After nearly 4 years, one of Grogu’s biggest mysteries in The Mandalorian season 1 receives an explanation from this Star Wars theory. Grogu made his debut as “Baby Yoda” at the end of the very first episode of The Mandalorian in 2019, and ever since, his origin has mostly remained a mystery. Over time, some of Grogu’s backstory has been provided in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, though it mainly concerns his survival during Order 66 rather than anything else. Otherwise, Grogu’s fifty-plus years in the galaxy are still cast in darkness, with one glowing question left unanswered.
When Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin first comes across Grogu in The Mandalorian season 1, episode 1, the child is found within a Nikto encampment on Arvala-7. Given Grogu’s heightened importance to the Imperial Remnants, most notably Moff Gideon, the band of Niktos having him enclosed in a storeroom underneath netting has always felt somewhat out of place. This Star Wars theory, however, at long last speaks to why Grogu was found with these Niktos, and how it connects to Star Wars’ future.
The Mandalorian’s Arvala-7 Is Next To Ryloth
A new map of the Star Wars galaxy revealed in Pablo Hidalgo’s Dawn of Rebellion sourcebook includes many planets first introduced in The Mandalorian, including Arvala-7. Interestingly enough, the planet is located very close to Ryloth, both of which are on the edge of the Outer Rim. This location at the farthest reaches of the galaxy makes these planets even more vulnerable to crime and lawlessness, especially during the time of the fledgling New Republic’s construction in The Mandalorian just four years after the Galactic Civil War. This would not only make it the perfect place to hide someone like Grogu, but it also ties Arvala-7 and the Niktos into a story that takes place many years later.
Rinnrivin Di’s Nikto Cartel Ran Through Ryloth
Claudia Gray’s 2016 novel Bloodline introduces Rinnrivin Di, the leader of a Nikto crime cartel with low beginnings as a spice dealer for the Hutts during the Imperial era. At some point, he began to build his own minor cartel, until various capital injections made it possible for his cartel to grow into an empire. Rinnrivin would go on to run his business through various planets of the Outer Rim, most notably Ryloth.
It was Ryloth who came forward to the New Republic senate requesting assistance with Rinnrivin’s cartel, and after senators such as Leia Organa herself investigated the matter, they found that Rinnrivin Di’s criminal empire stretched even farther across the Outer Rim than they previously thought. While several planets were mentioned in Bloodline, the official placement of Arvala-7 on the Star Wars galaxy map points towards a new possibility. Arvala-7’s proximity to Ryloth very well means the planet could have also been in the potential path of this cartel, and thus the Niktos may have made a place for themselves there on-world.
Was Grogu Captured By Rinnrivin Di’s Cartel?
Though Bloodline takes place just under two decades after The Mandalorian season 1, it could very well be that Grogu’s capture was one of Rinnrivin Di’s very first accomplishments in building his criminal empire. Rinnrivin would have needed a big job to launch him from a mere spice dealer to a cartel leader, and taking a Force-sensitive child would very well be considered an impressive feat in the criminal underworld. Grogu could have been intercepted by Rinnrivin’s cartel from an Imperial Remnant, and the Niktos could have grabbed him and held him on Arvala-7 without truly knowing anything about his past or importance to the Empire, perhaps saving him for a valuable trade.
This, however, isn’t the last time Niktos are seen in relation to Grogu. At least one Nikto was responsible for crashing Din’s speeder on Tatooine in the opening scene of The Mandalorian season 2, episode 2, in an effort to seize the child. Given that it was a group of bandits working together rather than an individual hunter, it very well could have been more representatives of Rinnrivin’s cartel working to regain what they had lost on Arvala-7, especially given its proximity to Tatooine. This would be a great opportunity to tie The Mandalorian era into the later sequel Star Wars trilogy era, and to provide Rinnrivin Di with an extraordinary backstory that would make his future criminal empire even more impressive.
