Star Wars Theory: Mace Windu Saved Grogu During Order 66
Warning! SPOILERS for The Book of Boba Fett episode 6.
The Star Wars franchise is building a mystery around who saved Grogu during Order 66, and it could be revealed that Mace Windu helped protect the child. From the time The Mandalorian revealed Grogu's existence, questions about the young Force user's past have risen. The Book of Boba Fett episode 6 added more mystery to what happened to Grogu when Order 66 took place. The flashback didn't reveal exactly who saved Grogu, but all signs point to the franchise planning a big surprise.
Viewers have started to expect major surprises in the Star Wars shows that come from The Mandalorian's corner of the universe. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have pulled off several notable shocking moments. This includes Grogu's secret appearance in The Mandalorian's first episode and a de-aged Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian season 2 finale. The creators also featured Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Boba Fett, although their appearances were spoiled ahead of time. However, The Book of Boba Fett reinforces their tendency for big reveals, as Black Krrsantan, Cad Bane, and the Hutt twins have all surprisingly been involved - not to mention some familiar The Mandalorian characters appearing.
Who saved Grogu during Order 66 is quite possibly the biggest mystery within The Mandalorian's overall story at this point. Favreau is slowly revealing new details about what happened, which is only building anticipation for the eventual reveal. As a result, an expectation is being set that it will be a character Star Wars fans are familiar with. Well, it might just be revealed that Mace Windu is responsible for saving Grogu from Order 66.
Although the mystery of Grogu's survival started right at the start of The Mandalorian, it wasn't until much later that some information about what happened has come to light. Fans figured out that Grogu was alive during the event since he was revealed to be 50 years old despite his baby-like appearance. Thanks to the Star Wars timeline, that means Grogu was 22 years old when Order 66 took place. It was then deduced that someone saved him and put him in hiding for the next few decades based on what The Mandalorian season 1 revealed about his backstory.
The Mandalorian season 2 then provided some additional details on Grogu's backstory. Ahsoka connected with the child through the Force, which is how his name was first revealed. She told Din Djarin that Grogu used to be a Padawan at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and that someone saved him after the Empire rose to power. This immediately sparked speculation about which members of the Jedi Order possibly could've saved Grogu, either from Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber or from clone troopers executing Emperor Palpatine's plan.
Thanks to The Book of Boba Fett episode 6, viewers have now seen a glimpse of Grogu's Order 66 experience. He's shown in the Jedi Temple with three mysterious Jedi protecting him from a group of clone troopers. These Jedi die as part of Order 66 and seemingly leave Grogu unguarded from the clone trooper army approaching. However, the flashback memory ends before it is revealed who saved Grogu.
Speculation over who saved Grogu during Order 66 has mostly focused on the possibility of a Jedi being involved. While there were some compelling theories about others playing a role in rescuing Grogu, The Book of Boba Fett's Order 66 flashbacks show why that can't be the case. These clone troopers coming for Grogu killed three Jedi. The various Star Wars properties have made the clone troopers formidable fighters and responsible for killing a lot of Jedi. If these clones can take out three Jedi, the idea that a non-Force user could come in and save Grogu just doesn't work. It even suggests that whichever Jedi shows up must be incredibly powerful. Although there is an argument to be made that Grogu could've saved himself from Order 66, there is one very powerful Jedi who could make a surprise return to save him instead.
When looking at the landscape of the Jedi who could be at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when Order 66 happened, Mace Windu wouldn't immediately jump to the forefront of that list, mostly because he appeared to die in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Mace Windu confronted Palpatine about his evil plans and was on the verge of killing him before Anakin Skywalker intervened. Anakin cut off Mace's hand and Palpatine electrocuted him with Force lightning, resulting in Mace falling out the window. However, The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, or another Star Wars property could reveal that Mace Windu did survive. It's not far-fetched or unprecedented, considering this series follows a character who supposedly died in Return of the Jedi, even Maul survived being cut in half on Naboo in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
It would potentially be quite easy for Star Wars to introduce this retcon and make Mace Windu responsible for saving Grogu from Order 66. It is unknown what happened to Mace after he fell out the window, but he could've found a way to the Jedi Temple, potentially to warn others about what was about to happen. Instead of getting there before the massacre started, he could arrive in the middle and happen to enter the location where Grogu was being held. Mace could then ignite his purple lightsaber if he managed to recollect it or pick up the green lightsaber from the fallen Jedi to fight the oncoming clone troopers. Mace Windu is one of the most powerful Jedi around at the time and an expert lightsaber fighter, so he could realistically take down the clones to save Grogu (even with only one hand).
Although The Mandalorian hasn't specifically set up Mace's return yet, the show has proven in a different way that it is possible. It has been nearly two decades since Samuel L. Jackson played Mace Windu in Revenge of the Sith, so he'd have to be de-aged to return. Jackson is no stranger to this thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he played a young Nick Fury for the entirety of Captain Marvel. However, The Book of Boba Fett shows that a young Mace Windu is possible after the stellar use of CGI technology on Luke Skywalker in episode 6. These shows keep demonstrating a strong grasp on the de-age and deepfake technology, so the idea of using it to make Samuel L. Jackson a young Mace Windu again is quite realistic.
This could also possibly be the best way to make Jackson's dreams of playing Mace Windu again possible and confirm that his Star Wars character didn't die. Samuel L. Jackson has long advocated for the franchise to bring Mace Windu back. He's even said that Mace's survival is George Lucas approved. Jackson has his own ideas for what happened to Mace if he survived Revenge of the Sith too, which includes the Jedi going into hiding and staying out of the spotlight. This could work with what is known about Grogu's life before The Mandalorian. Perhaps Mace Windu took Grogu with him to Arvala-7 to keep him safe, only for word to eventually spread about Grogu's existence. If he did save Grogu from Order 66, then Samuel L. Jackson could even theoretically return as an older Mace Windu in the present day of The Mandalorian or another Star Wars show.
The Book of Boba Fett finale releases Wednesday, February 9 on Disney+.