Everything We Know About Fan-Favorite Grogu’s (A.K.A. Baby Yoda) Origins
He's just a baby.
Few TV or film characters in history have captured the hearts of audiences to the extent that Grogu has. Grogu, whom many viewers refer to as Baby Yoda, made his first appearance in the Disney Plus series, The Mandalorian. He also had an appearance in The Book of Boba Fett. In the first season of The Mandalorian, bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), is hired to retrieve a 50-year-old target. However, this target turns out to be an adorable, child-like, green creature with big ears and eyes.
Djarin goes on the run to protect the creature and, thus, commences one of the most iconic duos in Star Wars history. Despite being a hardened Mandalorian bounty hunter, Djarin quickly forms a deep bond with the little creature known only as The Child. He also quickly learns that Baby Yoda has the Force, which he uses on several occasions to protect Djarin (and also to steal cookies). In season two, Djarin sets out to reunite Baby Yoda with his own people.
When Djarin and Baby Yoda find Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson), she reveals that the Child’s actual name is Grogu, and that he had begun training as a Jedi before the rise of the Empire. However, she refuses to train him because she senses the bond he has formed with Djarin. Hence, that leads them to Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. In Book of Boba Fett, Grogu ultimately makes the choice to return to Djarin and leaves the path of becoming a Jedi, which makes us very happy because it means we’ll be seeing more of him in The Mandalorian season three.
What species is Grogu?
Despite his name being Grogu, the term Baby Yoda has still stuck. In the Star Wars franchise, Yoda was a legendary Jedi Master and was a helpful guide to Luke. Though he was very small, he was extremely wise and powerful. He looked similar to Grogu, but was clearly quite a bit older (as he was of a bigger stature and even had gray hair and wrinkles). Yoda was the adult version of his species, while Grogu is clearly still close to being a baby.
Also, Yoda and Grogu’s species does not have a name. A name for the species was never recorded and since Yoda is the most well-known member of the species, it is sometimes called simply Yoda’s species. Sadly, the species homeworld and history is also largely unknown. All that we really know is that they are small, carnivorous, humanoid creatures who rarely stand taller than 70 centimeters. They have light green skin, tridactyl hands, elfin ears, and ridges on their foreheads. This species also has a lifespan of hundreds of years, which is why Grogu still appears to be a baby though he is 50-years-old.
Who are Grogu’s parents?
Djarin is, of course, the best surrogate father ever to Grogu. However, Grogu’s origins are actually pretty sad. He is orphaned when Djarin discovers him, and it is later revealed that Grogu was present during Order 66. We still don’t know who his birth parents were. Besides Grogu and Yoda, only one other individual of Yoda’s species has been introduced, and that is Yaddle. Yaddle belongs to the same species as Grogu and Yoda, but is a female.
With Yoda and Yaddle being the only two of their kind, besides Grogu, to be introduced in Star Wars, many naturally theorize that they are Grogu’s parents, or that at least one of them is. Another theory is that Grogu was born from the Force, like Anakin Skywalker was. If the latter is true, it means that Grogu might be more powerful than initially thought. Basically, Grogu is either the illicit love child of Yoda and Yaddle, was conceived by the Force, or was conceived by same unnamed individuals from Yoda’s species.
Hopefully, The Mandalorian will one day answer the mystery of Grogu’s origins. Grogu comes from a species that already lacks a name and history, making it much sadder that Grogu himself has obscure origins and unnamed parents.
(featured image: Disney)
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