The secondary protagonist of The Mandalorian comes in the form of a little green friend by the name of Grogu, who is also called Baby Yoda because he resembles an infant version of the Jedi Master Yoda. Despite the fact that he started out helpless, Grogu has since improved his abilities and was able to contribute to the war against the Pykes in The Book of Boba Fett. So, how strong is Baby Yoda, especially when compared with Yoda?
As of now, Grogu is not even near the level of a young Jedi padawan, as he only knows a few Force powers and is yet to showcase the ability to wield a lightsaber. He has shown some improvements but still needs some work. That means that he is lightyears away from what Yoda was at the Jedi Grandmaster’s peak.
There is no doubt that Grogu has shown the potential to be quite capable in the Force. Then again, he isn’t even at the level of a padawan because he lacks basic training. The only way for Grogu to become a strong Force user is to learn from an experienced master, but that could no longer be the case because he chose to turn away from the path of the Jedi.
What Are Grogu’s Current Force Powers?
Since Grogu was introduced in the first episode of The Mandalorian, it was hinted that his destiny was to become a Jedi because, after all, people started calling him Baby Yoda before his name was revealed in season 2. Hailing from the same species as Jedi Grandmaster Yoda, Grogu was a 50-year-old infant whose potential with the Force was shown early when he showcased his capability of controlling things with his mind.
Early on, Grogu was shown to be a helpless child because he couldn’t fight. The only times he could contribute was when his adrenaline pushed him to remember some of the Force abilities he learned when he was training in the Jedi Temple during the time of the Republic. However, due to his lack of training, he didn’t have a lot of things he could do to contribute during battles.
Luke Skywalker eventually took him under his wing when the Jedi found Grogu and Din Djarin in Moff Gideon’s ship during the final episode of season 2 of The Mandalorian. Since then, Grogu trained well enough under Luke and even re-learned some of the things he already learned back when he was still at the Jedi Temple. It was needless to say that Grogu improved.
After spending some time with Luke, Grogu was seen to be capable enough to use the Force to jump high and move as agile as any Jedi can. He could also use the Force to make smaller things levitate or pull them over to his side, as seen when he pulled one of the ball joints of the Scorpenek droid during the battle with the Pyke Syndicate in The Book of Boba Fett.
While most of the powers that Grogu displayed were more or less his ability to use the Force to make smaller things levitate or pull them over to his side, he displayed the ability to use animal kinship or beast control when Boba Fett’s Rancor was rampaging all over Mos Espa. He did so rather effortlessly, as the Rancor is by far the biggest creature ever seen to be tamed by a Force user.
Then again, despite the fact that Grogu has improved in the ways of the Force, he still has his work cut out for him when we compared what he could do to what Yoda could do. Living for 900 years allowed Yoda to master the ways of the Force to a level that not a lot of Star Wars characters were able to achieve.
Master Yoda could easily use the Force on extremely heavy objects. Even Sith don’t stand a chance against his Force abilities, as he was able to completely neutralize Count Dooku’s Force lightning. And not even Palpatine could overpower Yoda’s Force abilities with his mastery of the dark side of the Force, although their encounter did indeed end in a stalemate between the two most powerful Force users at that time.
This means that Grogu is still far from what Yoda could do. He isn’t even at the level of a Jedi padawan in terms of his Force powers because any padawan could do what Grogu can do with minimal effort (except taming a Rancor).
Can Grogu Use A Lightsaber?
Lightsaber combat was another area where Yoda excelled during his time as the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. Despite his smaller frame, he was agile and quick enough to confuse Sith Lords in lightsaber combat. His skills with the lightsaber forced Count Dooku on the retreating end.
On the other hand, Grogu has yet to show us what he could do with a lightsaber because he is yet to use one that could actually be perfect for his size. He could have inherited Yoda’s lightsaber when Luke offered it to him, but he chose to go back to Din Djarin.
Considering that lightsabers are hard to come by these days, we may not see Grogu wielding a lightsaber unless he somehow learns how to craft one himself or unless Luke changes his mind about Yoda’s lightsaber.
Will Grogu Ever Be As Strong As Yoda?
We all know that Yoda is right there at the top in terms of the most powerful Jedi of all time, as not a lot of Force users can stand up to what he is capable of. Then again, Grogu has displayed the potential to become great.
Then again, the lack of proper training is what will ultimately hamper Grogu. No amount of potential can ever replace hard work and training, and that was what Obi-Wan Kenobi knew when he decided to train Luke and when he told Luke to seek Yoda.
Unless Grogu finds himself a suitable master (which is unlikely because there aren’t a lot of Force users left), the chances of him becoming half as strong as Yoda are quite slim.
