This post contains spoilers for episode six of The Book of Boba Fett.
He might be a child, but Grogu is still 50 years old. He was born the same year as Anakin Skywalker, in 41 BBY, long before the Clone Wars even started. And as The Book of Boba Fett “Chapter 6” revealed, the Force-sensitive green tyke was at the Jedi Temple during Order 66 nearly three decades before the events of The Mandalorian. A repressed memory showed Jedi knights died trying to protect the padawan, but we still don’t know who ultimately saved him and protected him for many years. There are two obvious candidates. And the ultimate answer to who rescued Grogu could come via another Disney+ Star Wars show, Kenobi. That could mean Obi-Wan won’t be the only legendary Jedi—nor Grogu the only small green one—we’ll soon meet again.
Grogu’s life before Din Djarin found him must have been very painful. And not just because remnants of the Empire used his blood for experiments. Grogu buried memories of who he was and where he came from. He only managed to remember a brief, horrible moment from his past thanks to Luke Skywalker helping him to access a repressed memory. That flashback was brief, but it revealed some very important facts about Grogu.
It began with Luke telling his padawan about another of Grogu’s kind, Yoda. Including the unique way the Jedi Master spoke. Luke asked if Grogu ever heard others of his species speak the same way back home. But the question made the little green guy visibly upset. He didn’t remember home, but he would let Luke could help him.
We know nothing of Yoda’s home world. George Lucas has never wanted to reveal anything about either it or Yoda’s race. But for a fleeting moment it seemed as though The Book of Boba Fett would answer one of the biggest Star Wars questions ever. Instead, when Luke placed his hand on the child’s head, the Jedi Temple was the only home Grogu remembered. Like all (non-Anakin) padawans during the Galactic Republic, Grogu must have come to the Temple as an infant. He has no memories of his family or even his home planet. He has always been a Jedi-in-training.
What Grogu specifically remembered of his home was his tragic final day there. The fateful day clone troopers attacked the temple and executed Jedi knights as part of Palpatine’s Order 66. Three unknown Jedi bravely gave their lives defending Grogu. But whatever happened next, when those clone troopers approached the child, remains a mystery. However, we do have significant information about Grogu’s life beyond what we learned from that memory. And together they begin to paint a picture of what happened to him after Order 66.
At some point, Imperial forces had Grogu and they extracted his blood for the Snoke/Palpatine resurrection project. Either the Empire captured Grogu that sad day or they found him later. Eventually, though, they lost him, necessitating the hiring of Din Djarin to locate him. We also now know that, despite being so young and vulnerable during his time at the Jedi Temple he was unable to defend himself, he received meaningful Jedi instruction at some point. Ahsoka Tano complimented Luke for training Grogu well. But Luke said, “It’s more like he’s remembering than I’m actually teaching him anything.”
That line might be more revealing than the flashback itself. Luke trained Grogu using the same methods Yoda used with Luke on Dagobah. If Grogu is “remembering” that very same training, then Yoda himself might have trained Grogu at one point. And if Grogu was too young during his time at the Jedi Temple to receive meaningful instruction, those lessons might very well have come after it. Possibly on Dagobah, same as Luke. Or even nearby where Luke grew up on Tatooine.
If someone rescued Grogu from the Jedi Temple in the immediate aftermath of Order 66, Yoda is one of the two most obvious candidates to have done so. Obi-Wan Kenobi is the other. Both went there that day and sent out a message warning fellow Jedi to stay away. And no other Jedi joined them on their missions to face Darth Sidious and Darth Vader. Would an unknown Jedi survivor have had the courage to rescue Grogu but abandon his fellow knights? It’s not impossible, but it does seem improbable.
It’s far more likely that at some point Yoda and Obi-Wan also found time to rescue Grogu and hide him. If they had it would make sense why we didn’t actually see them do it. Yoda’s species can live to be 900 years old. Grogu was (and is) the best bet to ensure a future for the Jedi. Keeping his survival a complete secret, even from trusted allies like Bale Organa, was the only way to guarantee the Emperor never learned of Grogu’s existence. (Of course, at some point Imperial forces did.)
However, even if the Empire did capture Grogu during Order 66, someone helped him escape eventually. Grogu was incapable of doing that on his own when Moff Gideon kidnapped him. He almost certainly wouldn’t have been capable of breaking free at a younger age. But, even in that case, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda are still the two most likely candidates to have saved Grogu and then hidden him away. Same as they did with Luke and Leia.
These clues, while tantalizing and revealing, paint an incomplete picture about Grogu’s past. But they all inevitably point towards the two Jedi we know walked out of the Jedi Temple on the day Grogu tried to forget. They are two knights who spent almost two decades hiding and protecting other powerful would-be padawans. If they could successfully hide the children of Anakin Skywalker, why couldn’t they do the same for a third?
Of course, that possibility raises even more questions. How and where did they keep Grogu hidden? Why did he want to forget his training? And when and how did they ultimately lose? These are more important questions Star Wars will ultimately need to answer.
It very well might when Kenobi come to Disney+ this year. With a show that ultimately provides a meaningful and significant connection with all three film trilogies, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and the very future of the franchise. And if the legendary Jedi are responsible for saving and protecting Grogu, Obi-Wan won’t be the only famous Jedi Master to return on his show.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
