The Mandalorian Showrunner Says Grogu Only Works Because He’s Ugly
Jon Favreau says that Grogu, or Baby Yoda, only works because he's ugly-cute.
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni recently sat down for an interview with StarWars.com in which they discussed the future of the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian. While diving into what makes the show work so well, Favreau offered an explanation as to why The Mandalorian and specifically Grogu, the baby alien often referred to online as ‘Baby Yoda‘ is so perfect, citing his ugly character design.
Favreau explained that an earlier draft of The Mandalorian‘s Grogu was too cute to fit in with the grimy underworld presented in the series, stating “He’s cute, but he’s a little ugly. He’s ugly-cute… When he looked too cute, he didn’t look right. We found that right balance.” The Mandalorian got Grogu right in that respect.
With the third season’s recent premiere on the streaming service on March 1, fans are getting a much deeper and richer look into the expansive world of Mandalore and the culture that bred characters such as Pedro Pascal‘s Din Djarin and Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze.
Of course, one major draw of the latest season was the future of The Mandalorian‘s Grogu, who was last seen training at the Mandalorian covert at Djarin’s side. The creature hasn’t seemed to show any signs of growth or development since we last saw him, prompting many fans to wonder when we’ll finally see the character speaking or performing other adolescent tasks. When it comes to The Mandalorian and Grogu, this seems almost necessary.
With The Mandalorian‘s expert design team creating the Grogu puppet, we’re certain they’d like to get their money’s worth out of it, as well as the infinite merchandising dollars the adorable creature rakes in for Disney. But Jon Favreau’s explanation seems to lend itself to another popular theory when it comes to The Mandalorian and Grogu specifically.
While fans still know very little about the true origins of The Mandalorian‘s Grogu, Ahsoka confirmed to Din Djarin back in season 2 that the creature is over 50 years old, nearing 60 at the time of the third season, and may have a stunted memory due to the trauma of Order 66. Perhaps for The Mandalorian, Grogu is designed to be slightly ugly because the true nature of his character is far too dark for any cuddly creature to have endured.
In addition to Grogu’s age, Ahsoka also explained that the so-called Baby Yoda had been trained in the ways of the Jedi, further lending credence to the concept that the unnamed race of Yoda-type creatures have a natural affinity for the force.
After appearing in The Mandalorian to espouse useful knowledge about Grogu’s origins, Ahsoka made another brief appearance in The Book of Boba Fett and will eventually lead in her own series, also spearheaded by Favreau and Dave Filoni. Perhaps the upcoming Ahsoka show will shed some additional light on the mysterious back story of the creature, as the Clone Wars alumnus carves out her own path in the galaxy.
Of course, fans of The Mandalorian and Grogu would be happy to get any development on the character, seeing as how the fan-favorite puppet has amassed a veritable army of loyal online followers across the globe. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have promised to have much more in store for us as the series continues, with many twists and turns still to come in the third season. Specifically, Favreau has teased a tie-in to the original Star Wars trilogy of some sort, taking fans back to where it all began.
