Star Wars Confirms Grogu’s Role In Resurrecting Palpatine

By Molly Brizzell Published 1 day ago

The Bad Batch has confirmed the role Grogu will play in the resurrection of Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars, as previously teased in The Mandalorian.

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, episodes 1, 2, and 3.

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Summary

• Grogu's high M-count connects him to Palpatine's resurrection, setting up a thrilling future for the galaxy in The Bad Batch season 3.
• Force-sensitive cloning relies on midi-chlorians, with Grogu being the perfect donor due to his exceptionally high M-count.
• Despite Moff Gideon's death, the Imperial Remnant will continue to pursue Grogu for his blood in their desperate efforts to resurrect Palpatine.

Five years after it was first teased in The Mandalorian season 1, Star Wars has at last confirmed Grogu's role in Emperor Palpatine's resurrection in The Bad Batch season 3 premiere. The animated series has kicked off its final season with an explosive three-episode premiere that sets up the future of the galaxy in the most thrilling way. Taking place just after the fall of the Republic and the rise of Palpatine's Empire, The Bad Batch is doing the work of showing how the galaxy adjusted to the oppressive regime — and, most notably, how the Empire secured its future.

One of the most important connections these episodes have made is to the earliest progress on Project Necromancer, which was first mentioned by the Imperial Shadow Council in The Mandalorian season 3. The Bad Batch has revealed this project is directly related to Palpatine's resurrection via Force-sensitive cloning, but it proves to be a difficult task to accomplish. The premiere has also revealed the secret to successfully creating a Force-sensitive clone, which directly ties The Mandalorian and Grogu to Palpatine's resurrection in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The Empire's Resurrection Experiments Needed A Source Of Midi-Chlorians

The key to Force-sensitive cloning lies with midi-chlorians, which have been referred to as an "M-count" ever since The Mandalorian season 2 — more than likely due to the less-than-thrilled reception they earned after their debut in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. Essentially, these microscopic life forms exist in all living things, and the higher a person's M-count is, the more naturally connected they are to the Force. M-counts have become especially important in the science of Force-sensitive cloning, and The Bad Batch has started to explain why that is.

The biggest struggle for Dr. Hemlock, Nala Se, and his other scientists at Mount Tantiss is finding a way to prepare a clone body that can maintain either Palpatine's same M-count or higher without degrading the specimen. This is a phenomenon seen directly in The Rise of Skywalker, when Palpatine's clone body is quite literally falling apart due to the host body not having the ability to withstand his M-count. Blood that can withstand a high M-count, then, has become highly valuable to Palpatine and Project Necromancer — which connects directly to The Mandalorian.

Grogu's High M-Count Made Him The Perfect Donor

Alias The Child Alliance Jedi, Mandalorians Race Unknown Description Din Djarin (Father/Mentor)

The Phantom Menace established that Yoda's M-count was the highest any Jedi had ever seen before Anakin Skywalker's M-count was taken, and as a member of Yoda's species, the same no doubt goes for Grogu. His high M-count is even outright stated by Doctor Penn Pershing in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 4 "Chapter 12: The Siege," when a recording of him sent to Moff Gideon insists that he doubts they'll "find a donor with a higher M-count" than Grogu's. This is what made Pershing ask Gideon for access to Grogu again, thus resulting in the child's capture later on.

Grogu's high M-count is ideal because it provides a strong basis for the transfusion to take place. As The Bad Batch has established, the main issue with Force-sensitive cloning is the specimen degrading, and a higher M-count greatly increases the odds of the clone's own blood retaining a high M-count. This is at the core of Palpatine's desire for his clone; having an M-count lower than his own was considered a failure. It either had to match his own or surpass it, and considering Grogu's M-count likely far surpasses Palpatine's own, he is the ideal donor.

The Empire Will Still Want Grogu — Even After Moff Gideon's Death

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It's clear the Imperial Remnant will continue to hunt him for his blood until they succeed in resurrecting Palpatine.

Unfortunately, this truth has devastating implications for Grogu. Even if Moff Gideon, the one who's been targeting Grogu for the entirety of The Mandalorian so far, is now dead, the Empire will no doubt soon recognize Grogu and his M-count as indispensible to Project Necromancer — which is currently overseen by Brendol Hux. The death of Gideon, then, doesn't secure a free future for Grogu. While it may eliminate the threats sent after him for now, it's clear the Imperial Remnant will continue to hunt him for his blood until they succeed in resurrecting Palpatine.

Thankfully, Grogu is now under the permanent protection and tutelage of Din Djarin, his adoptive father. Grogu has a better chance of both being protected and protecting himself as he trains to become a Mandalorian, which makes his odds of fighting off the Empire much more promising. Still, it's clear that The Bad Batch season 3 is warning viewers of what's to come for Grogu in the future of the Star Wars galaxy, and that the Empire will stop at nothing until they get what they want — particularly under their Emperor's direct orders.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, episodes 1-3 are available now on Disney+. Future episodes release Wednesdays at 12:00 a.m. PT, 3:00 a.m. ET, and 8:00 a.m. GMT.

Cast Dee Bradley Baker , Michelle Ang , Noshir Dalal , Liam O'Brien , Rhea Perlman , Sam Riegel , Bob Bergen , Gwendoline Yeo Release Date May 4, 2021 Seasons 3 Franchise(s) Star Wars Writers Jennifer Corbett , Dave Filoni , Matt Michnovetz , Tamara Becher , Amanda Rose Munoz , Gursimran Sandhu , Christian Taylor , Damani Johnson Directors Brad Rau , Steward Lee , Nathaniel Villanueva , Saul Ruiz Showrunner Dave Filoni Creator(s) Dave Filoni , Jennifer Corbett Where To Watch Disney Plus