Introducing Grogu as an entirely non-verbal character in The Mandalorian helps to justify Yoda’s quirky manner of speech in all his Star Wars appearances. While Grogu does not speak a word in either of The Mandalorian’s two seasons, as well as during the episodes involving him in The Book of Boba Fett, he is still able to communicate. By using the Force in The Mandalorian season 2, Grogu reveals his name to Ahsoka Tano and even manages to reach out across the galaxy to Luke Skywalker.
Grogu, the character formerly known as “Baby Yoda,” is the same species as both the legendary Jedi Master Yoda and the former member of the Jedi High Council, Yaddle. However, little is known about this species, or their homeworld, other than a seemingly deep and powerful connection to the Force and the ability to live for a remarkably long time. As a result, Yoda, Yaddle, and Grogu remain a fascinatingly mysterious part of the larger Star Wars mythos.
Tales Of The Jedi's Yaddle Doesn't Make Yoda's Speech Weird
The fact that Grogu is entirely non-verbal in The Mandalorian may suggest that Yoda’s species do not rely on verbal communication in the same way that humans do. Given their species’ seemingly strong inherent connection with the Force, this is perhaps unsurprising. After all, if it is possible to eloquently express meaning through Star Wars’ "mystical energy field," then it makes more simplistic forms of communication, like speech, largely redundant.
Despite this, Yaddle and Yoda do speak in Star Wars, although this may be due to being Jedi and because they have lived much longer than Grogu has in The Mandalorian. Of course, Tales of the Jedi also makes it clear that Yaddle’s speech patterns are different from Yoda’s, although this shouldn’t necessarily be considered unusual. After all, Yoda is 423 years older than Yaddle, so it makes sense that she might engage more fully with the need to communicate clearly through speech. At the same time, Yoda has potentially gone the other way and leaned into a much older belief that he doesn’t need to speak any more than he absolutely must.
Grogu's Species Needs To Stay A Mystery (To Prevent Yoda Issues)
While wanting to know more is understandable, it could be a mistake to know too much about Grogu's species. This is because there is a danger that any attempt to explain why Yoda and Yaddle speak differently would either be disappointingly literal or just dull and unnecessary. In this case, it is probably better to maintain a little mystery and allow Star Wars fans to fill in the gaps in Star Wars Canon instead.
After all, not every mystery needs to be solved, especially if it strips away any layers of fun. As it is, using detail that Star Wars already makes obvious about the species, like their powerful connection to the Force, offers a simple and elegant explanation. More than this, having Grogu as Din Djarin's near-silent partner in The Mandalorian assists in understanding the possible reasons for Yoda’s famously quirky speech patterns.