The Mandalorian did not take Thanksgiving weekend off, and instead gave us one of the most significant, loaded episodes of the entire series. "The Jedi" is nonstop, whether it's action, history, or cuteness — not to mention introducing a fan favorite to the live-action Star Wars canon.
Oh, and this episode casually dropped the Child's name.
GROGU.
Sweet baby Grogu. Sweet 50-year-old traumatized baby Grogu.
This reveal is dropped so casually by Ahsoka that it takes us and Mando a minute to get back on track — but by then she's given us even more backstory and we have to rewind to keep up.
Grogu was raised at the Jedi temple on Coruscant, the training place and home base of the Jedi Order until most of its members were, you know, destroyed. Ahsoka tells Din that Grogu was taken from the temple "at the end of the Clone Wars, when the Empire rose to power" — which could literally mean moments before Anakin Skywalker arrived at the temple to massacre the remaining younglings.
Ahsoka and Grogu can feel each other's thoughts through the Force, which is how she learns all this and communicates it to Din. The Force is still strong with our haunted baby, who hid his powers over the years in order to stay safe. Ahsoka is the first character on The Mandalorian to even slightly recognize Grogu's species, because she knew Yoda — in fact, it was Yoda who paired Ahsoka with her Jedi master, Anakin Skywalker.
Their attempt at training reveals Grogu's control over his powers, but he won't wield them for just anyone. It's Din's words that prompt the Child to use the Force, and their bond sets off alarm bells in Ahsoka's head. The Jedi are forbidden from forming attachment, and in Ahsoka's mind the reasoning couldn't be clearer. Her own master was so consumed by loss, so fearful of losing those he loved, that he went over to the Dark Side to save them and became the galaxy's most feared villain. She can't bear to see anyone suffer the same fate, least of all the already-traumatized Grogu.
Throughout the episode, Ahsoka demands to know the whereabouts of the Magistrate's master, but only toward the end do we get a name.
"Where is Grand Admiral Thrawn?" she asks.
Well, shit.
Thrawn, which is short for Mitth'raw'nuruodo was a Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy. He appears in Clone Wars and Rebels, having fought characters in both, and even has ties to Coruscant, where he attended the Royal Imperial Academy. Thrawn crossed paths with Anakin during the Clone Wars and eventually served under Vader in the Empire. He survived the Empire's fall, though his whereabouts were unknown, and his knowledge ultimately helped the beginnings of the First Order.
Given all that we've seen on The Mandalorian this season, tying the series particularly to Clone Wars and to the forthcoming events of The Force Awakens and its trilogy, Thrawn's introduction makes perfect sense. The Empire may have fallen, but The Mandalorian's world contains stirrings of the First Order, including clone technology fans suspect led to the creation of Supreme Leader Snoke and eventual resurrection of Emperor Palpatine. Since Ahsoka doesn't know where he is, he may not have been seen since disappearing with Ezra in the finale of Star Wars: Rebels — which means Ahsoka is still hunting for her friend and we may even see him in the future.
At the end of the episode, Ahsoka drops one last bomb before the Razor Crest's departure. She tells Din to take Grogu to the Jedi temple on Tython. There are Jedi temples on many planets; Luke Skywalker posted up at the one on Ahch-To, and they exist on Jedha and Ossus in addition to the main one on Coruscant. We don't know much about Tython, but we do now know that there's a Seeing Stone at the top of the mountain, and that sitting upon it will help guide Grogu toward his path.
We can't wait.
The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney+, with new episodes every Friday.
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Topics Star Wars
