With the return of The Mandalorian, a big Star Wars question resurfaces in fan discourse: Is it okay to call little grogu Baby Yoda? Last but not least, even leading actor Pedro Pascal was recently shocked when a Baby Yoda accidentally slipped his lips during an appearance on the Graham Norton Show.
The problem is more or less self-inflicted: When Grogu first appeared in The Mandalorian, he was just called the kid. That wasn’t enough for the fans. In order to identify the cute creature precisely, Baby Yoda quickly emerged as a practical paraphrase.
Despite the Grogu revelation: The name Baby Yoda will never go away again
However, there is no direct relationship to Jedi Master Yoda, whom we know from the prequel and original trilogy. Grogu isn’t Yoda’s baby, it’s merely a member of Yoda’s species, which – and this complicates matters – hasn’t been given an official name in the Star Wars canon to this day.
You can watch the trailer for The Mandalorian Season 3 here:
The Mandalorian – S03 Trailer (German) HD
The paraphrase Baby Yoda is catchy and was able to establish itself for a year before the 5th episode of the 2nd season gave the little rascal his real name. At this point, however, it was already too late to erase Baby Yoda from pop culture memory. Therefore, both names now exist synonymously.
Baby Yoda vs. Grogu: Is there an official ruling from Disney and Lucasfilm?
If Pascal is so shocked on a talk show because he said the wrong name, Disney and Lucasfilm must have clear guidelines. That’s exactly what we have Bo-Katan Kryze actress Kate Sackhoff askedwhen we interviewed her at the launch of The Mandalorian Season 3. Your answer reveals a lot of leeway:
When I’m home I call him Baby Yoda. That’s totally fine. When I’m at work I call him Grogu. However, there is no official guideline. I believe, some people even call him Baby G. Basically everyone has a different nickname for him. But at home he’s definitely Baby Yoda to me. That’s what I’ve always called him.
So the name Baby Yoda is by no means forbidden. Even the latest installment in the series addresses the issue with a tongue-in-cheek approach. When Din Djarin insists to Greef Karga that his protégé is called Grogu, Karga replies rather indifferently: “If you say that.” An angry Anzellan also gives us another nickname for Grogu in a funny moment in the new episode: Bad Baby.
The 3rd season of The Mandalorian has been running since March 1, 2023 at Disney+.
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