Yahoo Autos The Mandalorian reveals how Grogu escaped Order 66
In an episode that sometimes seemed like it was crossed with HBO's House of the Dragon, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) spent a good chunk of The Mandalorian's "Chapter 20: The Foundling" rescuing Paz Vizsla's son Ragnar (played by Jimmy Kimmel's nephew Wesley) from the clutches of a winged beast (EW will break the whole episode down on this week's Dagobah Dispatch).
But while we contemplate whether the Children of the Watch keep their helmets on when they procreate, the bigger revelation in "The Foundling" (directed by Mandalorian cast member Carl Weathers) is who exactly rescued Grogu during Order 66. And it turns out it's someone the Star Wars fandom already knows all too well.
In The Book of Boba Fett, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) unlocked Grogu's memory of Order 66, but we only saw a piece of what happened then. Since Grogu decided to follow the Way of the Mand'alor instead of becoming a Jedi, Din decided he should be trained as a Mandalorian foundling, and as the Armorer (Emily Swallow) crafted the little green guy a beskar rondel of protection, Grogu flashed back to that fateful night when he was a tiny Jedi foundling under attack.
As the knights in the Jedi Temple made a valiant effort at protecting him during Order 66, Grogu was whisked off Coruscant by Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, played by none other than former Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best. As fans of the competition show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge know, this isn't the first time Best has played the Jedi Master, but it was delightful to see Beq in action wielding dual-colored lightsabers while defending Grogu from certain death at the hands of the clone troopers (voiced by original clone portrayer and current Boba Fett Temuera Morrison).
Lucasfilm Ltd. Ahmed Best as Jedi Kelleran Beq on 'The Mandalorian'
After ably deflecting the bolts from the clone troopers, Beq took off on the speeder through the skies of nighttime Coruscant with Grogu by his side. Still chased by the clones, he avoided their attack, and, with the help of some Senate guards, he and Grogu boarded a ship and escaped via lightspeed.
We didn't see what happened once they left the Core Worlds, but since there are several decades between Order 66 and when Din found Grogu, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Kelleran Beq pop up in another flashback filling in some of the details about what happened to Grogu during the reign of the Empire. At least, we hope so.
Beq also becomes the latest Jedi who survived Order 66, at least initially. He joins an illustrious group that includes Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Grogu, Ahsoka Tano, Caleb Dume/Kanan Jarrus, Cal Kestis, Cere Junda, Gungi, Jocasta Nu, and future Inquisitors like one-time Jedi youngling Reva Sevander. With Beq's addition to the group, it shows that for all of Emperor Palpatine's intricate plans for wiping out the Jedi, he didn't do a particularly good job of it after all. Thank the stars.
Make sure to listen to EW's Dagobah Dispatch podcast for a full breakdown of every Mandalorian episode as well as interviews with cast members Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, and more.
