'Mandalorian' leaks: Genius theory explains a rumored connection to Yoda
The wildest — and greenest — twist you never saw coming.
by Corey PlanteWhen The Mandalorian premieres on Disney+ on November 12, the series might start out as a procedural adventure of a lone bounty hunter with a new target each week, but one theory based on a few recent leaks could reveal how the show’s overarching plot involves a surprising connection to Yoda, of all people — or at least another member of his species.
Potential spoilers for The Mandalorian follow.
Last week, someone posted a complex theory to the Star Wars Speculation subreddit, and it connects to The Mandalorian footage shown during Star Wars Celebration in April.
“We know from the preview scene they showed at Celebration that Herzog’s character gives Mando a bounty for a 50-year-old who is of vital interest to him,” they write. “He wants this person either dead or alive, with his Imperial scientist objecting. He for whatever reason wants the bounty brought back alive.”
We have no way to know who or what they’re talking about yet, but the identity of this person could be the big secret at the heart of The Mandalorian and how it connects to wider Star Wars canon.
“I think the 50-year-old will in fact be a child/infant of [Yoda’s] species,” they write.
Yoda was around 900 years old when he died. So given his species’ life expectancy, a 50-year-old would appear considerably younger than a human of that same age.
If the only two members of Yoda's species we've ever met are Jedi masters, does that mean their entire race is strong in the Force?
Both the viewer and the Mandalorian expect a mature humanoid, but if it instead “ends up being a young little cute Yoda creature,” then it might complicate matters. “When Mando finds out he has been hired to kill/capture a baby for Imperials that’s when a moral struggle begins,” the theorist writes.
Early leaks and rumors indicate that the main conflict of the season emerges from a plotline just like this “Lone Wolf and Cub type scenario,”, and there are other more surprising leaks that indicate the baby could be of Yoda’s species. In October, Making Star Wars reported that George Lucas contributed story elements to The Mandalorian’s sixth episode, specifically that the episode will include several members of Yoda’s species and that the species will get a name.
We saw Yoda die in Return of the Jedi, but we never saw the death of Yaddle, the Jedi Master of the same species featured in the prequel trilogy. Could Yaddle (or one of her offspring) make a triumphant return in The Mandalorian?
We know very little of their race, but if the only two we’ve ever met are strong enough in the Force to become Jedi Masters and members of the Jedi Council, then it stands to reason that the entire race might be immensely powerful and exceedingly rare. It wouldn’t be surprising that the remnants of the Empire might want to experiment on such a creature.
The Mandalorian premieres with the launch of Disney+ on November 12.
If you want to read this very long theory in its entirety, here it is:
