In the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the Jedi have become something of legend again. Although they haven’t quite faded from memory, the Jedi Order never returned to even a fraction of the prominence it had during the days of the Galactic Republic. Even though Jedi Master Luke Skywalker built a school for young, untrained Force-users to hone their abilities, that ambition didn’t pan out.
After the events of Episode VI — Return of the Jedi, Luke takes his twin sister Leia Organa as one of his first pupils, training her in the ways of the Force. But another early student of Luke’s is Grogu, the Force-sensitive foundling from The Mandalorian. After bounty hunter Din Djarin returns Grogu to “his own kind” — the Jedi — Luke trains the child for a short time, just as he’s starting construction on a school.
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In the Star Wars sequel trilogy, viewers learn that Luke tries to train his own nephew, Ben Solo, decades later. But Ben becomes one of Luke’s biggest regrets. The boy is powerful — he is, after all, the grandson of Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) — and succumbs to the trappings of the dark side. Much like his grandfather before him, Ben’s path to becoming his own version of a Sith, Kylo Ren, is marked by slaughtering young Jedi. So, in his aim to purge the galaxy of the Jedi, does Kylo Ren kill Grogu before the events of The Force Awakens?
Why Does Kylo Ren Kill Luke's Jedi Students?
When Rey finds a reclusive Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To, she learns quickly that the Jedi Master is jaded. She offers him Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber, the first Jedi weapon Luke himself held, and he tosses it over his shoulder. But Luke’s disinterest in training Rey is understandable, given the horrific loss he experienced at the hand of a former apprentice whom he failed. That apprentice was Ben Solo — Luke’s nephew who is better known by the moniker Kylo Ren.
In The Last Jedi, Rey hears both sides of the story — though Luke seemingly leaves out an important detail. “Did he tell you what happened? The night I destroyed his temple,” Kylo Ren asks Rey. “Did he tell you why?" On Ossus, Luke builds a Jedi Temple, and dedicates himself to teaching a new generation of Jedi. Leia hopes her brother can train Ben in the ways of the Force, helping him to resist the dark presence she feels tempting him.
That dark force, of course, is Supreme Leader Snoke, an agent of Darth Sidious who wants to use Ben Solo to orchestrate the Dark Lord’s return to power. Fascinated by the dark side, Ben keeps his interests secret. One night, Luke looks into Ben’s mind while he’s sleeping, and sees a growing darkness. It scares Luke, and he ignites his lightsaber, waking Ben.
When Ben sees his uncle looming over him, lightsaber drawn, he uses the Force to trap Luke, and flees. Full of fear and anger, Ben gives into the very darkness Luke and Leia hoped to quell, and summons a Force-lightning storm that destroys the Jedi Temple and all but three acolytes. The surviving Padawans pursue Ben, but are killed. Although somewhat less intentional than Order 66 and Anakin’s purge of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Ben Solo vanquishes the new generation of Jedi in a single night — or so it would seem.
From there, Ben Solo takes the name Kylo, joins the Knights of Ren, and defeats their titular leader, hence his full chosen name, Kylo Ren. He allies with Snoke and the First Order. Devastated, Luke goes into exile on Ahch-To, the supposed birthplace of the Jedi Order.
Luke & Rey: Are They The Last Jedi?
After Rey acquires Anakin’s lightsaber in the basem*nt of Maz Kanata’s cantina, viewers realize her strong connection to the Force. Despite having no formal training, she survives a lightsaber duel with Kylo Ren, and she has a knack for piloting that rivals that of Luke and Anakin. When she arrives on Ahch-To seeking Luke’s help, it’s hard for him to keep up his curmudgeon act. Rey is determined and full of hope — the spitting image of a young Luke Skywalker.
Still, the eighth film in the Skywalker Saga is called The Last Jedi for a reason. While Leia, Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren are all Force-sensitive, Luke is the one who follows the Jedi Order’s precepts. Kylo Ren believes that ending Luke will also bring about the end of the Jedi; his uncle and the order of lightsaber-wielding monks are synonymous. But by the end of the sequel trilogy, Rey studies up on Jedi lore, uses the Force to heal, channels the spirits of the Jedi who came before her, and constructs a lightsaber. At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm and Disney announced Rey would carry on Luke’s dream of restoring the Jedi Order in a trilogy of new films.
But Star Wars has a “last Jedi” problem. Time and again, viewers are told that there’s only one chance left for the Jedi — only for that to be proven false. Even in the original trilogy, Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals that Luke isn’t the only hope for the Jedi; his sister, Leia, is strong with the Force, too. During the Age of the Rebellion and the reign of the Empire, exiled Jedi like Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka Tano are all alive and well. In Star Wars Rebels, Kanan Jarrus, who escaped Order 66, trains his own Padawan, Ezra Bridger.
There will always be a Force-sensitive being who taps into the light side of the Force. While Luke (and now Rey) may represent the vestiges of the Jedi Order, those who walk paths similar to the Jedi — righteous, though not overly burdened by teachings and rules — always surface.
What If Grogu Is Not A Jedi?
This is also the case in The Mandalorian. In the pilot, viewers learn that the asset that’s so coveted by Moff Gideon’s Empire remnant and Dr. Penn Pershing is a Force-sensitive being. The Child, later known as Grogu, lived on Coruscant in the Jedi Temple. Thanks to Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, Grogu survived Order 66, and thanks to Din Djarin and Ahsoka Tano, the foundling makes his way to a young Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.
In The Book of Boba Fett, Din tries to visit Grogu during his training with Luke, but Ahsoka stops him. She warns Din that Grogu feels strongly about him, and that such an attachment could disrupt his training. Instead, Din leaves a gift behind: Mandalorian-made Beskar chainmail. Sensing the way Grogu is pulled in opposing directions — a life with Din Djarin and a life committed to the Jedi way — Luke offers the youngling a choice. Grogu can either accept a gift from Luke — Master Yoda’s lightsaber — and complete his Jedi training, or he can accept the Beskar armor and join his Mandalorian friend.
Grogu chooses to walk the way of the Mandalore. In Season 3 of The Mandalorian, he even starts training with the other Mandalorian foundlings. Not since Tarre Vizsla, the creator of the Darksaber, has there been an openly Force-sensitive Mandalorian. It’s not impossible for Grogu to tread both paths, but the traditions of the war-driven Mandalorians and the peace-keeping Jedi do conflict.
Does Kylo Ren Kill Grogu?
While fans don’t know the state of Grogu’s well-being in the sequel trilogy, his ties to Mandalore might explain why Kylo Ren doesn’t kill him. It’s likely Grogu stays with Din Djarin and the Mandalorians, and never returns to embark on his training with Luke. If so Grogu might even end up residing on Mandalore, out of the First Order’s reach. Even though Grogu has an impressively high midichlorian count, it’s possible he just isn’t in the picture (or a practicing Jedi) when Kylo Ren comes along.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to believe that Darth Sidious would stop hunting Grogu. The key to Palpatine’s cloning endeavors, Grogu might be the very reason the Sith Lord returns in The Rise of Skywalker. Like Ahsoka, Kanan, Ezra, and plenty of light-side Force-users before him, Grogu might not purposely go into hiding, but he might exist just off radar-enough to avoid being pulled into the events of the sequel trilogy. Whatever the case may be, fans will likely learn more about Grogu’s destiny in the Star Wars franchise for many years to come.
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