Fans will carry the latest episode of The Mandalorian with them for a long time. Not only was the episode packed full of action with the live-action debut of Ahsoka Tano, but it also revealed the backstory and the real name of The Child, aka Baby Yoda, aka Grogu. While talking with Vanity Fair, The Mandalorian producer Dave Filoni said the name came from Jon Favreau, who told him shortly after the show’s debut.
“The name has been around for a while,” he stated. “Jon told me early on in Season One what it would be, which made me start to think about how people could learn the name. This gave me the idea that Ahsoka, who is very compassionate, would be able to connect with the child, and that without words they could probably communicate through memories and experiences. Through that connection, she learns the name and then tells Mando and the audience.”
Filoni added that he had to restrain himself from the metanarrative of making Ahsoka say, “Is that a Yoda baby?” when she first saw the creature.
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Filoni also elaborated about the timing to reveal the baby’s backstory and origin. Baby Yoda was one of the many young apprentices who trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. After the fall of the Republic, Grogu escaped someway from the Jedi Temple and suppressed his powers to hide from the Empire.
“I felt that if anyone would know or understand The Child’s history it would be Ahsoka,” Filoni added. “She has such a long history as well. By having her relate the story it also helps the viewer to understand some of her own backstory. This is similar to when Obi-Wan tells Luke about his father’s history. Through the story about Anakin, you are getting a look at Obi-Wan and his backstory as well. A lot of the campfire scene, as I call it, is shaped around that scene between Obi-Wan and Luke in A New Hope.”
Baby Yoda — or Grogu — will return to action in The Mandalorian‘s next episode, which will hit Disney+ on Friday, Dec. 4.
What do you think about Baby Yoda’s real name? Did you like it? Let us know in the comments section below.
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