The Mandalorian And Grogu Brings Back One Of Star Wars' Most Powerful Force Abilities
by Bryan Young · /FilmThis article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu."
The Force is a mysterious energy in the "Star Wars" universe and it has the ability to do many wondrous things. In the hands of a benevolent wielder, it can do great things in the service of others. Some of those amazing abilities include psychometry, the power to touch an object and see echoes of the past like Jedi Quinlan Vos or Cal Kestis are able to do (and Ahsoka Tano even did once).
Other Jedi, like Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, learned to commune with those that transformed into the Force and could return from its netherworlds (even though Harrison Ford is oblivious about them). Even Luke Skywalker learned to project a life-like image of himself from one side of the galaxy to the other. One ability that might be even more powerful than those is the ability to heal someone on the brink of death. Saving someone from death was the power Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side to learn, it was so rare.
In "The Mandalorian and Grogu" (read our review here), we see this rare powerful Force ability on display. When Grogu's adopted father, the Mandalorian Din Djarin, is wounded by the Twins' poisonous dragonsnake, it seems as though he will die without intervention. Grogu relies on the Force to seal the wound and stop the poison from spreading any further.
Grogu has used Force healing before
This isn't the first time we've seen Grogu heal a poisoned victim wounded in lethal ways. The first time we saw such a thing was in Chapter Seven of "The Mandalorian" series on Disney+. Greef Karga was in need of help after a winged reptavian of Nevarro attacked him. He was wounded badly and the poison spread through his body.
With no more medpacs available, Grogu stepped up and healed him through the Force. It was a miraculous moment for everyone involved, but that was the last time we would see Grogu do it until he needed to muster the strength to do it here for Din Djarin on Nal Hutta during his daring rescue in "The Mandalorian and Grogu."
Other uses of Force healing in Star Wars canon
Interestingly enough, Grogu's healing use of the Force aired on Disney+ just two days before the theatrical release of "The Rise of Skywalker," when Rey would use her Force healing abilities not once but twice. First, she healed the cave serpent on Pasaana, clearing the path for her and her friends to escape with the Sith dagger and make their way to Ochi of Bestoon's ship. Then, on Kef Bir, the Ocean Moon of Endor, she mortally wounded Kylo Ren with her lightsaber. She was able to use this powerful ability to heal her opponent from his wounds. Their dyad in the Force made them much stronger as they went back and forth with this healing. Ben Solo returned the favor and revived Rey after her confrontation with with Palpatine's husk on Exegol. Sadly, she was unable to revive him after this effort to save her and he vanished afterward.
Healing through the Force has not been unheard of through the stories of "Star Wars" or its Legends through the years. Cassian Andor once visited a Force healer on Yavin 4 in the second season of "Andor." And Barriss Offee, who betrayed the Jedi was known as a Jedi Healer and starred in two books loosely based on the television series "M*A*S*H" — known as the Medstar Duology — that highlighted her abilities as a Jedi Healer, though those books have since been deemed "Legends." Force healing isn't common, but it happens — and Grogu has the power.