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The Child, lovingly known as Baby Yoda, has dominated the Disney+ hit The Mandalorian since the show premiered in 2019. Some fans are even more interested in the little green guy than in the Mandalorian himself. And one of the TV series’ driving forces has been revealing more about The Child, including his real name. 

Even though the Season 2 finale has aired, we still don’t know much about The Child’s origins. Questions still linger: Where did he come from? And, more specifically, who did he come from? Spoilers may lie ahead.

Baby Yoda is the biggest Star Wars sensation in a while

'The Mandalorian' creator John Favreau arrives for the premiere of the film 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' in Hollywood, California, on May 10, 2018.
‘The Mandalorian’ creator John Favreau is the mastermind behind Baby Yoda | FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

Ever since the Mandalorian found The Child at the end of the first episode, Baby Yoda became a phenomenon. Almost no one predicted this turn of events, but when he appeared, millions of souls cried out, “Awww!” Disney was so determined to keep this character under wraps that it uncharacteristically robbed itself of a merchandising bonanza last Christmas. 

Debate over Baby Yoda sprang up immediately, not only over where he came from but also what to call him. Some fans insisted he shouldn’t be called “Baby Yoda” because he couldn’t be a young version of the Jedi master fans knew and loved. Still, the name stuck even after the show revealed his real name is Grogu. 

By the end of the first season, “Mando,” as the title character came to be known, set out to reunite the child with his own kind. Some viewers assumed this meant returning him to his own planet, where we would meet other members of Yoda’s species. It turned out his own kind meant Jedi. Luke Skywalker took custody of Grogu after an emotional farewell with Mando.  

Could Yoda be the child’s father?

Although some fans asserted the child shouldn’t be called “Baby Yoda,” that doesn’t preclude Yoda from being Grogu’s baby daddy. Screen Rant says that’s one of the major theories going around right now. So if Yoda is the father, who would be Baby Yoda’s mother?

That would be Yaddle, a member of the Jedi Council seen in The Phantom Menace. She’s easy to miss if you aren’t actively looking for her. The official Star Wars website gives this brief biography: “The quiet Yaddle was a member of the same mysterious species as the revered Jedi Master Yoda. Yaddle sat on the Jedi Council with her fellow green-skinned diminutive Force-user. By the time of the Clone Wars, she was no longer on the Council.”

So, does that mean Yoda and Yaddle were an item? That might be hard to reconcile for fans who hate that Rey is Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter, but stranger things have happened. However, as Screen Rant points out, Moff Gideon pursued Grogu relentlessly, and his relation to Yoda might be a good reason why. 

When will Baby Yoda return?

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So the obvious question now is, when exactly will we see Grogu again? Will he reappear in The Mandalorian, or will the show return to focusing on the title character? On the one hand, it might be disastrous for the series to lose the beloved character. On the other hand, maybe Grogu might fit better in one of the other Star Wars shows Disney is developing. 

If so, which one? Disney has no less than 10 in development. Will it be one of the Mandalorian spinoffs, or might they yet give the child his own show? That might seem like a reach, but given the success of Grogu merch, Disney will surely be reluctant to leave that money on the table. 

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