The Mandalorian: The Star Wars universe benefits if Yoda had a baby

Baby Yoda’s origins are still a mystery, but for the sake of Yoda’s muddled legacy, it would be a stroke of brilliance to set up another father-son combo.

Yoda remains one of the more iconic characters in Star Wars cinematic history for numerous reasons—his appearance, his manner of speaking, and his Confucian style of wisdom, just to name a few. I know I wasn’t the only kid who grew up with a Yoda poster on my wall with one of those knowledgeable nuggets. (“Do or do not, there is no try.”)

Seeing how mischievous Yoda was when Luke Skywalker met him on Dagobah, and seeing him hobble into Count Dooku’s lair on Geonosis before pulling out his lightsaber for the first time in Star Wars history, it’s all built him into being a truly unforgettable character.

More from Baby Yoda

• Will Grogu be in 2023’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
• Why Grogu should remain a baby for as long as possible
• Here’s why Din Djarin should learn about the force from Grogu
• Executive Producer promises Mandalorian Season 4 is coming, isn’t sure of when
• Director explains how Pedro contributes to the narrative of The Mandalorian

But Yoda was wrong about a lot, and it didn’t take the new trilogy to teach us that. Rather, the Jedi were wrong about a lot, and Yoda being the head of all of the Jedi, he was certainly plenty wrong himself.

As such, the development of The Child came as a shock. How could such a chaste Jedi who preached detachment and letting go, possibly have a child, if that’s indeed what The Mandalorian series was saying?

While it would certainly be a scandalous turn of events for the wrinkly green muppet, it would also revive what feels like a dying legacy, adding a dimension to his character that could not have been brought about any other way.

If Yoda is Baby Yoda’s baby daddy, it will show us that Yoda was a character of complexity. He preached what he did because he knew the problems. And Anakin vindicated those problems. But underneath the hard exterior there was a flawed “humanity” (for lack of a better word) that makes him more real.

What would it mean if Yoda had a child? It would mean that he was conscious enough of his own species or, dare I say, his own feelings, to copulate with another being—presumably one he cared about—to create another that he presumably care about.

Now, we also have to consider that he was an awful father, letting his son end up in an unguarded egg-shaped baby carriage, but we all make mistakes. And maybe he was doing more from the sidelines than we think. After all, force projecting is a thing, remember?

If you’ve never read Cass Sunstein’s book “The World According to Star Wars,” A. you should, B. he spends a lot of time talking about father-son relationships in the world of Star Wars, and how it relates to the all-father, George Lucas. Short summary: perhaps the most genuinely excellent bit of dialogue in the original trilogy is when Darth Vader is redeemed and Luke Skywalker and he have their first father-son moment.

It’s touching. It’s epic. It’s perfect. And many believe that’s because it is one part that Lucas pulled from his own experiences.

J.J. Abrams re-upped this father-son connection with Kylo Ren and Han Solo, albeit with a much different ending, and Rey’s story wasn’t all that different, though her familial drama came from her grandfather, not from her parents at all. Rogue One gives us more father-son dynamism with Jyn and Galen Erso.

Star Wars is a long history of father-son dynamics. Why not add Yoda to the mix?

You also have to think about Yoda’s overall legacy beyond just his quippy wisdom. The Jedi failed. There’s no way around that. For awhile they did great, but overall, they ended up failing and Yoda had to live out his dying years in exile, pondering that failure. Maybe in those times of mental hardship, he had Baby Yoda to think about. And maybe, for the sake of my defense of Yoda, he protected him more than it would seem, who knows.

What I do know is that the possibility of Yoda having a child is enough to give his character a brand new dimension that felt unattainable. And while there’s no guarantee that Baby Yoda is Yoda’s baby (he probably isn’t, if we’re being completely honest), it has opened up a new consideration for what was once a pretty cut-and-dry character. And that’s worth it in itself.

What do you think? How would Yoda being a baby daddy impact your opinion of his character?