Mandalorian Baby Yoda Soup Drinking Scene Inspired By Director’s Kids

The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard has revealed the inspiration for one of the show’s most well-known Baby Yoda moments. The Mandalorian is Star Wars’ first live-action series and a major success story for Disney+. The show launched with the new streaming service in November 2019 and aired episodes through December. Though many aspects of The Mandalorian have been praised, none have stood out quite as much as Baby Yoda, officially known as The Child. He’s inspired everything from memes to fan art and helped make The Mandalorian a success.

Season 2 of the series will premiere in October and won’t be affected by the coronavirus. Filming was already finished prior to Hollywood shutdowns, and post-production work has continued remotely. The Mandalorian fans are already excited about season 2, as it will feature existing Star Wars‘ character Boba Fett. Timothy Olyphant and Rosario Dawson will also have roles, though neither of their characters are confirmed yet. However, many assume Dawson will play Ahsoka Tano, in the character’s live-action debut. Ahsoka is best-known for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, though she also appeared via voiceover in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The Mandalorian season 1 featured one seemingly small moment that became an Internet hit: Baby Yoda sipping soup. During an ATX TV virtual panel for the show (via TVLine), Howard, who directed “Chapter 4: Sanctuary,” revealed how it came to be:

My kids were on set pretty much every day. And even before we came to set, when it was the storyboards for the episode… when we were just conceiving of things, my [then-six] daughter would come into the editing room and whenever Baby [Yoda] wasn’t on screen, she would lean over to me and be like, ‘Where’s Baby? Where’s Baby? Where’s Baby?’ [Executive producer] Jon [Favreau] picked up on that, like, ‘Oh yeah — if the kid is wondering where Baby is, then we need to know where Baby is at all times.’

Howard went on to explain, “There was something with the kids where Baby was very real and Baby was in danger and they needed to see where Baby was at all times… They needed to know Baby was safe. And from that a variety of moments came up that were constructed just because we wanted everyone to know Baby was safe.”

Howard’s reveal explains not just the soup sipping moment, but also the show’s general approach to Baby Yoda. The creatives behind The Mandalorian clearly predicted how viewers would react to Baby Yoda and how attached they would become to him. It’s hard to imagine a more universally beloved character. Favreau’s takeaway of kids needing to know where Baby Yoda is at all times clearly applied to adult fans as well, making the decision to check in on him often a good one.

Fans have reason to worry about Baby Yoda going into The Mandalorian season 2, especially since the show’s villain, Moff Gideon, is confirmed to share scenes with him. However, considering how much viewers love The Child, it seems unlikely any harm will actually come to him. Star Wars may not be afraid to harm or even kill off popular characters, but Baby Yoda will likely stay safe throughout The Mandalorian‘s entire run.

Source: ATX TV via TVLine

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Rebecca VanAcker
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Rebecca VanAcker is a trainer and news editor at Screen Rant. In the past, she’s written TV recaps for Screen Picks and reviews for Yahoo. She enjoys covering all things superhero, especially the MCU and Arrowverse.

A graduate of Michigan State University, Rebecca got her teaching certificate before falling in love with writing and the entertainment industry. She has a B.A. in English and can often be found ignoring everyone in favor of a good book. Her other hobbies include baking, anything Disney, and exploring with her dog, Beckett.

You can follow Rebecca on Twitter @BecksVanAcker, or contact her directly at rvanacker23(at)gmail(dot)com.

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