Ahead of The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s release next year, Star Wars is revisiting the debate about Baby Yoda’s name. The Mandalorian making the jump from Disney+ to theaters is significant for many reasons, not least that it’s the first Star Wars movie since 2019, and the first show from the streaming era to cross over into being a cinematic event. But it also highlights just how popular Grogu is: few characters since Disney purchased Lucasfilm have managed the same kind of viral appeal as The Child, who is firmly a core part of the franchise’s present and future.
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After he was first introduced back in The Mandalorian‘s first episode, Disney tried to make “The Child” moniker stick, but fans immediately had a different name for the character (for very obvious reasons): Baby Yoda. It was the perfect description, and even after The Mandalorian Season 2 revealed his name to be Grogu, he has continued to be widely known by his unofficial nickname, which even Star Wars is now using. In LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past, the name “Baby Yoda” is used on-screen for the very first time.
The scene sees the show’s heroes encountering Grogu, and losing their minds over discovering “a baby Yoda,” repeatedly saying it until the Landolorian (which, as it sounds, is Lando Calrissian as a Mandalorian) arrives to correct them. He informs them that his name is Grogu, not Baby Yoda, but will it actually stick?
Star Wars Does Need Grogu To Stick Over Baby Yoda
The LEGO Star Wars series using Baby Yoda feels like an acceptance, to a degree, that the name isn’t going anywhere, and of course, is simply an attempt to get in on the joke (and it is pretty funny, to be fair). But at the same time, it also doubles down on the character’s real name being Grogu, and that being the one that should be used more widely, which is something Lucasfilm and Disney need to establish. After all, Grogu is co-headlining Star Wars’ return to theaters, so it has to be a name that carries instant recognition and appeal.
That goes beyond just that movie, though. If it’s a hit, there’ll almost certainly be sequels and perhaps spinoffs. Grogu has already been a huge merchandise driver, but will likely become an even bigger one. It’s easy to imagine more movies, and perhaps some Disney+ shorts, centered around the character. He’ll be one of the faces of Star Wars, and that’s much easier to do with the name Grogu than it is for people to refer to him as Baby Yoda.
The other matter in all of this is longevity. It’s unclear just how long The Child will stay, well, a child. But if Lucasfilm wants to tell stories with him for years and years, then he’s going to get older and grow up on screen. And so, Baby Yoda cannot be a baby forever, and without that… well, he cannot just be called Yoda. So having the name Grogu be the one everyone knows and uses is essential to that future, and something it’ll presumably push more as The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s marketing kicks into hyperdrive.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will be released in theaters on May 22nd, 2026. LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past and The Mandalorian Seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Disney+.
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