Star Wars has officially confirmed a special Force ability shared by both Yoda and Grogu. The origins of the pair's species are shrouded in mystery, and they are among the rarest beings in the galaxy. So far, the only other known member of the species is Yaddle, who made her first appearance in the prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Although much isn't known about them, one unusual inbuilt trait they possess has been confirmed.
The Mandalorian and Grogu visual effects supervisor John Knoll revealed this special ability in an interview with Polygon, and it's linked to the mud hut the child builds in the film, Star Wars' first theatrical release in seven years. Fans would recall that in the movie, Din Djarin and his ward have a run-in with the Hutts, who take them captive on Nal Hutta.
After a series of action-packed events, they manage to escape, but in the course of doing so, Din is poisoned by a dragonsnake bite, which leaves his body paralyzed in the forest.
In an interesting twist of fate, Grogu becomes the Mandalorian's protector instead of the other way around, as has mostly been the case since the pair crossed paths in Season 1 of The Mandalorian. To shield his father figure from harm, Grogu gets to work and builds a mud hut to hide Din from predators. Surprisingly, building this edifice is second nature to Grogu, even though we haven't seen him pull off such a feat since he was introduced to audiences on Disney+. Grogu's plan works effectively, as the bounty hunter hunting them doesn't spot Din buried in the mud and covered with plants.
According to Knoll, Grogu's hut-building skill "is something that's genetic memory":
"The ability to build those huts is something that's genetic memory, and it's his instinct to do that. Part of the message of the story is: The old protect the young, and then the young protect the old. So in the same way that Mando has been protecting and caring for Grogu while he is more defenseless, when Mando succumbed to this poison, and he's disabled and vulnerable, Grogu is doing what he can to protect him from the elements and from predators."
Knoll also confirmed that the hut was deliberately designed to resemble Yoda's home on Dagobah from The Empire Strikes Back, which is where the Yoda connection comes in. And given that Grogu is confirmed to be around 50 years old while still being an infant by his species' standards, that instinct runs deep. The mystery surrounding the species is intentional, as George Lucas always intended for their origins to remain a secret.
Which Other Yoda-Related Abilities Could Grogu Show Next?
Grogu possessing an ability that is muscle memory to him because of his origins makes one wonder which other Yoda-related Force powers he could pull off next. Despite leaning more toward his Mandalorian side than his Jedi side, a choice he made in The Book of Boba Fett when he picked Din's beskar chainmail over Yoda's lightsaber, Grogu has proven himself strong with the Force even as an infant.
In The Mandalorian, he showed glimpses of this, levitating a charging mudhorn and, in another instance, tossing two stormtroopers around. We've seen Yoda pull off several amazing feats in the prequel trilogy, and with what Grogu has shown so far, he could be headed down that route.
In Attack of the Clones, Yoda caught Count Dooku's Force lightning with his bare hands, a rare ability known in the lore as tutaminis, and did something similar again when he fought Emperor Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith. Grogu isn't on this level yet, but with more training and focus on his Jedi side, he could showcase such Force competence in the future.
Oneness with the Force and Force visions are among the things that made Yoda special. The Jedi Master was able to sense the deaths of his comrades across the galaxy when Palpatine executed Order 66. Grogu has shown glimpses of his own reach through the Force. He meditated on the Tython seeing stone and managed to reach out to Luke Skywalker, who came to his rescue in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
