Shocking 'Mandalorian' leak reveals a forgotten prequels Jedi could return
How many Jedi survived Order 66? If one rumor is true, someone you haven't thought about since 1999 is back.
Everyone knows that the Jedi were all wiped out by Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith, but what nearly every single Star Wars movie, TV show and comic book presuppose is; maybe they weren’t? Right now, a crazy rumor (which is really just a rumor right now) suggests that George Lucas himself has managed to insert a huge reference to very famous Jedi master into the events of The Mandalorian. But does this rumor make sense? And even if it is true, how will this play out?
Spoilers about rumors ahead.
So, let’s not beat around the asteroid field. Here’s the rumor: Making Star Wars is reporting that George Lucas has contributed story elements to the sixth episode of the first season of The Mandalorian, and that episode will feature multiple aliens who are members of Yoda’s species. The rumor also says that the species will finally get a name.
Making Star Wars also thinks this could mean Yaddle survived Order 66 after the events of the prequels, but that’s not 100 percent clear. The rumor focuses on the fact that somebody saw a bunch of puppets that were of the same species as Yoda being made for The Mandalorian. The idea here is that Jon Favreau consulted George Lucas about this plot point because only Lucas could provide the backstory for Yoda’s species.
It's Yaddle!
Prior to the prequels, the only member of Yoda’s species was Yoda, but that changed in The Phantom Menace when another member of Yoda’s species; Yaddle was sitting there on the Jedi Council, rocking a “full” head of hair. Though Yaddle remained canon after The Phantom Menace, she didn’t actually appear in any of the subsequent movies. Meaning, it’s been 20 years since we’ve seen a live-action version of a member of Yoda’s species who isn’t Yoda.
Since 1980, George Lucas has intentionally kept the name of Yoda’s species obscure, seemingly to preserve the mystery and general coolness of the character. This is weird, because after their cameo appearance in the senate in Phantom Menace, Star Wars canon gave the E.T. aliens the official name “Asogians.” But for some reason, nobody calls that Spielberg movie E.T.: The Asogian.* Come on! All kidding aside, Lucas generally doesn’t shy away from giving aliens or characters crazy-ass names, so the restraint with Yoda’s species is notable.
So, will The Mandalorian actually “reveal” Yoda’s species or have a massive storyline around said species? Here are two ways of looking at it.
Yoda appeared to Luke Skywalker in 'The Last Jedi'.
No, this won’t happen because it would be a bad idea
The specialness of Yoda is nearly made un-special by the goofiness of Yaddle in Phantom Menace. Now, I’m very in favor of knowing more about Yaddle, but at the same time, having Yoda be one-of-a-kind is sort of what makes him so iconic. If we encountered a whole race of Yodas, and they all did the backward-talking thing, it could get old really fast. On some level, Jon Favreau and George Lucas know this: you’re rolling the dice with a bunch of Yoda-looking creatures in your Star Wars show, and it might be best to just leave this particular canon mystery alone. In other words, let Yoda and Yaddle die. Don’t kill them! Just let them stay gone.
Yoda in 'The Empire Strikes Back'
Yes, this will happen because it’s a smart nostalgia play and everyone will love it
On the other three-fingered hand, maybe there’s nothing wrong with erasing the mystery of Yoda’s species. It’s one of the weirdest things about Star Wars canon, and because so many other vague things have now been explained that you never really wondered about (i.e. the plot of Rogue One) it would be kind of cool for The Mandalorian to tackle something people actually have wondered about. So, if a bunch of Yoda-looking critters did appear in The Mandalorian, it could be amazing and also make everyone feel great. Hell, even if the next trailer spoiled this surprise, the eventual reveal would still be something every fan would look forward to.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian hits Disney+ on November 12, 2019.
