SPOILERS for The Mandalorian. Up until the most recent episode of The Mandalorian, we haven't had a proper name for Baby Yoda (or The Child, as Disney called him), but that all changed when the character's true name was finally revealed. We're probably all going to keep calling him Baby Yoda, aren't we?
In addition to the live-action debut of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), the latest episode of The Mandalorian revealed that Baby Yoda's true name is Grogu, and while speaking with Vanity Fair, The Mandalorian executive producer Dave Filoni said that the name has been known for quite some time behind the scenes.
The name has been around for a while. Jon [Favreau] told me early on in Season 1 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.
As Filoni mentioned, it's Ahsoka who learns Baby Yoda's name and a little bit of his history thanks their connection in the Force. It's revealed that Grogu was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and trained by Jedi Masters, but was taken into hiding after the Jedi Purge and the rise of the Empire. "I felt that if anyone would know or understand The Child's history it would be Ahsoka," Filoni explained. "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. This is similar to when Obi-Wan tells Luke about his father's history. Through the story about Anakin, you are getting a look at Obi-Wan and his backstory as well. A lot of the campfire scene, as I call it, is shaped around that scene between Obi-Wan and Luke in A New Hope." Filoni also mentioned that when Ahsoka mentions Yoda, the score shifts ever so slightly to John Williams' Yoda's Theme.
[Composer] Ludwig Göransson does a really masterful thing where the music, just for a moment, becomes John Williams’ “Yoda's Theme." Those are those little overlapping moments that I just love, and it's why I've always insisted on using Star Wars music so fleetingly because you don't want that them unless you're talking about that character. It's their music. We had an opportunity to just it a little grace moment.
Any other American Dad fans out there who can't help but think of Rogu each time Grogu is mentioned? You can check out a review of the episode from our own Alex Maidy right here.