There were so many reveals in Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, from Ahsoka to the possibility of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s arrival. And in the middle of all that, we actually got an origin story for little Grogu, the Jedi Youngling Formerly Known as Baby Yoda. And soon, the child is going to an ancient Jedi temple to place a long distance call to any Jedi that might respond.
But who is out there to answer it? In today’s Nerdist News, Dan Casey definitely has some thoughts on which Jedi Knight might show up.
Ahsoka Tano reveals the Force sensitive child received training in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, only to be smuggled out when Order 66 goes down. Which means he survived Anakin’s lightsaber blade, while that adorable Dickensian-sounding Jedi kid presumably did not. Now, all Mando has to do is take Grogu to the ancient Jedi Temple on the planet Tython, place him on the seeing stones, and let him cast his energy into the universe, in the hopes that a Jedi will respond. But just who will answer that call?
Lucasfilm
At this point in the Star Wars timeline, the Jedi Order has long since fallen. But it turns out that Order 66 was kind of like the destruction of the planet Krypton in Superman comics. At first we thought it killed almost everyone except baby Kal-El, and then we discover there’s a ton of other survivors. So there are several choices for the Jedi who might answer Grogu’s intergalactic phone call, and not all of them are even technically alive still. Let’s examine the suspects.
Cal Kestis
Lucasfilm
The star of the hit video game Jedi: Fallen Order, we know Cal Kestis survived Order 66. But did he survive past the events of Return of the Jedi? If we’re going by Yoda’s words to Luke once he died, then young Skywalker is it for the Jedi Order. Ahsoka wasn’t technically a Jedi anymore, and Ezra Bridger was so far in unknown space that even Yoda might have assumed he was dead. But if he somehow did survive, he’d be in his 40s now, and possibly ready to train Grogu.
Ezra Bridger
Lucasfilm
If, as Ahsoka suggests, Thrawn is back from the Unknown Regions, then it’s likely that so is Ezra Bridger. After all, it was the Jedi padawan that hauled Thrawn’s blue butt into the depths of uncharted space with the help of space whales in the first place. Ezra’s a strong contender for several reasons. First, he’s a creation of Mandalorian producer Dave Filoni. Second, he would be a grown man now and probably strong enough in the Force to train Grogu. And lastly, it would tie up the loose plot thread from Rebels. When you add all this up, if our money is on anyone, it’s Ezra.
Luke Skywalker
Lucasfilm
This would sure elicit a lot of jaw drops. At this point in the timeline, Luke is the last official member of the Jedi Order. Heck, he is the Jedi Order. He’s still some years from opening his training academy, but he is combing the galaxy for ancient Jedi artifacts. Maybe Tython is where he finds the sacred Jedi texts? If he is, then he’s in the perfect place to run into Grogu. Might he be played by a younger actor (Sebastian Stan maybe)? Or a digitally de-aged Mark Hamill? Who knows, but at some point they are going to have to address the Bantha in the room that is Luke.
Force Ghost Jedi
Lucasfilm
Ahsoka said a Jedi would respond to Grogu’s call, but she never specified that it has to be a living one. Which means that any of the Jedi who knew how to survive in the netherworld of the Force could appear to young Grogu. This means Yoda, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and at least the voice of Qui-Gon-Jinn. (Old Qui-Gon never learned how to physically manifest in the Force). This does leave out Mace Windu though. Sorry about it, Sam Jackson.
Quinlan Vos
Lucasfilm
Here’s maybe the least likely Jedi to show up, but never say never! Rogue Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos was originally created for the Expanded Universe, based on an extra in The Phantom Menace. Comics and novels flesh him out further, and soon he became a canon character in The Clone Wars animated series. Master Vos was rumored to have survived the Purge, but Lucasfilm has never confirmed it. His showing up to train little Grogu would be way out of left field, but one never knows. The Force works in mysterious ways.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
