Who is Baby Yoda? The Mandalorian’s Breakout Character Explained

The Child is commonly referred to as Baby Yoda, and is the talk of the internet.
The Child is commonly referred to as Baby Yoda, and is the talk of the internet. (Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Spoiler warning. This article delves into topics in the first two episodes of the Disney Plus show The Mandalorian — and potential spoilers based on easter eggs at Disney parks and the show itself. You've been warned.

So, two episodes into The Mandalorian, we know two things for sure: the titular character is kinda boring and his co-star steals the entire show. That co-star, known as The Child, appears to be a baby version of Yoda, the Jedi master who played a pivotal role throughout the Star Wars Skywalker Saga. 

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So, with no more further ado, let's go over what we know (and what we want to know) about The Child (aka Baby Yoda). 

Who is Baby Yoda?

The identity of The Child, which The Mandalorian co-star Werner Herzog called "heartbreakingly beautiful," is masked in secrecy. What we know, after episodes 1 and 2, is that baby Yoda is 50 years old and indeed has force powers, as he saved The Mandalorian from a dangerous Mudhorn. 

Meet Baby Yoda ... or as The Mandalorian calls it, The Child (Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Show-runner Jon Favreau hinted at a grand scale of importance for the character: "As fun as it is to reveal new characters and surprise them, it also fits into a larger narrative about what’s going on in the galaxy after the revolution. This is an important character."

That quote is backed up by a sighting at the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction from Disney Land's Hollywood Studios park in Orlando. Newsweek found a Reddit post that suggests that The Mandalorian's armor will one day gain iconography related to The Child, which sounds like this season will revolve around a bounty hunter with a heart of Beskarian steel who decides to care about this baby Yoda.

Disney Plus

<a href="https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/221109/564546/9358?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fwelcome%2Fbundle" data-link-merchant="disneyplus.com"" target="_blank">Disney Plus is live and available either in the pretty-cheap $6.99 standalone package — which nets you the whole Disney vault and The Mandalorian — or with a $12.99 bundle that includes Hulu and ESPN Plus, which some might consider a cable-replacement.

What species is Baby Yoda?

Meet Baby Yoda ... or as The Mandalorian calls it, The Child (Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Shockingly, we've never learned the name of Yoda's species. In Wookieepedia, his species is actually referred to as "Yoda's species."

Well, that's both possible and likely, as we've only ever seen two other members of this alien species: Yoda and Yaddle (who appeared in Episode I – The Phantom Menace). How they're related is still a mystery, but there is a fan theory backed by some easter eggs.

Meet Baby Yoda ... or as The Mandalorian calls it, The Child (Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Via Screenrant, we've realized that Herzog's character, The Client — who gave The Mandalorian the mission to procure The Child —  is working with a Kaminoan doctor named Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi). Kaminoans are known for their cloning technology that led to the clone troopers we first learned about in Episode II - Attack of the Clones. 

The doctor's insistence that The Child is returned to them safe and unharmed gives fuel to those fans who believe this 'baby Yoda' is a clone of the Jedi Master who trained Luke.

Is there a Baby Yoda toy?

There isn't anything official yet — but mark my words, Baby Yoda will be a toy before you know it. Expect everything from a stuffed animal to a Funko Pop!, and some of it could arrive by this holiday season. For now, the best we've found is this Yoda plush, which looks like Baby Yoda, but is just an adorable small Yoda. 

This article was originally posted on Tom's Guide.

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