Editor's note: The below contains minor spoilers for Season 3 of The Mandalorian.While the ending of the second season suggested that Grogu would be absent from the side of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in future seasons of The Mandalorian, the additional story beats introduced in The Book of Boba Fett confirmed that the two were inseparable. Grogu’s importance to Din has been evident in the first two episodes of the third season, and the infant child continues to spark theories, discussion, and memes. Even if it looks like Grogu won’t be attending Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy anytime soon, his Force sensitivity is certainly bound to draw in some enemies for his protector to face off against. While Grogu has proven that he can adequately use the Force to defend himself, a detail within the episode “The Mines of Mandalore” suggests that he may be learning to talk.
During “The Mines of Mandalore,” Grogu is able to escape from the treacherous hidden city when Alamite defenders attack Din. Those reading along with the subtitles on Disney+ may have noticed that Grogu has been uttering a few hardly recognizable words since Season 2; anytime he says “patu,” it seems to indicate something related to food. While the subtitles in Season 2 were otherwise listed as “cooing,” in “The Mines of Mandalore” they’re listed as “babbling.” It doesn’t seem likely that a series with such tight continuity as the Star Wars saga would slip up on this sort of detail; Grogu may in fact be beginning to be speaking some sort of alien language.
Grogu’s Species Has Been a Mystery
The mystery surrounding Grogu’s first words is even more important to the Star Wars canon than filling up spots in Din’s personal baby scrapbook, as his species has been one of the biggest mysteries in the entire franchise. Ever since the introduction of Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, Lucasfilm has been notoriously tight-lipped about anything regarding the character’s origins, species, language, or upbringing. Despite the massive database of worlds, alien races, and languages that exist within the modern Star Wars canon, “Yoda’s species” is still an enigma. George Lucas himself has had fun dispelling popular fan theories, and at one point even claimed that he was the “love child” of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy from The Muppet Show.
The Phantom Menace introduced Yaddle, a female member of Yoda’s species who also served as one of the twelve members of the Jedi Council. While the early Legends content had Yaddle speaking in the same backwards style voice as Yoda, her appearance in last year’s animated anthology series Tales of the Jedi was much different. Bryce Dallas Howard voiced a version of Yaddle who for all intents and purposes spoke relatively normally, suggesting that all the known members of Yoda’s species may not all share the same characteristics. Considering Howard has directed several episodes of The Mandalorian, it’s possible this could be another clue about their mysterious origins. However, Yaddle herself won’t be there to answer any of the questions personally, as she sadly dies in a fatal duel with Count Dooku (Corey Burton) due to the prompting of Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid).
According to what Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) said in the last season of The Mandalorian, Yoda’s species has an inherently strong connection to the Force. Some of the older Legends material included other Jedi Masters of the same species, including Vandar Tokare in the Knights of the Old Republic comic book, Otegin the MMORPG The Old Republic, and Minch appears in the Star Wars Tales short story “Heart of Darkness.” However, the only known members in the modern canon are currently Yoda, Yaddle, and Grogu; whatever Grogu has to say could have major consequences for one of the saga’s biggest lingering questions.
Grogu's Link to Jedi History
Grogu’s first words are also important to his development in the ways of the Force. Although elements of his background have yet to be fully spelled out quite yet, it’s known that he was taken from the Jedi Temple at some point. Obi-Wan Kenobi showed extensive flashbacks to the raid on the Jedi Temple by the 501st Legion during the events of Order 66, so it’s possible that Din’s conversations with Grogu may give more insight into the events of that tragic day. It’s also something that they would naturally bond over, as Din himself experienced the bombing of his homeworld during the Clone Wars.
All known Jedi and those with Force sensitivity were strictly hunted during the Imperial era, so Grogu’s secrecy certainly kept him safe during the two decades before the rise of the Rebel Alliance. However, his growing powers do present different types of dangers to Din on his missions. Jedi are still rarities within the galaxy, as Luke has only just begun to train new students of his own. We know from the sequel trilogy that his attempts to raise a new legion of heroes were unsuccessful after the skirmish with the Knights of Ren, putting Jedi in even more peril.
Din and Grogu Have a Mutual Upbringing
Nonetheless, the period of time between the end of Return of the Jedi and the beginning of The Force Awakens has been relatively unexplored in the larger Star Wars canon, so any insights on Jedi activity during this era will be interesting to explore. Perhaps it's safer for Din to know as little about Grogu as possible, but with villains like Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) out there, it’ll be a good idea to know what sort of antagonists might be searching for him.
Whether Grogu’s language is inherent or something that he’s picked up during his adventures with Din, it will be interesting to see how both characters are anomalies within their respective cultures. Since Grogu isn’t training to become a Jedi, he’s a novelty within his species; Din has had his conflicts with his Mandalorian tribe in the past, and although this season he is attempting to reindoctrinate himself, he’s also developing cultural hallmarks of his own. The fact that both Din and Grogu don’t ascribe to traditional notions based on their backgrounds is yet another reason their father-child relationship is so endearing.