The Mandalorian Easter Egg Connects Grogu To Yoda & Palpatine

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 2, episode 7, “Chapter 15: The Believer.” 

Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, is connected to both the actual Yoda and Emperor Palpatine by an Easter egg in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 7, “Chapter 15: The Believer.” The episode was something of a departure for the show, as it was the first time The Mandalorian hasn’t used Baby Yoda, who has been kidnapped by Moff Gideon and his Imperial forces. However, the Child was still the driving force of the plot as Mando started his rescue mission, and Grogu definitely made his presence felt even in absentia.

“The Believer” saw Din Djarin, Cara Dune, Boba Fett, and Fennec Shand recruit Migs Mayfeld from out of a New Republic prison, using the former Imperial sharpshooter to help them track down Moff Gideon’s ship, and with it, Baby Yoda. It’s an episode that sets up the endgame for The Mandalorian season 2, moving its pieces into place for a clash between Mando and Gideon, and it’s Baby Yoda’s fate that’s at stake. But even beyond that, the tease in the episode could have some further implications for him.

In The Mandalorian season 2, episode 7, after getting Mayfeld out from the scrapyard he was forced to work in, the one-time Empire man asks where Mando’s “little green friend” is. If that phrasing sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the exact same thing Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, calls Yoda in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, just before they begin their duel. In fairness, the line could be rather innocuous – it is, after all, an obvious identifier for both Yoda and Grogu, and so using it here is simply an easy Easter egg for a little bit of fan service, nodding towards Yoda and Palpatine’s fight. But while The Mandalorian is no stranger to doing that, there is often a bit more to it, and that could be the case here.

Besides being from the same species – and everyone outside the show calling him Baby Yoda – there are similarities drawn between Yoda and Grogu, both of whom are seemingly innately powerful in the Force. Much like Yoda, Grogu was forced into exile, having to remain hidden and hoping his Force powers weren’t detected. The Mandalorian season 2 has even suggests Yoda may have trained Grogu himself, with the Child looking up at Ahsoka Tano’s use of the name in “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” while brief snippets of Yoda’s theme played. By now referring to them in the same way, then it adds yet another layer to that connection between the pair, further hinting that there is more to these parallels than mere Easter eggs.

Similarly, connecting Baby Yoda to Palpatine may be no accident either. Him calling Yoda “my little green friend” is a moment of celebration and mockery, as the Jedi come to an end; it is Sidious’ victory lap, essentially. By using the same name for Grogu in The Mandalorian, then it could be further teasing that his future lies with Palpatine. The use of cloning and Baby Yoda’s blood already offers a potential explanation for Palpatine’s eventual return, and if the Emperor is going to get his hands on the Child, then this could be a further way of teasing that.

Alternatively, it may be the reverse: the first time “little green friend” was used, it was when the Jedi Order was ending. Since it is possible that Baby Yoda saw Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Order in the Force on Tython, and may yet walk that path, then perhaps it sets up his part in the rebirth of the Jedi instead. Of course, it may be nothing more than yet another great Easter egg in The Mandalorian, but that it opens the door to so many possibilities shows just how well the series makes its fan service an intrinsic part of its storytelling, rather than just an add-on.

About The Author

James Hunt
(851 Articles Published)

James is Screen Rant’s Movies Lead Editor, having started out as a writer for the site back in 2019. A Sports Journalism graduate, James quickly realized that supporting Sunderland AFC was painful enough without writing about it, and so decided to talk a load of rubbish about movies and TV instead. Formerly the TV editor at WhatCulture, he has a particular love of Star Wars (The Last Jedi was great), Game of Thrones (season 8 was good), and Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling…never mind) – y’know, all that really niche, nerdy stuff. Spending most of his days editing articles about or writing on movies and shows, James likes to really get away from work and unwind by, er, watching movies and shows. He’s fuelled by pint-sized cups of tea, peanut butter, more tea, and a quiet, constant anger (like the Hulk, only not green, or strong, or big).

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