The Mandalorian movie's first official trailer debuted a long-awaited new ability for Grogu set to appear in the film. Since fans first met Mando's young force-wielding ward, the mysterious child (once known as Baby Yoda) has come a long way. The pint-sized powerhouse has picked up some key abilities through his appearances in three seasons of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, including his capacity to channel the Force.
That will not stop in the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu movie, as it was confirmed that Grogu will eliminate one of his major weaknesses from the record by the time he appears in the star-faring film. The first trailer for Jon Favreau's 2026 Star Wars blockbuster revealed Grogu learned to swim between the events of The Mandalorian Season 3 and The Mandalorian movie.
Grogu can be seen gliding through a body of water at the 46-second mark of the first-look trailer. It shows the Jedi-in-training popping his head above the water and making some strokes below the surface.
Gorgu could not swim in the first three seasons of The Mandalorian TV series. This was one of the fierce young warrior's most significant weaknesses; if he got too close to water, he was rendered useless.
This is the first time the public has seen the youngster swimming in the Star Wars franchise. The character's new ability was previously teased at Star Wars Celebration 2025, where footage of a similar sequence of Grogu in the water was shown to attendees.
The Mandalorian and Grogu star Pedro Pascal joked at the 2025 Tokyo-based celebration of the galaxy far, far away that his cutie co-star is a "pretty good swimmer" and he didn't even "have to teach him" (via IMDb).
Mando and Grogu return in The Mandalorian movie, which comes to theaters on May 22, 2026. The new film marks the latest chapter in The Mandalorian saga (which started with three seasons of a hit Disney+ series).
Directed by Iron Man filmmaker Jon Favreau, the new star-faring adventure follows Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young ward, Grogu, as they take on a new mission across the galaxy. Pascal leads the 2026 film and is joined by newcomers to the franchise, Jeremy Allen-White and Sigourney Weaver.
Will Grogu Get an Upgrade in the Mandalorian Movie?
Grogu getting in the water for the first time and making work is huge, but it is likely only the beginning for the character in his jump from Disney+ to the big screen.
According to The Mandalorian & Grogu director (and The Mandalorian series creator) Jon Favreau, Grogu will have progressed in his abilities by the time the events of the movie roll around.
In April 2025, Favreau told fans at Star Wars Celebration, "Grogu is becoming more comfortable" with his powers, and fans will see an "evolution" from the last time he was seen on-screen:
"And now, as they go off, as it said at the end of the last season, it's his job to train him. And they have to go out on adventures, and they have to work together. And so there's apprenticeship that's happening between the two of them. But also, Grogu is becoming more comfortable as– remember, he was trained by none other than Luke Skywalker. And the path of the Force is a lifelong path, and so, we wanna have evolution, and as the story gets bigger, the screen gets bigger, we wanna have Grogu grow into that."
What this actually means remains to be seen, but it will likely take the form of Grogu experimenting with what he can do with the Force, as he further blends his Jedi upbringing with the new Mandalorian teachings of his armored guardian.
Perhaps audiences will finally see the fan-favorite character wield the traditional weapon of the Jedi, the lightsaber, in the new film.
Since Gorgu's introduction in The Mandalorian Season 1, audiences have been clamoring to see the young hero ignite a saber and wreck shop. Perhaps this is the time, as Grogu takes his next step in his Jedi journey.
