‘The Mandalorian’s Second Episode May Pull It Closer to the Main ‘Star Wars’ Saga

Let’s just get this outta the way up top:

This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian Episode 2: “The Child”

How’s that for a follow-up to the truly wild ending of Episode 1? Our hero, the titular Mandalorian, spent the entire episode just trying to get off that hunk of rock with his captured target and back to his mysterious, probably Imperial client (Werner Herzog). But getting off-world proved to be way harder than getting on-world, thanks to a bunch of Trandoshan bounty hunters, a lot of pesky Jawas, and one giant, horned monstrosity. But it’s not like the Mando had to go it alone. He had help from his new Ugnaught friend Kuill (Nick Nolte), and he even got some surprise help from that bounty he captured…

Yeah, let’s talk about that l’il green alien. Again, SPOILER ALERT. I’m serious! Because Episode 2 establishes that The Mandalorian has the Force.

Rather the creature we’ll call Baby Yoda for lack of a proper name has the Force. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) doesn’t have the Force (at least not yet?!). This surprise is hinted at in the beginning of the episode, as the Mandalorian sets up an overnight camp in order to regroup and repair his damaged armor. Baby Yoda sneaks out of their floating crib/egg and tries to touch the Mando’s injured arm. Is Baby Yoda trying something? We don’t know! Throughout the episode, Baby Yoda continues to float along, almost instinctively trying to help out. That instinct pays off during the Mando’s showdown with that horned beast, when Baby Yoda reaches out and lifts the animal off the ground.

This is a big deal because it establishes that the Force is going to play a role in The Mandalorian, meaning that it will have something in common with literally every other Star Wars movie and TV series even as it goes into seedy, previously unseen territory.

So yeah, Baby Yoda has the Force. But what does it mean?

What do we know about Baby Yoda?

Not a lot! We know Baby Yoda looks like a baby Yoda, and we know that Baby Yoda is 50 years old. This species ages significantly slower than most; remember, how old was Yoda? Yoda was 900 when he passed away.

Of all the alien races in the Star Wars canon, Yoda’s has intentionally been left a mystery for decades. His race is not named, nor has his homeworld been identified. And we’ve only ever seen one other creature like Yoda: the Jedi Council member Yaddle, who was briefly glimpsed in Star Wars: Episode I–The Phantom Menace. Can you find her? Hint: she’s on the left, next to Qui-Gon Jinn.

Is Baby Yoda actually Baby Yoda?

No. Well, probably not? Baby Yoda is not literally baby Yoda, because Yoda died five years before The Mandalorian takes place. We also know that Yoda was alive at the same time as Baby Yoda, as Baby Yoda is 50. It is possible that Baby Yoda is a Yoda clone, though. That would explain why they look alike–although it should be pointed out that Yaddle just looked like Yoda in a wig.

But Baby Yoda has the Force. Isn’t that a sign that Baby Yoda is a baby Yoda or a Yoda clone?

Not necessarily. Since both Yoda and Yaddle were powerful enough Jedi to earn placement on the Council, it’s entirely possible that this species is naturally inclined to be powerful Force users. It wouldn’t be a shocker if all babies of Yoda’s species had Force powers similar to Baby Yoda’s.

But what about Dr. Pershing? He’s dressed up just like a Kaminoan!

That’s true! When we meet Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi) in The Mandalorian, he is wearing a getup that’s very similar to what the scientists of Kamino were seen wearing in Star Wars: Episode II–Attack of the Clones.

The Kaminoans were responsible for the clone army, you know, the massive army of soldiers that took to battlefields in the Clone Wars animated series and Revenge of the Sith. The Mandalorian includes a doctor wearing a similar color scheme to the most prominent cloners in Star Wars canon and a little tiny Yoda. That definitely increases the chances that Baby Yoda is a Yoda clone.

But then again, Dr. Pershing isn’t a Kaminoan. Did the reclusive Kaminoans share their science with others? We don’t know!

What is The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda timeline?

This is also interesting, although it probably confuses matters more. We know Baby Yoda is 50 years old. We know that The Mandalorian takes place 5 years after Return of the Jedi and 9 years after A New Hope. The Phantom Menace takes place 32 years before A New Hope (32+9=41). So that means that Baby Yoda was either born or cloned or something 9 years before The Phantom Menace. Know who else was born 9 years before The Phantom Menace?

Anakin Skywalker.

Yeah, that’s a wild bit of trivia and it sure does confuse things even more. Also, it’s wild to think that Darth Vader was only 44 when he died!

The Mandalorian Episode 3 premieres on Disney+ on Friday, November 22.

Stream The Mandalorian on Disney+