Ever since The Mandalorian debuted on Disney Plus last year, the showrunners have insisted that fans shouldn’t be referring to The Child as Baby Yoda, as he had a real name. That didn’t stop the whole world from calling the adorable little critter exactly that, though, but maybe things will now change, as the latest episode of the hit Star Wars show has finally revealed a lot more about the character. Including, among other things, his name.
In “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” Din Djarin comes face to face with Ahsoka Tano, after following up on a lead Bo-Katan Kryze gave him the other week. Thanks to their shared Force bond, Ahsoka is able to communicate with Baby Yoda via telepathy, which allows her to explain his backstory and, yes, his real identity. And it turns out that The Child’s name is Grogu. Mando takes a bit of time adjusting to it, and likely so will the fans.
Grogu, Ahsoka tells us, was raised in the Jedi temple on Coruscant and was trained by many of the old Jedi Masters. She doesn’t specifically state which ones looked after him, but she does name-check Yoda, saying that the wise Grand Master was the only other member of The Child’s species she’s known. At the mention of his name, Grogu’s ears perk up, so he’s clearly familiar with him. And for those that believe the baby is the secret lovechild of Yoda and Yaddle, you now have some new evidence.
When the Empire rose to power, Ahsoka explains, Grogu was hidden by “someone” who took him away from the temple. In other words, this was what saved him from Anakin killing the younglings. From then on, his memory becomes “dark,” as The Child was lost and without hope until Djarin found him. There are still gaps in Baby Yod – sorry, Grogu’s story, then, but we now know much more than we did before.
It seems the next place the Razor Crest has to journey to for answers is the Deep Core on the planet Tython, where Grogu must sit on a seeing stone on top of a mountain and reach out through the Force to the remaining Jedi for help.
The Child’s adventures continue next week on The Mandalorian.Â
