between Mando and a character that nobody
outside the show even knew existed until the
final seconds of the first episode aired.
It’s time to talk about the Baby Yoda-sized
elephant in the room.
PASCAL WAS ONE of the first to see it, sketched
on the same wall where he first met Mando.
“I saw Baby Yoda in those pictures,” he recalls.
“And I remember thinking, ‘Okay, bye, Gizmo.’
People are going to lose their minds over that.’”
People did. Even if you had muted every
Mandalorian-related word you could think of;
even if you lived on a cave in Dagobah, the
chances are that at some point over the past
couple of months you’ll have seen a picture,
a meme or an amusing video of the character
that’s officially known as The Child, but which
was christened Baby Yoda by the internet within
seconds of its appearance at the end of the first
episode. After all, that’s what it looks like. Yoda,
but a baby. “It’s completely understandable that
people refer to it as Baby Yoda,” laughs Favreau.
“If I was making Scott tissues and you were
calling them Kleenex, what are you gonna do?
Baby Yoda belongs to the public now.”
Technically speaking, The Child — sorry,
Baby Yoda — is actually 50 years old. But as
a member of the same species as Yoda, who was
900 when he carked it inReturn Of The Jedi, he’s
a mere stripling. Without giving too much away,
he starts out as quarry for Mando, who’s tasked
with tracking him down ( by Werner Herzog, of
all people) for nefarious purposes. But even a
heart as hardened as Mando’s melts a little when
confronted with that adorable face and beguiling
baby blacks. And so begins an odyssey, as the pair
go on the run from forces that want them dead.
Which is pretty much everyone they meet.
“It’s the classic Lone Wolf and Cub,” says Pascal.
“You have that juxtaposition of invincibility and
vulnerability; this somewhat terrifying figure,
armoured head-to-toe, with this incredibly
adorable creature.”
That creature doesn’t get a detailed
backstory. “That’s one of the areas George Lucas
had always been very careful about: not revealing
too much information about Yoda’s species,”
explains Favreau. He’s not wrong. Yoda’s species
is still listed as ‘unknown’. “Star Warsand Yoda
are, to me, in some ways interchangeable. He
embodiesStar Warsmore than any character,
I would think. The voice of George comes
through that character. And yes, that character
passed, but life is about cycles and the new
green shoots of life. I think that’s baked into
all mythology, that sense of renewal.”
There are plenty of mysteries about The
Child that run through the first season. His real
name, for example. “It’s Murray,” jokes Favreau.
“No, I know his real name. But it’ll be interesting
to see how his actual name is adopted, because
I think he’ll always be Baby Yoda.”
However, the biggest mystery of them all is
how Favreau managed to keep this under wraps.
“You want to surprise people,” he says. Which is
easier said than done. Big productions like this
can often be sieves, secrets pouring out of every
hole. “I knew from working on the Marvel stuff
that any time you have a toy that features a
character, that’s often where they first introduce
the character,” adds Favreau. “So we said to our
merchandising partners, ‘You can have every
character, every vehicle, if you’re willing to
hold back on one.’ I think there are new ways
of doing things.”OF COURSE, IF simply sticking a cute and
cuddly critter in your show meant that it became
a huge hit, thenIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiawould be the biggest show on TV, and Charlie
Day would be the biggest star on the planet.
The Mandalorian hasn’t made an impact
like this on the back of Baby Yoda fever. It’s
actually as assured and confi dent a piece of
Star Wars storytelling as there’s been in years.
There’s much to admire here, from the brisk
running time of the episodes (some clock in at
barely past the half-hour mark), to the diversity
in front of and behind the camera, to the way it
leans into one of Lucas’ key infl uences for the
original trilogy. “Jon basically described it to
me as a Western,” explains Taika Waititi, who
directed the fi nal episode of the fi rst season.
“When you think of Boba Fett, he was a lone
space cowboy, doing this thing. I’ve always
wanted to know more about these gunslingers
who go through space.”
Yet it also feels fresh and original, like
a fuzzy guitar riff on the main Star Wars theme.
“Exactly,” agrees Favreau. “And there’s a little
Mad Max in there, too.” It’s an unpredictable
show, one that can feel like classic Star Wars
in one beat, then something completely original
in the next. There’s a handmade quality to it
(Baby Yoda, for the most part, isn’t CG, but
a puppet that, according to cast member Adam
Pally, cost $5 million), and at times a scuzziness
that feels very fresh. This is the Star Wars, for
example, where we fi nally learn how toilets
work in space. It’s not pretty.
Yet, while this is a show that doesn’t bang
on about the Force and lightsabers, Favreau is
adamant that it all springs from a deep respect
for George Lucas and his legacy. The creator of
Star Wars has visited the set a couple of timesRight:The
Mandalorian’s
trusty ship, the
Razorcrest.
Below right:
Helpful ugnaut
Kuiil (Nick Nolte).