New Star Wars Book Reveals the Surprising '90s Inspiration for an Iconic New Character
After years on Disney Plus, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his surrogate Jedi son, Grogu, made their big-screen debut in The Mandalorian and Grogu earlier this year. Now, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu by Phillip Szostak is set to hit shelves this week, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s production from start to finish.
After years on Disney Plus, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his surrogate Jedi son, Grogu, made their big-screen debut in The Mandalorian and Grogu earlier this year. Now, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu by Phillip Szostak is set to hit shelves this week, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s production from start to finish.
Ahead of this week’s release of The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Polygon got an exclusive first look at one of the art book's two-page spreads. It features stunning concept art of one of the film’s most intense moments and reveals one of the show’s most striking inspirations: Harry Hook’s 1990 film adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.
A sneak peek at the best of The Mandalorian and Grogu
Though The Mandalorian and Grogu drew on plenty of inspiration — from the city of Chicago to The French Connection — nobody could have predicted that Lord of the Flies would also influence the film’s most underrated factions: the Droid Gotra, an independent faction of emancipated droids that serves as a security force for the Hutt Twins.
According to concept artist Brian Matyas, the droids’ aesthetic drew inspiration from Lord of the Flies, the tattered, tribal-esque outfits the boys gradually put together, and junker cars. What would that look like when mixed?
“There is something quite striking when you build off of the recognizable droid aesthetics by introducing tribal and low-tech motifs, layering, mix and match droid parts, and paints,” Matyas shares in The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. “Lord of the Flies meets junker cars.”
Alongside the reveal of some of the inspiration behind The Mandalorian and Grogu, we get stunning artwork depicting Din’s fight with the gigantic albino Dragonsnake beneath the Hutt Twins’ chamber on Nal Hutta. Director Jon Favreau did a fantastic job showing the creature’s colossal size, but this artwork captures its scale and menace beautifully.
This exclusive sneak peek offered just a taste of what fans can expect when they get their hands on The Art of Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu. Szostak’s book also includes concept art and sketches, as well as interviews with the cast, crew, and creatives behind The Mandalorian and Grogu. If you want to uncover the stories and hard work behind the film’s characters, locations, and vehicles, you’ll want to snag this book ASAP.
The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives on Nov. 3, 2026.