Summary
- Grogu's species remains a mystery, though they are known for their long lifespans - Yoda lived nearly 900 years.
- Grogu was around 10 in The Phantom Menace, 20 in Attack of the Clones, and 23 during Order 66.
- Grogu's age aligns with key events in Star Wars history.
Despite his relatively young age, Grogu’s life during the reign of the New Republic – it’s important to know what he might have experienced during those times, and how that might have affected him.
One of the greatest Star Wars mysteries is the mystery behind Grogu’s species. Despite the prominent presence of Grogu, Yoda, and Yaddle within the franchise, very little is known about where they come from or their general biology, though it is clear that they can live very long lives. Yoda was nearly 900 years old when he first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, and Grogu is still seen as a child, despite being 50 years of age during The Mandalorian. So, how old was Grogu in each Star Wars movie? How much of the galaxy’s history has he truly witnessed?
Star Wars Movies In Order: How To Watch Release Order, Chronologically & With The TV Shows
What's the best way to watch Star Wars? Here's everything you need to know to watch in release or timeline order, and how to include the TV shows.
6 Grogu Was 10 In The Year Of The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (32BBY)
The Star Wars timeline uses the Battle of Yavin as its main turning point. The Battle of Yavin involves the destruction of the first Death Star as seen in the original Star Wars movie. As such, everything that happens before the Battle of Yavin is labeled BBY, and everything that happens after it is labeled ABY. Since it was confirmed that Grogu was 50 in The Mandalorian season 1, which is set in 9ABY, it can be surmised that Grogu was born in approximately 41BBY, though his exact date of birth has yet to be officially confirmed by Star Wars.
Interestingly, Anakin Skywalker himself was also born in 41BBY. As Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace takes place in 32BBY, both Grogu and Anakin would have been roughly ten or 11 years old by the time the movie takes place. Famously, Anakin wasn’t inducted into the Jedi Order until then. It’s unclear when Grogu was brought to the Order; however, since the Jedi Council was reluctant to teach Anakin at ten years old, Grogu was likely much younger.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
- Release Date
- May 19, 1999
- Runtime
- 136 minutes
- Director
- George Lucas
Cast
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Qui-Gon Jinn
WHERE TO WATCH
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is set in a galaxy facing political turmoil, as Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi seek peace while encountering Anakin Skywalker, a slave with great potential in the Force. Meanwhile, the Sith begin their resurgence, threatening the stability of the Republic.
- Writers
- George Lucas
5 Grogu Was 20 When The Clone Wars Began
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (22BBY)
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is officially set in 22BBY, ten years after The Phantom Menace. As such, Grogu would have been roughly 20 years old. The end of the film marks the start of the Clone Wars, the galaxy-wide conflict between the Grand Army of the Republic and the Separatists, and the beginning of the Jedi’s inevitable downfall. Though Grogu was 20 years old, it’s clear his species ages differently than humans and other humanoid species do, and as such, he would have been much too young to the fight, unlike many other Jedi Padawans.
That doesn’t mean the Clone Wars wouldn’t have affected him though, despite being housed in the relative safety of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The war affected the Order greatly – it’s possible the younglings were given a completely different kind of instruction, one focused more on fighting than meditation and peace, for instance. When Grogu later protects Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, it’s clear that Grogu’s use of the Force is rather more uncontrolled than one might have expected, hinting his time at the Jedi Temple wasn’t always easy.
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Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
- Release Date
- May 16, 2002
- Runtime
- 142 Minutes
- Director
- George Lucas
WHERE TO WATCH
Years after the events of The Phantom Menace, the Skywalker Saga continues with Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. When Senator Pe Amidala's life is threatened, Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are tasked with her protection. While Obi-Wan uncovers a clone army made in secret, Anakin falls in love with Pe, marking the beginning of his inevitable fall to the dark side of the Force.
- Writers
- Jonathan Hales
4 Grogu Was 23 When Order 66 Happened & The Empire Was Born
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (19BBY)
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith takes place in 19BBY. At this point, the Clone Wars have been raging on for approximately three years, and it’s taken its toll on the galaxy and the Jedi, too. Just when it looks like the conflict is coming to an end, Palpatine finally reveals himself as the evil Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, and makes Anakin Skywalker his new apprentice. Order 66 is enacted, the clone troopers are forced to betray the Jedi, and the Jedi Order is decimated in one fell swoop.
In The Mandalorian season 3, it was revealed that Grogu survived Order 66 and escaped the Jedi Temple with the help of Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. Several Jedi gave their lives trying to protect Grogu. Grogu would have been 23 at the time, incredibly young for his species. The flashback in The Mandalorian, and Grogu’s experience with Luke Skywalker, makes it clear that Grogu was traumatized by the Jedi’s genocide, and understandably so. He would have never experienced that kind of violence and grief before, and his connection to the Force would have been affected by it.
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Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
- Release Date
- May 19, 2005
- Runtime
- 140 Minutes
- Director
- George Lucas
Cast
-
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader
WHERE TO WATCH
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith details the fall of the Jedi Order and Anakin Skywalker's transformation under the influence of Darth Sidious. Released in 2005, the film explores Anakin's internal conflict and the shifting political landscape, leading to the rise of the Galactic Empire.
- Writers
- Jan Duursema
3 Grogu Was 42 When The Galactic Civil War Began
A New Hope (0BBY/0ABY)
The original Star Wars movie, which was later retitled A New Hope, takes place in that pivotal year of 0BBY/0ABY. At this point, Grogu would have been roughly 42 years old, though it’s currently unclear how long Kelleran Beq stayed with Grogu, or when exactly he was captured by the Empire. It’s impossible to say where Grogu was when Luke Skywalker blew the Death Star to pieces, but as it was such a significant step back for the Empire, the entire galaxy would have felt the repercussions, perhaps even Grogu.
It's possible that, during this time, Grogu was being cared for by the Hidden Path, the secret underground network that aided Force-sensitives and other enemies of the Empire to find safety on distant worlds, out of the Empire’s reach. The Hidden Path was a major plot point in both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, both of which take place in 9BBY. It may be how Grogu stayed safe for a while after the fall of the Jedi Order.
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Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
- Release Date
- May 25, 1977
- Runtime
- 121 minutes
- Director
- George Lucas
Cast
Luke Skywalker
Han Solo
WHERE TO WATCH
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
- Writers
- George Lucas
2 Grogu Was 45 When Luke Skywalker Met Yoda
The Empire Strikes Back (3ABY)
The Empire Strikes Back takes place in 3ABY, so Grogu was approximately 45 years old. It is in this movie that Luke Skywalker meets Yoda for the first time, and they begin Luke’s Jedi training on Dagobah. In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda was roughly 900 years old. Grogu, as such, still has a long life ahead of him. As both Yoda and Obi-Wan refer to Luke as the last hope of the Jedi, it’s clear they weren’t aware, or at least didn’t want to make Luke aware, that there were others out there like him. It’s entirely possible that they didn’t know Grogu was still alive.
Hopefully, at this point, Grogu was still an unknown presence in the galaxy. Given his connection to the Force, however, it’s possible he felt something when Luke and Yoda officially met, and when Luke began tapping into his power in earnest. What if that somehow led the Empire to discover his location?
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Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
- Release Date
- May 20, 1980
- Runtime
- 124 minutes
- Director
- Irvin Kershner
Cast
-
Luke Skywalker
-
Han Solo
WHERE TO WATCH
The Empire Strikes Back is the second installment in the original Star Wars trilogy, directed by Irvin Kershner. Released in 1980, it follows Luke Skywalker as he trains under Jedi Master Yoda, while Princess Leia, Han Solo, and the Rebel Alliance face ongoing threats from the Galactic Empire and Darth Vader.
- Writers
- Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas
1 Grogu Was 46 When Yoda Died
Return of the Jedi (4ABY)
In Return of the Jedi, which takes place in 4ABY, Yoda dies, and Luke is left to defend the galaxy on his own as a Jedi. What happened to Grogu during this time is anyone’s guess, though the fall of the Empire did trigger Palpatine’s contingency plans. Thanks to Star Wars: The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian, it’s clear that Palpatine’s cloning projects were active for a long time. Though the exact date of Grogu’s capture is unknown, it would make sense if it happened in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi and the Empire’s dissolution.
That would, however, tragically mean that Grogu was in the hands of the Empire and being experimented on for several years before he was eventually “rescued” by Nikto mercenaries and found by Din Djarin in 9ABY. Until more is revealed, it's impossible to know what happened to him during the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Hopefully, Grogu’s history will become clearer as Star Wars’ New Republic story marches on and this youngling’s powers and abilities continue to grow.
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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
- Release Date
- May 25, 1983
- Runtime
- 132 minutes
- Director
- Richard Marquand
Cast
-
Luke Skywalker
-
Han Solo
WHERE TO WATCH
Return of the Jedi concludes George Lucas's original Star Wars trilogy with Luke Skywalker and his allies seeking to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and facing a renewed threat as the Emperor attempts to obliterate the Rebellion through a second Death Star, broadening the epic battle between good and evil.
- Writers
- George Lucas
All Star Wars movies and shows are available to stream on Disney+.
- Created By
- Dave Filoni
- First Appearance
- The Mandalorian
- Alias
- The Child
- Alliance
- Jedi, Mandalorians
- Race
- Unknown
- Movies
- The Mandalorian & Grogu
Grogu is a former Jedi youngling who is now training as a Mandalorian apprentice under his adopted father, Din Djarin. A survivor of Order 66, Grogu was hunted by the Empire for his blood amidst their cloning experimentation. Rescued by Din after initially being his bounty, Grogu went on to be trained briefly by Luke Skywalker as a Jedi Padawan, but has ultimately chosen the path of the Mandalorians instead to remain with his father. Grogu is now traversing the galaxy with Din to fight the Imperial Remnant and learn the Mandalorian Way.
- TV Shows
- The Book of Boba Fett
- Franchise
- Star Wars
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