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Are you still reeling from the ending of The Mandalorian’s Season 1 finale? Well, you can cross one Season 2 theory off of your list! The Disney+ series’ creator Jon Favreau has shut down one of the many theories surrounding Baby Yoda, confirming beyond a shadow of a doubt that the fan-favorite creature is not who you may think he is, while also providing an eloquent explanation for why it's not the case.
Jon Favreau has cleared the record regarding whether The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda is really a younger version of the legendary Yoda. Due to what his nickname suggests, some believe the two characters are one and the same. However, Favreau is ready to clear up any misconceptions on that front, and articulately explained the reason to USA Today, saying:
Because in the timeline, this takes place after Return of the Jedi. The fans of the original trilogy will remember that Yoda not only passes away but actually disappears. So Yoda exists as a Force Ghost. But this Baby Yoda character is called Baby Yoda by most people because there's no name for the Yoda species. So I think the easiest, shortest, most hashtagable way to identify that character, which is identified as in the episode known as 'The Child,' is Baby Yoda.
There you have it. The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda cannot be the Yoda. As Jon Favreau explained, Yoda had long passed away by the time the Disney+ series’ story picks up. While Yoda lives on through the Force, he has not returned in physical form via reincarnation or any other method, so the ongoing curiosity surrounding Baby Yoda continues! (Though, to be fair, Boba Fett also "died" in the original trilogy, but that hasn't stopped fans far and wide from clamoring for his return, with The Mandalorian being the preferred spot for his comeback.)
In any case, the mega-adorable overnight sensation that is Baby Yoda has his own identity, and it's now up to The Mandalorian to help unravel what that identity is. Jon Favreau was asked the million-dollar follow-up question: are Baby Yoda and O.G. Yoda related? Favreau answered in the most cryptic of ways:
Oh, well now you're getting into spoilers so I can't say. There's a lot of theories about that.
Thankfully, The Mandalorian is returning for a second season, which means more clues may be on the horizon. It's still entirely plausible for Yoda and Baby Yoda to be related, considering Jon Favreau's response. If answering the inquiry would be a spoiler, there is definitely something to that possibility, even if they aren't father and son or something.
It will be a while before fans learn everything about Baby Yoda, though. Jon Favreau has confirmed the release window for The Mandalorian Season 2, which is slated to bow in the fall of 2020. At least we're all in the same year as the premiere!
In the meantime, there is no shortage of Baby Yoda theories to keep the mind occupied now that he has become a pop culture symbol for cuteness. What, if any, connection does the beloved Baby Yoda have to adult Yoda? There has to be one, right?
Time will tell if any familial theoies end up having any merit. The Mandalorian is cruising towards some sort of reveal surrounding the breakout character, since you do not introduce Baby Yoda without having some kind of a follow-up in store. How and if that all connects to the elder Jedi Master is a mystery that will linger on a while longer, along with other unanswered Season 1 questions.
You can currently stream Season 1 of The Mandalorian in its entirety on Disney+, and you can sign up for a seven-day free trial right here. Plus, CinemaBlend has some alternative Disney+ suggestions for your post-Mando pleasure. May the force be with you as you bide time waiting for Season 2 to arrive in fall 2020 by watching this winter’s premieres!
