Baby Yoda's newest power in 'The Mandalorian' comes from a forgotten Jedi
A pivotal moment in Episode 7 has a Star Wars precedent, but it's not the movies.
The Force moves in mysterious ways. Whether you’re into levitating rocks or astral projecting, the powers of the Jedi and the Sith are totally wizard — and by that I mean, their powers are cool, but also exactly like the powers of witches and wizards. In fact, in the latest episode of The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda uses the Force in a way we’ve never seen it used before. That is, at least, not in contemporary Star Wars canon. However, Baby Yoda’s new trick does come from Legends canon, and in those stories, a person with the last name Skywalker could do this exact same thing.
Spoilers ahead for The Mandalorian episode 7, “Chapter 7: The Reckoning.”
When Greef Karga is hit by a deadly flying dinosaur, it seems like The Mandalorian is going to write-up Carl Weathers. But his life is miraculously saved by Baby Yoda, who uses the Force to magically heal the deadly wound. Conventionally, you can call this “Force healing,” and it does exist in the old Legends canon. One character who was pretty good at it was Cade Skywalker.
Cade Skywalker using the Force to heal.
You remember Cade Skywalker! He’s your favorite! But seriously, if you’re having a hard time with this name, it’s okay. Cade was the main character of a comic book series called Star Wars: Legacy, which, essentially, took place in the far future of Star Wars. Cade was a descendant of Luke Skywalker, several generations down the line.
Cade was also a “bad boy.” He was addicted to death sticks, worked as a bounty hunter, was briefly a Sith, and occasionally sported a soul patch beard. Really!
But, Cade could also use the Force to heal people. Sometimes he did it with the Dark side, which was called a “Dark Transfer.” Though his Jedi teachings made clear it was possible to do this with the Light side, too. To be fair, Cade Skywalker doesn’t have the monopoly on Force healing in the old Legends canon. Another Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, also used Force healing at many points in the old Legends canon. And, prequel era Jedi could do it, too.
Still, in terms of what we’ve seen in new canon, chronologically Baby Yoda is the first person do do Force-healing. Cade Skywalker is no longer canon, of course, but now that Baby Yoda can use the Force to heal people, you gotta wonder if it’s possible that other characters can learn this power? I mean, it really makes you think, doesn’t it?
The final episode of Season 1 of The Mandalorian airs on Disney+ on December 27.
