The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau explains why he chose to keep Baby Yoda a surprise ahead of the series premiere. The Star Wars show has become an undeniable success since its launch last November. Not only was it the first live-action series for the franchise, it also helped launch Disney+. Baby Yoda – officially known as The Child – was a big part of the reason why viewers got excited about The Mandalorian. The positive reaction to the show led to other live-action series that are currently in the works at the streamer. These include one focused on Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and another with Rouge One: A Star Wars Story's Cassian Andor.
However, viewers are currently anticipating The Mandalorian season 2, which premieres this October. The new season will connect to the larger Star Wars universe in an exciting way, featuring existing characters like Boba Fett. Of course, there will also be more Baby Yoda, though he could be in trouble come season 2; Giancarlo Esposito, who plays the show's villain, Moff Gideon, has revealed he has scenes with The Child. Luckily, it seems unlikely any real harm will come to Baby Yoda, considering how universally beloved he is.
In a recent interview with THR, Favreau discussed this, explaining the reasoning for keeping Baby Yoda a secret before The Mandalorian's launch:
I thought it was very important to establish that there were going to be surprises. When you are promoting a film, you are putting your best stuff out there in the marketing campaign because you want everybody to show up that Friday. Television is different. You want to be able to build. You want word-of-mouth to spread. You want people to tune in and know that something is going to happen that they are going to want to talk about.
It's clear Favreau and others working on The Mandalorian made the right call. Soon after the show's premiere, Baby Yoda became an Internet sensation, inspiring memes, fan art, and other tributes. Though the entire show is a strong entry in the Star Wars canon, it's unlikely the series would have exploded the way it did without him. This was in part because Baby Yoda was such a surprise, with Disney not even preparing merchandise ahead of the holiday season. Though it seemed like a missed opportunity at the time, it may have been worth it to keep Baby Yoda a surprise.
Going into The Mandalorian season 2, it seems the creative team has a similar mindset. Though some definitive things about the upcoming season have been revealed, others remain unknown. For instance, though viewers are aware Rosario Dawson will appear, Disney hasn't confirmed who she'll be playing. Though many assume it's Star Wars: The Clone Wars character Ahsoka Tano, that isn't known for sure. If Dawson's role remains a secret until the season 2 premiere, it will be a fun surprise for viewers. However, they'll have to wait and see if it rivals the Baby Yoda reveal of season 1.
Source: THR