The Mandalorian made “Baby Yoda” a household name, but should that be Yoda’s baby instead? The bright green brat was The Mandalorian‘s secret weapon, peeking out from his lonely pod in the series premiere and capturing the hearts of viewers in an instant. Since then, Baby Yoda has grown up as quickly as any other child – eating things he shouldn’t, making strange gurgling noises, choking people he doesn’t like, etc. But as much as The Mandalorian has revealed about Baby Yoda’s personality and quirks, his backstory and true identity remain more or less an enigma.
After rescuing Baby Yoda from the clutches of the Empire, Din Djarin‘s first thought was to reunite his young companion with other Jedi who were better versed in the ways of the Force, and this road led to Ahsoka Tano on the planet Corvus. While Ahsoka ultimately chose not to take Baby Yoda as her padawan, she did glean some vital information about how the galaxy’s tiniest Jedi came to be abandoned on the desolate Arvala-7 surrounded by armed guards. Ahsoka’s information proved useful, but provoked as many questions as it answered. Ahsoka’s story also strengthened the pre-existing theory that Grogu might be the child of Yoda.
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Of course, this would mean Yoda leaving his son behind before seeking solace on Dagobah, never reuniting with Grogu before his death in Return of the Jedi. Here’s why Din Djarin could be traveling around with the son of the Jedi Order’s last true leader.
The Jedi Are Forbidden From Forming Personal Attachments
There exists a common Star Wars misconception that the Jedi Order were celibate, but the code forbid personal attachments, not reproduction. As famously stated by Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, being Force-sensitive and emotionally invested in another person threatens to lead a young, promising Jedi down a path of fear, anger, and hatred. This Jedi code is proved justified when Yoda and Mace Windu warn against the training of Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, predicting that the love he still held for his mother would become a crippling weakness. As fate would have it, the death of Shmi Skywalker and the fear of losing Padmé drove Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, creating Darth Vader, who took countless innocent lives.
This is why the Jedi forego personal relationships when they sign on the dotted line, and plenty of them have been forced to turn down a normal life because of their chosen career – Obi-Wan Kenobi with Satine Kryz, for example. But it’s the emotional connection that risks corrupting a Jedi, not the act of reproduction itself. Given how rare Yoda’s kind are in the Star Wars world, it’s safe to assume his species is endangered. Because of this, Yoda might’ve taken special measures to ensure his race didn’t die out totally – reproducing with a female, purely for scientific purposes, of course. If only there was another of Yoda’s people hanging around the Jedi temple…
Why Yoda & Yaddle Could Be Grogu’s Parents
The Phantom Menace introduces a second, female member of Yoda’s species sitting on the Jedi council – Yaddle. Even if Ahsoka Tano doesn’t remember her, Yaddle is the only other member of Yoda’s species recognized by official Star Wars canon, but her fate remains unknown. Yaddle has stepped down from the council by the time Attack of the Clones begins, and it’s still not clear where she went, or whether she survived Order 66. As the only two members of their species Star Wars has shown thus far, and with a small, baby version now shifting merch by the truck-load, it’s not a huge leap to suggest that Yoda might’ve whipped out his lightsaber, and produced Grogu with Yaddle.
The Star Wars timeline accommodates this theory quite neatly. Despite his looks, Grogu is a full 50 years old when The Mandalorian begins, which means he was born in the same year as Anakin Skywalker. Grogu would’ve been alive during The Phantom Menace, even more infantile than he is currently. Since Made Windu considers the 9-year-old Anakin “too old” to train, Grogu must’ve started his Jedi path very young, while Yoda and Yaddle were both on the council. One of them might’ve simply brought Grogu to Coruscant to learn the ways of the Force, but it seems more likely that the child was theirs, born within the temple after flirtatious glances across Jedi council meetings.
Since personal attachments are banned, the product of Yoda and Yaddle’s Jedi booty-call would naturally be raised and trained within the temple, but it’s interesting that Ahsoka describes Grogu as having “many Masters.” There was obviously more than one tutor at the Jedi temple’s academy, but this line suggests Grogu was personally trained by some of the best Jedi of his time, possibly because of his renowned heritage. The son of Yoda would be naturally powerful in the Force, and would maybe require special tuition away from the common rabble of annoying padawans. Adding further fuel to the fire, when Ahsoka mentions Yoda in The Mandalorian season 2, Grogu visibly reacts to the name. Perhaps this is simply the recognition of an old tutor, or maybe this is Grogu’s first time hearing his father’s name in years.
Someone Saved Grogu From Order 66
After his time at the Jedi temple, Grogu somehow escaped the bloodthirsty lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker and Palpatine’s Jedi purge. The Mandalorian hasn’t yet revealed who whisked Baby Yoda to safety, but Ahsoka was at least able to confirm that someone did deliberately save him. Given the amount of younglings Anakin slaughtered, there must be a reason why Grogu alone was spared. Was he simply nearest the exit when everything kicked off? Was the person who saved him only able to carry a single child? Or, more likely, Grogu was special.
If Grogu really was the child of Master Yoda, he might’ve been treated differently compared to the other students. The Mandalorian‘s Dr. Pershing confirms Grogu’s unnaturally high Midi-chlorian count, and this might’ve been enough for him to earn special status. So when Order 66 begins and only a single child can be saved, the mystery hero picks the boss’ super-powerful son, obviously. Strangely, Grogu is also the only surviving Jedi to be given his own personal protection detail. While the guards on Arvala-7 might’ve been hired because Grogu couldn’t defend himself, the militia represents another example of preferential treatment that would make perfect sense if Grogu is Yoda’s son.
Grogu being Yoda’s son would also explain why Moff Gideon is so hellbent on capturing the youngster. Gideon could pursue any number of Force-sensitive beings, and could probably find at least one not being continuously guarded by a well-armed Mandalorian. But Gideon only has eyes for Grogu, which is to be expected if the child carries Yoda’s own DNA. Although it was Luke and Anakin Skywalker who ultimately brought down the Empire, Yoda was always the strongest of the Jedi in terms of the Force, and the one Palpatine feared above all others. If the Empire discovered Yoda has sired a secret son, they’d go to any lengths to capture that child and harvest his latent abilities.
It’s also entirely possible that Yoda himself rescued Grogu from Order 66. There’s a large enough gap between Yoda’s escape from Kashyyyk and his arrival on Dagobah to make a quick trip to the Jedi temple, pick up his son, and arrange for protection on a faraway planet.
Why Yoda Would Have Abandoned Grogu
If Grogu was revealed to be Yoda’s own child, many would question why the Jedi Master didn’t make a bigger effort to take care of his offspring – especially with a face that cute. Again, this comes down to the draconian rules and restrictions of the Jedi Order. With personal attachments off the menu, Yoda and Yaddle couldn’t have raised their child in a conventional way, or demonstrated any parent-child love.
But after Order 66 and the fall of the Jedi, why wouldn’t Yoda take Grogu with him to Dagobah? The most realistic answer would be Yoda’s fear of turning the dark side. Despite the Jedi effectively coming to an end, The Empire Strikes Back proves how strongly Yoda still believes in the Jedi code, as he preaches his iconic “fear leads to anger” warning to a naive Luke Skywalker. Maybe Yoda knew that becoming a father would stir a fear of loss, pushing him toward the dark side of the Force. The reverse also applies – Yoda didn’t raise Grogu because he didn’t want the youngster to follow Anakin’s path by having an attachment to his father. Grogu, and the galaxy, would be safer if father and son remained separate.
Alternatively, Yoda could’ve been waiting on Dagobah for Grogu to mature, hoping they could one day reunite and take down the Empire together. This is suggested through Yoda’s strange refusal to train Luke Skywalker. In a galaxy bereft of Jedi, it’s odd that Yoda would refuse any promising prospect, even if they were Darth Vader’s son. But if Yoda knew another Jedi was in hiding, waiting to be unleashed, he might’ve felt Grogu was a brighter hope than Luke, at least initially. When Luke finally proved his worth and became a worthy Jedi, Yoda knew that Grogu wouldn’t need to fight, allowing the old master to pass away peacefully on Dagobah. But, thanks to the Force, death doesn’t mean Yoda can abandon his shirk responsibility forever. Will the Force ghost of Yoda appear in The Mandalorian, and bring about the strangest father/step-father confrontation ever put to film?
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