As the third season of The Mandalorian concludes, some concept art featuring the character Grogu shows a stellar amalgamation of the two separate environments in which the (young?) Jedi has been raised.
Based on the ever-popular Star Wars IP, The Mandalorian is a space western that follows the titular Mandalorian Din Djarin, who protects the infantile force-sensitive Grogu after being enlisted on a bounty to retrieve the child for nefarious purposes. The show was a resounding success and a breath of fresh air, with the character of Grogu, dubbed Baby Yoda by fans before his real name was revealed on The Mandalorian, being especially popular.
This popularity has only grown recently, with Grogu even messing with people’s Google searches in honor of The Mandalorian season 3. In the same vein of fan engagement, Jason Pastrana, a concept artist formerly employed by Disney, recently took to his Instagram account to post some badass concept art featuring the lovable little Jedi. Using a more gritty comic style than usually seen for the character, Pastara presents an older Grogu wielding a blaster and an assortment of different headgear, with a standard green lightsaber and the iconic Darksaber alternating between concepts.
The post featured 8 variants of a conceptual Grogu, with a 9th slide showing an isolated view of one of the helmets featured. “Here are some more Grogu concepts and versions. (SWIPE)... I blocked out a helmet in Blender to work out some shapes. Someone in the comment section mentioned it would be cool if it was 'Mythosaur' inspired. I thought it was a great idea," reads the caption. "Also some more versions with top-bun Japanese hairstyle. I love exploring characters. One small change gives it a very different feel. Oh and the BLACK SABER was a major request! Share your favorites.” The concept art fits the idea of an older, more adept Grogu, which lines up well with the third season showing just how overpowered Grogu can be in The Mandalorian trailer.
The comments are a clear indicator of how popular Grogu is. With The Mandalorian coming to a cinematic climax soon and the character’s relative youth, there’s a chance that a grown, dual-wielding Jedi Grogu could still appear in a future project. Some of the designs could inspire a future episode of the Star Wars anthology series Visions, with the Japanese-style bun and straw hat reminiscent of design elements already seen in the series.
The Mandalorian season 3 is currently streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: Jason Pastrana