Both Gina Carano and Taika Waititi have confirmed Baby Yoda’s real name has been decided, but it remains to be seen if fans will find out in Season 2 of The Mandalorian.
If Star Wars fans have any reason to look back at the start of the new decade, it may be remembered as the year Baby Yoda finally got his true name.
Spoilers ahead for the first season of The Mandalorian.
Last Thursday, actress Gina Carano, who portrays the roguish ex-shock trooper on the Disney Plus series, took to Twitter in response to a fan question. When asked for her initial reaction to being Force choked by Baby Yoda in Chapter 7, Gina revealed she had exerted so much effort in filming the scene that she actually passed out.
Twitter user @BabyYodaBaby (an unofficial fan account that, nonetheless, has grown to over 240,000 followers) jokingly apologized, to which Gina replied, “It’s ok. I know your real name.”
https://twitter.com/ginacarano/status/1212833385292283904?s=20
Wait, did she say real name?
Carano’s comment was later echoed at the Golden Globe Awards’ red carpet on Sunday when director Taika Waititi reportedly insisted to The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan, “He’s not named Baby Yoda!” Buchanan reported that Waititi—who directed the season one finale and voiced the assassin-turned-nurse droid IG-11—said there is a yet-to-be-revealed name but he’d leave it to executive producer Jon Favreau to do the honors.
I think it's Nigel. https://t.co/SWw6Z3RllR
— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) January 6, 2020
Since the franchise’s little green Jedi was introduced in Chapter 1, the “Baby Yoda” moniker, for lack of a better word, was quickly adopted by the fandom.
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In fact, very little is still known about the Yoda species. Across all live action Star Wars, fans have known only two others of its kind: Yoda, the infamous 900-year-old Jedi Master, and Yaddle, whom is a sitting member of the Jedi Council in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace that has gained somewhat of a smaller cult following.
The species itself is still unnamed in the current Star Wars canon and Expanded Universe, which is now referred to as “Legends” following the Disney acquisition.
Since Yoda first appeared onscreen in 1980, both George Lucas and Lucasfilm have actively shied away from giving any further insight on his origins. Forty years later, that may change.
The Mandalorian’s season one finale hinted that Din Djarin’s next adventure would focus on returning Baby Yoda to his people—or band of “evil sorcerers” as Din wittingly referred to them. It remains to be seen if this is the climax of season two, but it’s worth noting that the show has yet to be renewed for a third season.
If Din returns Baby Yoda to his home, though, it will be bittersweet: by learning the name of Baby Yoda, his species, and his homeworld, it may very well mean saying “goodbye” to our tiny hero.
The Mandalorian returns for its second season this Fall on Disney Plus.