Credit: LucasfilmAudiences finally saw Grogu (himself) communicate!
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, draws of The Mandalorian, since the very first episode, has been Grogu (himself). The tiny Baby Yoda won audiences over immediately, stole their hearts, and hasn’t let go since! Every appearance he has had onscreen, he’s immediately stolen the scene, either because of just how cute the animatronic figure is or because audiences are concerned for his safety. He’s done all of this without uttering more than adorable coos until now!
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Both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett addressed Grogu’s (himself) mute nature. Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) was the first to bridge the gap, communicating with him through The Force and revealing his name to audiences. She also was able to unlock the truth that Grogu (himself) was a survivor of Order-66 and was rescued from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant on the night of the purge.
Later, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) delved even deeper, relating The Child to his former master, Yoda (Frank Oz), noting his peculiar method of speech. The Jedi Master also unlocked some actual visions of what the poor tiny Jedi endured on the night that Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) came to the Jedi Temple. Still, Grogu (himself) remained mute.
Fans have no doubt noticed that The Mandalorian Season 3 has found Din Djarin’s (Pedro Pascal) companion and adopted son already more vocal. His coos and tiny noises have been increasing, and audiences can tell he’s both trying to express himself and communicate. Well, the tiny Jedi/Mandalorian took a huge stride toward this both literally and figuratively!
In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, Chapter 23, fans saw Grogu (himself) being placed into the drivable husk of IG-11 (Taika Waitit), now dubbed IG-12. The Anzellan droid smiths remade the assassin droid into a pivotable vehicle, perfect for Djarin’s (Pascal) son. Despite Mando’s (Pascal) protests, Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) placed Grogu (himself) inside the former droid, which is when he was able to utter his first word.
Appropriately for a toddler, Grogu (himself) mashed the “No” button when Din Djarin (Pascal) claimed he was too young to operate heavy machinery. Soon, more “No”s followed, along with the ceaseless “Yes”s, when he finally got his way and was able to walk, not only around Karga’s (Weathers) office but around the Navarro marketplace as well.
Grogu (himself) was able to put this new vocabulary to good use later on, breaking up a fight between the two rival factions of Mandalorians, holding them back, and uttering “No” once more. Though the voice wasn’t his, it’s safe to say that these are the little guy’s first words in the series, and it’s nice to know that he’s able to express himself at least a little better now!
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The Mandalorian Season 3 is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes every Wednesday. The series stars Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin, The Mandalorian, Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze, Carl Weathers as Greef Karga, Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon, and Emily Swallow as The Armorer. According to the official logline of this Star Wars story, “The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together.”
What did you think of his first words? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!