Star Wars: The Mandalorian EP Explains Why it Was the Right Time for Baby Yoda’s Name Reveal

The world of Star Wars fandom received quite the shock this past Friday, as they finally learned the actual name of The Child, aka Baby Yoda. Folks were going into the newest episode of Star Wars: The Mandalorian expecting to see the live-action debut of Ahsoka Tano, and they got a little more than they bargained for when Rosario Dawson’s former Jedi nonchalantly announced Baby Yoda’s real name. When Mando referred to the 50-year-old baby as “kid,” Ahsoka corrected him by revealing that his real name is Grogu.

This probably wasn’t the name anyone was expecting, but it’s the official name for the world’s favorite little alien boy. Grogu still can’t speak much beyond short sounds, but Ahsoka was able to communicate with him through their minds. It may have seemed like a random time — and a random way — to deliver such a big reveal, but The Mandalorian EP, writer, and director Dave Filoni recently told Vanity Fair that the name had been in the works for a while.

“The name has been around for a while,” Filoni explained “Jon [Favreau] told me early on in Season One what it would be, which made me start to think about how people could learn the name. This gave me the idea that Ahsoka, who is very compassionate, would be able to connect with the child, and that without words they could probably communicate through memories and experiences. Through that connection, she learns the name and then tells Mando and the audience.”

According to Filoni, it only made sense for Ahsoka to be the one to learn about Grogu’s history, since they shared a connection to Anakin Skywalker. Ahsoka was Anakin’s apprentice, and Grogu was present at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when Order 66 went into effect.

“I felt that if anyone would know or understand The Child’s history it would be Ahsoka,” Filoni said. “She has such a long history as well. By having her relate the story it also helps the viewer to understand some of her own backstory.”

“Through the story about Anakin, you are getting a look at Obi-Wan and his backstory as well,” he continued. “A lot of the campfire scene, as I call it, is shaped around that scene between Obi-Wan and Luke in A New Hope.”

What did you think of Baby Yoda’s name reveal? Let us know in the comments!

New episodes of The Mandalorian are released every Friday on Disney+.