Everyone expected The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars TV show, which launched on Disney Plus, to be popular. But few could have anticipated how powerfully and how quickly just one character from the show would have become enshrined in popular and meme culture.
Everyone, including those who have not yet watched The Mandalorian, is aware of who Baby Yoda is, and what he looks like. Though it might not have been intentional for him to become the most popular character of the new series, his popularity is shadowed only by the mystery that surrounds his character. There are more than a few questions about our little green friend, here are the top 10.
What Are His Origins?
There is very little that is known about The Child, dubbed 'Baby Yoda' by the internet. All that has been confirmed is that, though he bears the appearance of an infant, he is 50 years old, and he is definitely Force Sensitive. But it is not known where exactly he sprang from. Does or did Baby Yoda have parents? If so, where are they now?
Was he purposefully abandoned by them? Were they killed? Or, is there a possibility that he was not born naturally? That he was, instead, created in a laboratory? This begs the question of whether or not he is a clone; if he is, could his birthplace be Kamino?
What Species Is The Child?
When George Lucas created Star Wars and Master Yoda, he very intentionally kept a heavy shroud of mystery over that character. His species was never cited; for all we knew, besides the brief introduction of Master Yaddle, Master Yoda was the only member of his species.
With this mystery comes an utter lack of knowledge about Master Yoda, Baby Yoda, and the species as a whole. Among all the many questions about the species, comes the most important: is there a species to which these two characters belong? Is having three known characters enough to claim the existence of a species?
Where Do They Come From?
Regardless of if there are any other Baby Yoda's out there, there are three known creatures that are all likely part of the same species. If this is, indeed the case, there is a question about where specifically they all come from. The Star Wars Universe is home to thousands of systems and planets across the galaxy.
Many are hidden, many are barren, yet, to an extent, most are known. Is there a planet full of Yodas hidden somewhere in the Outer Rim?
Are All 'Yodas' Force Sensitive?
Again, there are three known 'Yodas' in the Star Wars Universe. All three of them are Force Sensitive, and all three of them are likely very powerful. There is, of course, Master Yoda, the 900-year-old Jedi Master, who is largely regarded as the most powerful Jedi of his time.
Master Yaddle, though we never see her in action, still ascended to the Jedi Council, and so must have been exceptionally gifted. And Baby Yoda himself, at the young age of 50, exhibited a relatively immense amount of power and control, which is even more impressive for the fact that he is untrained -- if there are more members of this species, are all of them automatically Force Sensitive?
Was Baby Yoda Being Protected or Imprisoned When He Was First Revealed?
After receiving a tracking fob and the promise of a mound of Beskar from the exiled Imperial leader, Mando sets out to find the target, who turns out to be a child. In the process, he and IG-11 fight their way into a heavily guarded stronghold, with The Child at the center.
Who was the leader of the mercenaries that defended the fortress? Were they protecting the Child, or were they imprisoning him? Who funded them? How long were they defending that stronghold? How long were they in possession of the Child? Why did they not pursue Mando off-planet after he was in possession of The Child? How does this mysterious group fit into the larger narrative?
Is He Related To Master Yoda?
The very first question that popped into our heads when The Child first appeared, is whether or not Master Yoda is somehow related to The Child. Could he and Master Yaddle be the Child's parents?
Was Master Yoda somehow cloned, with the result being Baby Yoda? It would be quite interesting if it turns out that Baby Yoda bears a legitimate connection to Master Yoda.
Is The Child The Last 'Yoda'?
With the kind of protection and defense the Child received, it is quite evident that he is extremely valued by several different parties. Is there a possibility that the reason for his value is that The Child is, in fact, the last of his kind? As far as we know, there are no Yodas left.
However, a similar situation occurred in Star Wars Rebels, where Zeb found that his species, which had been thought extinct, had actually prospered on a long-hidden planet. Perhaps Yoda's species is similar to the Lasats.
How Did He Stay Hidden?
At the end of Revenge Of The Sith, there was a significant issue in keeping Luke and Leia hidden from Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Because of their Force Sensitivity, there was always the chance that either Dark Lord would be able to find and track them down. This is why Luke was sent purposefully to Tattooine, a planet Masters Yoda and Kenobi knew Vader would not want to return to, and why Leia was sent to Alderaan, where her presence in the Force would be masked by her family.
But, as far as we know, nothing was done to ensure that Baby Yoda stayed hidden from the watchful eyes of the Sith. And it is known that, during his lifespan, Darth Vader was actively hunting and killing Jedi and Force Sensitives. How exactly did Baby Yoda escape notice for so long? And how was he finally discovered now?
Did The Council Know?
With The Return Of The Jedi taking place roughly 25 years after The Revenge Of The Sith, and The Mandalorian taking place about 5 years after The Return Of the Jedi, Baby Yoda was likely born before The Phantom Menace even began. This being the case, the question becomes whether or not the Jedi Council knew about The Child's existence. It seems unlikely that he could have escaped their notice, as through the Force and certain Holocrons, they were well-aware of all Force Sensitive children across the galaxy.
If they did know about him, why was he never inducted into the Order? Were they the ones that hid him, perhaps waiting until he was old enough to learn the arts of the Force? If they did not know about him, how could this have happened?
What Is His Future Role?
With the potential to become incredibly powerful, the question of how he will be integrated into the Star Wars Universe becomes very real. Will The Mandalorian sync, at some point, with any of the upcoming movie trilogies? Will any of these trilogies star The Child? Will other series showcase an older Baby Yoda in action?
Will he be responsible for re-creating the Jedi Order? Will his path cross that of Rey's? The potential for interesting cross-overs is very real, very possible, and very exciting.