Why Didn’t the Jedi Use the Force to Tame the Zillo Beast?

I just finished binging The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett again, and there’s one scene I can’t stop thinking about — the Rancor attack on Mos Espa. Din had no chance of stopping the beast, not until “Baby Yoda” stepped in. With just a wave of his tiny hand, Grogu calmed the raging Rancor like it was nothing.

That moment got me thinking — if Grogu can do that, why didn’t the Jedi ever use the same trick on the Zillo Beast during the Clone Wars?

The Zillo Beast Was Too Intelligent to Control

The reason we never saw the Jedi try to tame the beast is simple, the Zillo Beast wasn’t just some wild creature the Jedi could “calm” with the Force. Throughout The Clone Wars episodes, it showed signs of awareness and intelligence far beyond that of a normal animal. When it was first awakened on Malastare, it didn’t attack out of rage or bloodlust,  it reacted to being bombed, electrocuted, and trapped. Every move it made was pure self-defense.

Later, when the Republic brought it to Coruscant, the Zillo Beast showed something even more remarkable: focus. It singled out Chancellor Palpatine during its rampage, almost as if it recognized something in him — perhaps even the darkness he was hiding. That moment alone proved it wasn’t mindless.

And that’s exactly why the Jedi’s usual tricks wouldn’t work. The Force can’t “influence” every mind. Jedi mind control only works on weak-willed or suggestible beings. We’ve seen it fail on strong-minded individuals before, like Jabba the Hutt, who ignored Luke’s attempt to sway him in Return of the Jedi. If Luke couldn’t bend Jabba, there’s no way anyone could bend a creature as ancient and powerful as the Zillo Beast.

The Rancor Could Be Tamed Cause Its Mind is Weak

The Rancor that Grogu calmed in The Book of Boba Fett was a completely different story. Unlike the Zillo Beast, the Rancor isn’t intelligent enough to resist the Force. It’s emotional, instinct-driven, and quick to form bonds with whoever shows it care. As Boba Fett himself said, “Rancor are emotionally complex creatures.”

The Rancor’s emotions are mixed and unstable — and that kind of mental state makes its mind easier to influence. Grogu didn’t have to overpower it; he just reached into that confusion and soothed it through the Force.