Oh, So Grogu Is Kind Of A Badass Now
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the second episode of "The Mandalorian" season 3.
Sometimes big power comes in small packages. We saw it in the "Star Wars" universe with Yoda, who taught Luke Skywalker the ways of the Jedi and watched him flip around like a spinning top when fighting during the prequels. Now another tiny little green guy of the same unnamed species has proven that, like Yoda, he's an absolute badass and I'm not just talking about his Force powers, either.
Grogu is a smart little dude, seemingly understanding everything that is said to him (other than, "Don't eat the frog eggs"), despite being unable to speak more than a sort of word when he sees Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris). Papa Mando (Pedro Pascal) now treats him like a son, discussing the Mandalorians as "we" when they're chatting, including Grogu in the group. He's teaching him about navigation, which is part of what makes them Mandalorian, so they can never be lost. Dank farrik, but this show makes me tear up far too often.
As it turns out, Grogu is very good at paying attention. Not only does he show his Force skills in battle, but he can clearly navigate the galaxy (with the help of a navigational droid) without Papa. Anyone else reminded of Yoda's line, "Judge me by my size, do you?"
Not bad for a decades-old baby
It's not clear how much time has passed since season 1, but we know that Grogu was about 50 then. Considering how long Yoda lived, Grogu is still a wee pumpkin. He can't speak and acts like a kid, stealing candy and using his Force powers to spin in an office chair. However, we don't know exactly what his maturity level is compared to a human child. He seems like a baby, but he's clearly smart enough to understand Din's lesson. He's scared of space whales (they're called purrgil) like a tiny kid would be, but perceptive enough for Luke Skywalker to grant him the adult choice of continuing his Jedi training or returning to Papa Mando. He's emotionally mature, even though he's a tiny snuggle bug.
How long did Grogu study the Force to have the kind of mental control he demonstrated on Mandalore? It's not entirely clear. He trained in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for an unspecified amount of time, and we don't know how much he learned before Order 66 was enacted or if he was practicing after being rescued.
Though it isn't exactly crystal clear how long Grogu studied with Luke Skywalker either, it's been a bit of time, according to Jon Favreau. He said something in a recent quote about it being two years, but he might also have been speaking about the amount of time since the end of season 2 actually aired. Still, when we visited Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) on Nevarro, the town was built up in a way that would likely take years, and the Armorer (Emily Swallow) has clearly recruited a large number of followers. Some time has definitely passed, and he could have done a lot of training.
Maybe his attachments are a good thing
Would more time have made him more powerful, though? It can take about two decades for a being to be trained as a Jedi, though Luke certainly didn't train that long with Yoda. Just throwing this out there from the inside of my head, but I would guess that it's less than the fighting techniques take all that time to learn and more that it takes that long to master your mind's desire for attachment. That's something Grogu didn't learn.
That said, Luke did just fine saving the galaxy and still has attachments to family and friends. Rey (Daisy Ridley) has attachments and did pretty well herself. In fact, attachments might actually help with perception. Those who trained so long and became a part of the Jedi Council during the prequel films clearly didn't see a major threat coming. Jedi with less training and more attachment (including Jedi-equivalent Ahsoka Tano, played in live-action by Rosario Dawson) seem to have more success.
Does that have anything to do with how good Grogu is? He's got the skills, and the training he did with Luke did seem to take away the exhaustion he felt after using the Force in earlier seasons. Still, Grogu is very attached to Din and even left training to be with him. If using the Force means using the mind and spirit, his strong love for Papa Mando might be the thing helping him through it, no matter how much training he had.
Whatever the reason, our favorite little green baby kicked some serious ass in this episode. Heck, maybe he should have the Darksaber! Kidding, but it's something to think about.
"The Mandalorian" season 3 is streaming on Disney+ with new episodes every Wednesday.