‘The Mandalorian’ Darth Yoda Theory: 3 Reasons Fans Think Baby Yoda Is Drawn to the Dark Side
In the Star Wars universe, Yoda was a legendary Jedi Master whose knowledge and command of the Force remained unrivaled. So when The Mandalorian introduced Baby Yoda, aka The Child, many assumed he would carry the same traits as his older doppelganger.
But as seen throughout the first season, and the recent episodes of Season 2, Baby Yoda tends to protect and destroy. After piecing together some of his most dubious moments, fans are beginning to think Baby Yoda is drawn to the Dark Side of the Force.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian, season 2, episode 2.]
In season 1 of ‘The Mandalorian,’ Baby Yoda chokes Cara Dune
In Chapter 7, “The Reckoning,” Baby Yoda exhibits his sensitivity to the Force by healing Greef Karga’s (Carl Weathers) infected arm. But later, when Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and Mando (Pedro Pascal) are arm wrestling, the little green guy puts Cara in a Force chokehold, only to let up when Mando physically picks him and stops him.
Fans pointed out that the Force chokehold is usually aligned with those on the Dark Side. It was one of Darth Vader/Anakin’s most used weapons and was later used by Kylo Ren. But the Force Choke was also used by Luke, leaving fans questioning where Baby Yoda’s intentions lie.
“Aside from the good/bad nature of the Mando and Cara Dune fight, we’ve only seen those aligned with the Dark Side choke fools out,” one Reddit fan theorized. “Baby Yo isn’t by nature bad, but Grand Moff Gus Fring has begun imprinting him, and now that Mando has given up doing “evil” deeds, he is going to imprint good — Grand Moff Gus wants the kid back because they are raising him to be Darth Yoda.”
Fans think Baby Yoda is a lot smarter than we know
Looking back at Star Wars, Yoda was one of the most insightful and intelligent beings in the universe. And considering Baby Yoda is already 50 years old, some fans wonder if he’s actually a lot smarter than he acts.
“I’m positive there’s more to BY than he really lets on,” one Redditor suggested. “Meaning that he’s way more intelligent. Like how Yoda played dumb to Luke before the reveal.”
“And I’m like 99% sure he completely understands basic,” another Reddit fan added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he could speak already and is just choosing not to.”
If Baby Yoda is as intelligent and some fans speculate, it would mean he isn’t the innocent little kid he seems to be. And it would also imply he’s been manipulating Mando from the very start.
In Season 2 of ‘The Mandalorian,’ Baby Yoda eats the Frog Lady’s eggs
In Chapter 10, “The Passenger,” Mando agrees to take “Frog Lady” to her husband’s planet so he can fertilize her eggs and continue her lineage. She carries the eggs in a clear container filled with a fluid that keeps them afloat.
But just as their journey begins, Baby Yoda opens the container and starts snacking on her eggs. Mando catches him in the act twice and reprimands him both times. But toward the end of the episode, Baby Yoda manages to sneak and swallow one last egg.
Many fans assume that because he’s so young, Baby Yoda didn’t know any better than to eat the eggs because he was hungry. But others pointed out that he continued to eat them despite Mando’s warning, which means that, if he is self-aware, he doesn’t care about what’s right.
“You’re all assuming baby Yoda isn’t the real villain of the series,” one fan wrote on Reddit. “Manipulating everyone along the way to get them to do his bidding, reveling in the death and destruction he causes along the way.”
“BAD BABY!!!!!!!!” another Redditor wrote. “I think he is working for the dark side. He uses force choke and commits genocide.”
Of course, this is all speculation. And it could very well be that Baby Yoda is just the innocent little toddler we want him to be. Hopefully, fans will learn more as this season of The Mandalorian continues.
