing him to purge the Jedi Temple while he enacts Order 66, a command which compels the Republic's clone army to turn against their Jedi generals. Tragically, the Jedi Purge led by Vader included a class of younglings, an implied massacre that cuts away after he ignites his lightsaber facing frightened students who thought they could trust him.

Related: Luke Skywalker's Jedi Temple Was Better Than The Prequels'

Considering Grogu's flashback in The Book of Boba Fett episode 6, which confirms he was present at the Jedi Temple during Order 66 and somehow escaped the carnage, many have wondered why a cameo featuring Vader wasn't shown. There are a few likely reasons, the first being that if Grogu had been close enough to Vader to witness him killing younglings, he probably wouldn't have survived long being a youngling himself. Even then, the implication of Vader's darkest act was enough for Revenge of the Sith, whereas showing it in Grogu's Order 66 flashback would have only served to needlessly sensationalize the scene as misplaced fan service.

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Given The Book of Boba Fett's placement on the Star Wars timeline after Return of the Jedi, which featured Darth Vader's redemption, showing his Jedi slaughter posthumously would have narratively undone said redemption. There's no reason for Luke Skywalker to see one of his father's darkest moments after reconciling with him and bringing his father back to the light (seeing as how it likely wouldn't have changed his perspectives). Furthermore, it certainly would have made for a problematic scenario if it was directly revealed that the son of the man who traumatized and nearly killed Grogu was the one caring and training him years later (had the child seen Vader in Revenge of the Sith).

It makes sense why some Star Wars fans are wondering why Luke didn't see his father's first steps in the dark side through Grogu. However, it's ultimately a good thing that a Darth Vader cameo wasn't featured in the Revenge of the Sith flashback. Showing Vader's massacre in any capacity would have ruined the scene as one of the darkest moments in the Skywalker family's history while also complicating matters for Grogu in the present era of the new Star Wars series.

More: Star Wars Makes Its Grogu Name Problem Canon

The Book of Boba Fett is now streaming on Disney+

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