Even Star Wars Doesn’t Know What To Call Grogu
We once knew the adorable little green puppet in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian as Baby Yoda, but he eventually got his own name and was revealed to be Grogu. This seems like a pretty fitting name; since Yoda is just Yoda, it makes sense for Grogu to have just the singular name. But, in The Mandalorian Season 3, the titular Din Djarin formally adopted Grogu, and the Armorer subsequently dubbed him Din Grogu, and this got even more confusing when The Mandalorian & Grogu movie was announced without his new surname attached.
Din Grogu
Of course, it would have made more sense for the Star Wars series to call him Grogu Djarin since that’s Din Djarin’s actual last name. You would think this decision was made because it’s a Mandalorian tradition or something to say your last name first, but that doesn’t align with existing Mandalorian characters we know, like Bo-Katan Kryze and Paz Vizsla. Fans would probably readily accept some sort of explanation, but the name choice strangely hasn’t been acknowledged.
Lone Wolf & Cub
One explanation the Star Wars franchise could give is that the name choice was an intentional parallel to Lone Wolf & Cub, the manga and films that inspired The Mandalorian, and the upcoming film, The Mandalorian & Grogu. Naming conventions in Japan dictate that the family name comes before your first name; thus, the characters in that franchise are Ogami Itto (the lone wolf) and Ogami Daigoro (the cub). It could be a subtle tribute to have Din Djarin and Din Grogu named this way.
No Official Explanation
Now, that’s quite a stretch, but it’s better than no explanation at all, which is what we’ve got from the Star Wars franchise so far. Of course, the most likely reason they named the movie The Mandalorian & Grogu instead of The Mandalorian and Din Grogu is probably because most people know the character just as Grogu (if not Baby Yoda), and the four-word title more closely matched Lone Wolf & Cub. One title is a little unwieldy, and the other more easily rolls off the tongue.
Will Din Grogu Catch On?
In any case, it’s hard to imagine that if the Star Wars franchise won’t call the character Din Grogu, it’s unlikely fans are going to either. Of course, we’ll probably just have to wait and see if they end up calling him that in the movie or in future seasons of The Mandalorian. If they keep referring to him as Din Grogu, there’s the possibility it could catch on.
Still Baby Yoda
But then again, there’s no reason that Star Wars shows and movies can’t just call him Grogu, given that his name is now Din Grogu, which is just a heartfelt acknowledgment between adoptive father and son. It’s been hard enough to stop fans from calling him Baby Yoda, so it’s probably best that they just keep on ignoring the name change and continue to refer to him as his original name. You can stream The Mandalorian on Disney+ if you want to catch up on their adventures while we wait for the movie.
