This Star Wars article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian.
Grogu may not have had much screen time in this week’s episode of The Mandalorian, but “The Convert” still gave us one of Grogu’s most important milestones – his attempt to say his very first words. Before diving into Dr. Pershing’s (Omid Abtahi) redemption tour on Coruscant, the episode picks up where we left off with Bo-Katan Kryze, Din Djarin, and Grogu in the Mines of Mandalore.
Bo-Katan has just rescued Din from the depths of the Living Waters, and they’re catching their breath on the steps. As they head back to Bo-Katan’s home on Kalevala with Grogu on the Gauntlet, Din thanks Bo-Katan for saving him. She offers to celebrate with a feast, but rightfully assumes that he’ll decline so that he doesn’t have to remove his helmet. He responds with “This is the Way,” and Bo-Katan repeats the phrase back to him. But in an unexpected twist, Grogu decides to chime in!
We’re used to hearing Grogu’s adorable little coos, babbles, and other child-like noises, but this was different. Even though we still couldn’t quite understand what he was saying, this time, his chirping definitely seemed like his first attempt at speaking full words. Specifically, he seemed to be trying to say the Mandalorian Creed, “This is the Way,” just like his dad. We see Din do a “Wait, did he just…?” double take immediately, making this moment that much more heartwarming. It looks like Grogu is ready to embrace his foundling status and learn the Way of the Mand’alor.
Unfortunately, this touching scene was rudely interrupted by Imperial TIE interceptors, forcing Din and Bo-Katan to focus on fighting them off rather than the adorable milestone that had just occurred. But there’s no denying this is a major next step for Grogu and perhaps a hint that we might actually hear his first words later this season.
While we don’t know much about Grogu’s species and their development, this scene hopefully indicates that The Mandalorian isn’t going to keep Grogu a baby forever. As cute as he is, watching Din deal with a growing child that is aware of what’s going on and can make decisions for himself is a lot more interesting than keeping Grogu stuck in place. Between Grogu’s decision to leave Jedi training and return to Din, and how he was able to bring Bo-Katan back to Mandalore to save his dad, Grogu is already proving that he is more than just a kid that Din has to protect. He’s a character who is developing and evolving with the show.
That being said, we will continue to lose all self control when Grogu appears on screen, no matter the form. If “This is the Way” really do end up being his first fully-formed words, we will be elated. The way that you can feel Din’s pride in that scene, even through the helmet, is incredible. The look he shares with Bo-Katan before Imperials once again ruin everything good in this world? Iconic. Grogu is now and will forever be the cutest little guy in the Star Wars galaxy, no matter how old he gets or what important aging milestones he hits along the way.
The Mandalorian season 3 streams on Wednesdays on Disney+.