A Growing Child: A look at Grogu’s development throughout “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett.””

The “Star Wars” Universe was overcome with joy when the character formerly referred to as Baby Yoda made his debut in the Disney+ Star Wars series, “The Mandalorian.” Fans’ adoration for this character, now known as Grogu, has increased consistently throughout the two seasons of this show and the one season of the special series, “The Book of Boba Fett.”

It might be obvious that the Mandalorian, Din Djarin, is the character that carries this section of the franchise. However, Grogu is another key character that carries part of “The Mandalorian” and TBoBF on his back. His character has shown much growth and development during the timeline of these two shows.

Grogu starts as a fairly static character. I mean, how could he not be static? In the beginning of  the first season of “The Mandalorian,” he’s a small, green child who eats frogs and likes to play with the shiny top of a ship control stick.

Grogu does discover his Force powers during the first season of “The Mandalorian,” though, when he lifts a mudhorn into the air so Mando can defeat it, along with reaching out to other beings and even healing Greef Karga.

Grogu, although technically an infant, uses the force to protect and alert his friends. Despite the Jedi code that forbids emotional attachment, which Grogu isn’t a strict follower of yet, he uses his powers because he wants to help the ones he loves. This use was also for good, something Jedi are restricted to use the Force for.

In “The Book of Boba Fett,” spoiler alert, Grogu trains to be a Jedi with Luke Skywalker at his to-be Jedi Academy. Mando comes to visit him, hoping to see him, but since Jedi must forgo all attachment, Mando leaves him a gift: a shirt made of Beskar metal.

When Luke presents him with the shirt from Mando and Yoda’s lightsaber, Grogu is given a choice: if he takes Mando’s shirt, he is choosing to leave the Jedi order and be a Mandalorian foundling as he was throughout “The Mandalorian” seasons one and two. This was the choice Grogu made.

Even though he is a child, we see Grogu’s ability to make decisions that matter to him. Although he might not realize the long term effects that this decision not to be a part of the Jedi Order would have on him, he still chose an option that means something. Grogu knows that Mando has cared for him when he was abandoned by everything else. This decision implies that Grogu knows that without Mando as a fatherly figure, he would have been in serious danger.

Now, of course, Grogu was put in some pretty serious danger just going along with Mando and his adventures. But Grogu could have been snatched and taken to the Jedi Order when he wasn’t yet ready. He was still very much a child, and Mando always cared for him with the intention of one day returning him to “his kind,” where he could be properly trained as a Jedi. We see these post-training abilities in their prime after Grogu chooses to go along with Mando in “The Book of Boba Fett.” Grogu uses his Force abilities to defeat a Destroyer Droid in the Pyke attack on Tatooine. (Bonus: He also can jump significantly higher than he used to.)

Throughout the two seasons of “The Mandalorian,” Grogu’s Force abilities develop as he gets older. His training with Luke Skywalker helped, but his emotional attachment to Din Djarin, Mando, has proven to be the driving factor for his character’s growth.