Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian has been featured in TIME Magazine's People of the Year issue. The annual end of the year edition of the iconic magazine has always seen fit to include the most famous (but sometimes infamous) people who have shaped the year in one way or another.
As a recent edition to the extensive Star Wars family, Baby Yoda, known officially as The Child, has been a massive internet sensation since appearing in the initial episode of Disney’s The Mandalorian. The new series, which is written and produced by blockbuster filmmaker Jon Favreau, has yet to reveal precise details about the character. So far, however, that lack of solid information has only served to make him all the more popular. In addition to a staggering demand for Baby Yoda merchandise and Disney’s decision not to provide it until well into the new year, the character has also been the subject of countless memes and viral videos as of late. Though Yoda passed away in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, the official timeline of The Mandalorian is just five years after the events of the famed final film in the original trilogy.
So great is the popularity of Baby Yoda, in fact, that TIME Magazine made the decision to include the wee internet sensation in its People of the Year issue. The news comes to us courtesy of THR, who have reported that although Baby Yoda obviously isn’t human or real, Disney’s Bob Iger is. The Mouse House CEO made TIME's exclusive list due to the record-shattering year that Disney has had, with five different films reaching the billion-dollar mark. In addition to this, 2019 marked the year that Disney took a very firm hold of the entertainment industry. Illustrator Tim O’Brien was in charge of painting Iger for the end of year issue, which includes the Disney boss holding Baby Yoda. Said O’Brien:
“Painting Bob Iger was fun, but of course, like almost the entire universe, being able to paint baby Yoda at a time when he’s blowing up the Internet was thrilling.”
With a little over half of The Mandalorian’s first season having already aired, the public isn’t any closer to knowing exactly what Baby Yoda is or how he came to be. That hasn’t stopped the internet from producing a huge amount of theories regarding the character’s origin and purpose, but as with all conjecture, we never really know until an official explanation arrives. So far, The Mandalorian’s success has arguably been even bigger than originally anticipated, and this is likely due to the great deal of excitement that bringing back one of Star Wars’ most beloved characters (in one form or another) has caused. Favreau has previously revealed he is already filming season 2 and has even declared that characters from Star Wars TV series’ such as The Mandalorian could eventually find their way into Star Wars movies. Without currently knowing what the plan is for Baby Yoda, the thought of future films in which the character plays a role is definitely one that Star Wars fans are intrigued by.
Still, not everyone is a fan of The Mandalorian. Some critics have not been kind to the series, despite what the fans think. It’s also difficult to say whether or not the new series will continue to find success once the novelty of Baby Yoda begins to dissipate. Because of the character’s status as an internet sensation, there is a sense of impermanence surrounding it, and if The Mandalorian doesn’t succeed in transitioning Baby Yoda from a mysterious novelty to a viable character, the series could lose its appeal. For now however, based on what's been seen of the series, there’s no reason to doubt that its future remains bright.
Source: THR