While fans of The Mandalorian would insist that there’s nothing cuter in the whole wide galaxy than Baby Yoda, the character has exhibited evil behavior on a number of occasions. But now that we know about his backstory, things are starting to make a little more sense.
As Ahsoka explained in “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” The Child, whose real name is Grogu, was a youngling in the Jedi Temple before Order 66. Many masters trained him since he was an infant, which also explains his mastery of the Force. When Anakin and the 501st stormed the palaces, though, someone hid him from the slaughter. The character then spent the next couple of years in fear for his life. He even broke his connection to the Force so that the Inquisitors wouldn’t find him. Snips also reveals that there are dark spots in Grogue’s memories that he cannot access, or doesn’t want to.
What’s more interesting, though, is how the next couple of scenes in the episode play out. The former Jedi Padawan claims that she can’t train Baby Yoda, since she senses much anger and fear in him. In the Jedi Code, anger and hatred are pathways to the dark side of the Force, the same things that led to Anakin Skywalker’s downfall.
Given Baby Yoda’s traumatic experience and fear, it’s reasonable to assume that he’s constantly tilting between the dark side and the light. The show has also made a point of depicting this in several instances. Namely, in “Chapter 7: The Reckoning,” Grogu tries to Force-choke Cara Dune when she’s arm wrestling Din Djarin. He also apathetically ate the Frog Lady’s eggs in the ongoing season 2, an incident that triggered a lot of backlash.
Ultimately, we’ll have to see whether the character’s attachment to the bounty hunter in The Mandalorian will sway him from the dark side as he grows older. For now, though, we can sleep soundly tonight knowing that Baby Yoda is still a force for good in that galaxy far, far away.
