The Disney Plus Star Wars series The Mandalorian is named after the character Din Djarin, but it’s the little buddy he takes cares of who often steals the show.
Grogu, referred to as “Baby Yoda” by fans because he is the same type of creature as Yoda (and because his name wasn’t revealed until season two), is just a child in relation to his species and can potentially live for several hundred years, but at the moment he is but a mere 50 years young.
Much like Yoda, Grogu is extremely powerful in the Force, though not nearly at Yoda’s level, mostly because Yoda is practically on a level all his own. Of course, we only see Yoda at about 900 years old, so Grogu is quite possibly as strong as what we imagine Yoda was as a baby (the real Baby Yoda!) may have been.
Why is Grogu so powerful?
In the Star Wars universe, those who possess Jedi-like powers have a high count of midi-chlorians in their body. Midi-chlorians are fictional microbes within all life forms that can help determine how powerful someone is in the Force.
The biggest plot device in The Mandalorian thus far is that Grogu is valuable because of his high midi-chlorian count. Villains of the former Galactic Empire, most notably Moff Gideon, kidnap Grogu and use him for blood transfusions, injecting host bodies with his blood in an attempt to create an Imperial Army that is strong in the Force. Unfortunately for them, the experiments have so far failed.
This suggests that Grogu’s midi-chlorian count is exceptionally high (and his Force-related powers back this up), but it’s never noted just how high. However, that Grogu wields as much power as a 50-year old Yoda, amongst the most powerful Force-wielders in all of Star Wars, is highly likely.
What are Grogu’s Force-like abilities?
Grogu can already lift objects without touching them. This telekinesis is the most common of his Force-wielding abilities, but since Grogu can lift exceedingly heavy objects, including large beasts, his telekinetic strength must be extraordinary. He can also calm the mind of such a beast to the point of sleep, which is among the more unique abilities Grogu has.
Grogu also demonstrates the power to heal. Multiple times in the series, we watch him reverse seemingly-fatal wounds at the expense of his own energy, which is not a power common amongst Jedi. The last episodes of season two of The Mandalorian reveal that Yoda’s relationship with the Force is so powerful that he can use the Force itself as a shield (in the right Force-sensitive place) and even impact the Force to such a degree that others strong in it will feel it. Grogu can thus use it as a way of calling out to them, and his summoning of Luke Skywalker is one example.
We also see Yoda choke someone without touching them (a Force-choke). Imagine taking care of this kid when he has a temper tantrum. He would definitely make Chucky jealous.
What are Grogu’s shortcomings in terms of the Force?
Our tiny green grade-schooler may be strong in the Force, but he’s also inexperienced. In The Book of Boba Fett, he learned from Luke Skywalker, briefly, but this Jedi training was cut short by his return to the Mandalorian (the guy, not the show, though he will also likely be returning to the series).
Grogu’s inexperience and his lack of continuous training could prove problematic. Also, he has not been seen to use a lightsaber in the series, though we know he was training at the Jedi Temple about 30 years earlier, so it’s possible he has some experience in weaponry.
Did Grogu learn from Yoda?
Yoda himself was probably aware of the existence of Grogu, considering it was revealed in the The Book of Boba Fett that Grogu was being raised in the Jedi Temple while Yoda was on the Jedi Council. It makes one wonder if Yoda ever trained Grogu, but such things are not yet known. Coincidentally, Grogu’s fan nickname of “Baby Yoda” could lead one to believe that he’s Yoda’s baby. This is actually a possibility, but no one knows for sure just yet.
How powerful will Grogu become?
Grogu has the potential to rank among the most powerful Force-wielders in the Star Wars universe, but that likely won’t happen anytime soon. This kid needs to grow up first, which leads us to wonder: when exactly does this species grow up?
Grogu won’t be a kid forever, to the dismay of Peter Pan, but will he develop into the a human-teenager-equivalent soon? Or for his species, is that closer to 100 years old? There are no Yoda benchmarks to determine the timeframe, as we only know Yoda as an already-old wizard dude. We don’t see any adolescents of the same species in the Star Wars universe, either; there is only one other character shown of that species, whose name is Yaddle (not to be confused with Wordle, which is a great game people can play in our universe).
Yaddle is a female of the unnamed Yoda/Grogu species and is seen briefly in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, serving on the Jedi Council. She could, potentially, be Grogu’s mom, but this is just a possibility (maybe Yoda and Yaddle were yodeling together).
Since these three are the only members that we’ve seen of their species, and they all have significant Force abilities, it’s no stretch to assume that anyone of this species could have a naturally-high midi-chlorian count and thus be naturally strong in the ways of the Force.
Here’s something we do know: Grogu isn’t going to grow that much in height. Yoda was about 2’ 2” and Yaddle 2’ 0”, so Grogu, who is about 1’ 4” now, will likely only grow another 10 inches. Grogu also happens to possess one other important power: unlimited cuteness. In this sense, he rivals a species with an actual name —the Ewoks — as the most powerful of all Star Wars characters.