If you’ve been watching The Mandalorian on Disney+, or if you just have access to the internet, you’ve no doubt seen the adorable little green creature who has exploded onto the Star Wars scene known affectionately by fans and non-fans alike as Baby Yoda.
Baby Yoda has been a key part of The Mandalorian (of which there’s been three episodes released at the time of writing), and seems set to stay a key part of the series as it continues.
Whilst speculation in the internet-sphere is rife, with some stating he’s Emperor Palpatine, and others stating he’s Yoda and Yaddle’s lovechild, we actually know very little about Baby Yoda.
But what exactly do we know about Baby Yoda? Well, for starters…
He is NOT Yoda.
Despite being nicknamed Baby Yoda, those of you who haven’t seen The Mandalorian (or if you’re just not a Star Wars fan) might not know that he is actually not the baby version of Yoda, the green Grandmaster of the Jedi Order from Episodes I – VI.
The Mandalorian is set in the time vacuum between Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Episode VII: The Force Awakens, and as any Star Wars fan will be able to tell you, Yoda himself died during Return.
Let’s not forget that iconic deathbed quote of his: “When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.”
He is the same species as Yoda.
Not much is known about Yoda’s species – heck, we don’t even know what his species is called or where they’re from, hence this little green fella being nicknamed “Baby Yoda”.
But one thing we know for sure is that he is definitely the same species as the Grandmaster.
Baby Yoda is 50 years old.
As you’ll recall from Return, Yoda told us he was 900 years old before he died.
There are a few (and I mean a few) species that have incredibly long lifespans in the Star Wars universe, including Maz Kanata from the sequel-era trilogy who is over 1,000 years old in The Force Awakens.
Baby Yoda’s age is given to us, and the titular Mandalorian, in the first episode when the Client, played sublimely by Werner Herzog, tells Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian his intended bounty is 50 years old.
Now, this is a very interesting little tidbit of info. But why?
Well, before Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars, an expanded universe full of comics, novels, and shows already existed, and within that was a comic about Yoda joining the Jedi Order.
Although his age when joining the Order wasn’t known, it was known that he had attained the rank of Jedi Master by the age of 96.
So, if Baby Yoda is 50 years old and still a toddler, then we can safely assume that the ageing cycle of his species has been changed by Disney’s new canon.
Either that or we’re going to see Baby Yoda do some lightning-fast growing up rather soon…
He is the third of his species that exists in the Star Wars canon.
When Star Wars became part of the Disney group back in 2012, Disney wiped the slate clean with the canon, choosing to make their own canon rather than using the existing canon.
Baby Yoda is the first addition of one of his species in Disney’s canon.
However, we must remember that the films, although being created before Disney’s purchase, are still classed as canon.
As such, this makes Baby Yoda the third of his species to be seen in the Disney canon despite being their first addition to the canon.
The other two being Yoda and Jedi Master Yaddle.
Yaddle was a female of Yoda’s species who sat on the Jedi High Council for a hundred years before her off-screen death between Episodes I & II.
She can be seen in the council scenes in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which means we have three of Yoda’s species in the Disney canon.
Whilst Yaddle has not yet been explored in the Disney canon, we fans are hoping that her story will soon get elaborated on, maybe shedding some light on her species and giving us a little more insight into Baby Yoda and his mysterious origins.
Baby Yoda is incredibly strong with The Force.
Ok, so I’m going to talk about midichlorians now and if you want to complain at me that they don’t exist and they’re prequel trash then I will not be granting you the rank of Master.
Yes, it’s outrageous, yes, it’s unfair, but George Lucas did say in a 1977 interview “certain creatures are born with a higher awareness of The Force than humans […] they have more midichlorians in their cells.”
So if you can’t accept that George Lucas thought of midichlorians before he thought of Darth Vader being Luke’s father, then you can just shut the heck up and take a seat, Young Neckbeard.
Midichlorians are an essential part of the Star Wars mythology, they are the reason The Force “surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together”.
When Qui Gon asks for a midichlorian count of young Anakin’s blood in The Phantom Menace, a young Obi Wan exclaims “The reading is off the chart – over 20,000! Even Master Yoda doesn’t have a midichlorian count that high!”
So we know that Yoda himself (and presumably Yaddle) have a high midichlorian count, but now as we see the loveable little Baby Yoda use The Force in The Mandalorian, it does give some clout to the fan theory that all of Yoda’s species are strong in The Force, much like the Night Sisters of Dathomir – the clan whom Asajj Ventress belongs to.
One thing’s for sure – if this is how powerful Baby Yoda is as an untrained infant, then he definitely has a strong future ahead of him as a Force user.
So, you heard it here first, the top 5 certified things we know about Baby Yoda. What are your theories on his origins? Who do you think his parents are? Where do you think he came from? So many questions!
Here’s hoping we get some more answers as The Mandalorian continues its blistering run.
Star Wars is back folks, and it’s no joke, watch this space…
