By: Cam Ray
If you search really hard and discover people living under rocks, the one thing you can bet they have in common with you is that they know and love Baby Yoda. This little green gremlin of joy has become an ambassador of all things adorable for both die-hard fans of and for those who don’t even watch or like (how is that possible?) Star Wars. While the in-real-life masses have adopted the name “Baby Yoda” for this child, The Mandalorian has not revealed his name. It has been said by those in power that he indeed has a name, and many believe this name will be revealed in season two of The Mandalorian, airing this October. This brings up an interesting predicament. A large percentage of the world–including myself–thinks of this little guy as “Baby Yoda.” What is going to happen when we discover his name has been Gilbert all along? I have a possibly crazy theory that this will not be the case, and that the large percentage of the world–including myself–have had his name right all along. I think the child’s name is Baby Yoda.
Before you write this ridiculous notion off, please hear (read) me out. What I do not think is that the child’s name was originally Baby Yoda. I’m not sure if the name was even planned from the very beginning, but knowing Filoni and Favreau, they probably have a lot more planned than they have let on to. I’m sure those plans have changed to some degree as well, because that is how storytelling goes. I’m thankful for many storytelling changes, though, such as Darth Vader being Luke’s father. Star Wars as we know it could have been much different without story flexibility. Secondly, I do not think the child’s biological parents (if that’s how he got here) named him Baby Yoda. Finally, I do not believe Big Yoda is Baby Yoda’s Yoda-daddy. I think the only relationship the child has to Master Yoda is that they are the same species and are both force sensitive. What I do believe is that, in season two of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin is going to choose to name the child Baby Yoda. I believe this for two interconnected reasons. One is real world related, and the other is plot related.
My first reason for believing the child will be named Baby Yoda is real world, fan related. This has become a much larger thing than just hard-core Star Wars fans voicing their ever-louder opinions on Twitter about a minor story detail. This has become a cultural phenomenon. As I mentioned earlier, people who have never seen Star Wars and even say they don’t like Star Wars adore Baby Yoda, and they can’t get enough of him. New products of “The Child” are coming out seemingly every day, and they sell out within minutes of their release. There is something very unique about this situation, and while the child remains nameless on the show, the entire real world knows him as Baby Yoda. I feel that, while everything would eventually settle down and be fine, if it comes out that this child has a different name, I don’t think it’s going to sit well with the masses. I think, whether there was a different name planned originally or not, our culture is now going to determine the fate of Baby Yoda’s name. Lucasfilm is always listening to Star Wars fans and sometimes even caters to us. I think with something as big as this baby has become, there is no question the powers that be are finetuned into the sound of our collective voices.
The second part of my theory deals with the child’s story that’s being told. As a writer, I want constructive criticism and feedback, and I am happy to make adjustments as needed, but only if it improves–or at the very least, upholds–the story I am telling. If naming the child “Baby Yoda” made absolutely no sense and would take away from the story development of The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm and the creative team would not take it into consideration. I don’t believe naming the child “Baby Yoda” would take away from the story at all, and in fact, I think it makes much more sense than him being given any other name.
There has been talk of several Clone Wars characters making their live action debuts in season two of The Mandalorian–two of them being Ahsoka and Rex. We know that both of them spent time with, around, or talking about Master Yoda. We also know that Yoda and Yaddle are the only two of their species we are currently aware of, and we don’t even have a name for that species. Assuming (as complicated a profession as assuming may be) that Ahsoka and/or Rex are in The Mandalorian, they are more than likely going to come in contact with Din Djarin at some point, which also means coming in contact with the child. I don’t know about you, but if I was Ahsoka or Rex and saw the child, one of the first things I would say is, “it’s a baby Yoda.” Soon after, I would want to know this baby Yoda’s story, how he was adopted by this bounty hunter, and what his actual name is. Oh, wait, he doesn’t have a name? Well, he does now. If Han had lost Chewbacca instead of the other way around and found a baby Wookiee with no parents, it would be very understandable for him to call the child “Baby Chewie.” Baby Yoda deserves the same respect–wouldn’t you agree?
Rex and Ahsoka - Star Wars: Rebels
Yaddle - The Phantom Menace
Yoda - Return of the Jedi
At this point, we could travel countless directions down an endless number of rabbit holes guessing where season two’s adventures are going to take us, but one question that comes up for me is: what if Din does find the child’s family alive, and what if they had named him before he was taken or given away? Would the reveal of his birth name ruin things? I don’t think so. I can see the name Yoda or Baby Yoda being given to the child almost as a form of respect in honor and memory of Master Yoda. Many times, people have both birth names and honorary names. Some people are awarded knighthoods, adding the title of “Sir” or “Dame” before their given name. Others, even in Star Wars, change all or part of their names to reflect accomplishments or changes to their identity. Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader (not for too honorable of a reason), and Rey changed her birth name of Palpatine to Skywalker for a very honorable reason, and with Luke and Leia’s blessing. It’s possible we find out the child’s birth name before Ahsoka or Rex meet him, and even then, I can see them referring to him as “Baby Yoda” for a nickname. Or, if Ahsoka and Rex aren’t in The Mandalorian, maybe Moff Gideon knows of Yoda and is the first to recognize the child’s resemblance to him. If Din happens to name the child before finding out about Yoda, the above arguments about his name still apply to that scenario.
Between our real-world fixation on “Baby Yoda” and Star Wars characters who knew Yoda seeing a Force-sensitive baby of the same species, naming the child “Baby Yoda” seems like the perfect answer for season 2 of The Mandalorian. Granted, you need a character who knew or knew of Yoda to tell Din Djarin who the child looks like, but that seems like a slight story adjustment in order to keep the name of the baby many of us have fallen in love with. My silly theory aside, and with the knowledgeable and creative genius of the “Favreauloni” machine at the helm of the storytelling, I am certain I will still love the little guy and respect a different name, even if it unfortunately turns out to be Gilbert.