The Mandalorian: Why Grogu Should Speak Like Yoda (& Why He Shouldn’t)

Although it’s named after bounty hunter Din Djarin, the real star of The Mandalorian is his infant cargo, Grogu, often called “Baby Yoda” on the internet. Despite being 50 years old, Grogu is still a baby, because Yoda’s species ages really slowly over the course of 900 years. It could be a while away, thanks to his snail-paced aging, but eventually, Grogu will learn to talk.

If and when that happens, he might speak in sentences that are out of order like Yoda. On the other hand, he might speak normally, or in a new style altogether. There are arguments to be made on both sides.

10 Should: Fans Will Be Expecting It

Grogu has been compared to Yoda since his very first appearance and Yoda’s style of speaking is his most memorable characteristic, so it goes without saying that fans are expecting Grogu to speak like Yoda when he finally learns to talk.

If he doesn’t speak like Yoda, fans will be taken aback. It’ll be like if Mando removed his helmet all the time.

9 Shouldn’t: It Would Encourage Fans To Keep Calling Him “Baby Yoda”

Back when Grogu didn’t have a real name and was referred to simply as “the Child,” Star Wars fans decided to name him “Baby Yoda,” much to Jon Favreau’s chagrin. Now that he does have a name, people are still calling him “Baby Yoda.”

Some passive fans who aren’t interested in the wider timeline actually believe that he’s the baby version of Yoda. If he starts talking like Yoda, that won’t help.

8 Should: It’ll Keep The Canon Consistent

In the Star Wars canon, members of a species who speak in distinctive ways all tend to speak in that distinctive way. For example, terms like “yousa” and “meesa” are most commonly associated with Jar Jar Binks, but all Gungans are shown to speak like that.

If all Gungans speak alike while Yoda’s species all speak in their own way, then the canon will feel less consistent (and that consistency is hanging by a thread).

7 Shouldn’t: Yoda Should Remain Unique

Yoda’s nonlinear sentence structure should be a unique trait of his own and not a trait of his species. If everyone from Yoda’s planet speaks as he does, then he’ll cease to be special.

The thing that makes Yoda stand out should remain associated with him and him alone. Yoda is not only one of the most beloved Star Wars characters; he’s one of the most iconic characters ever created, period.

6 Should: He Probably Knew Yoda At The Jedi Temple On Coruscant

Ahsoka Tano’s revelation that Grogu was around on Coruscant when Anakin turned to the dark side and slaughtered the younglings in his bid to bring down the Jedi Order opened up the kid’s backstory significantly.

If Grogu originally trained with the Jedi younglings on Coruscant, then he probably knew Yoda, so he’ll be familiar with his speaking style when he starts to talk.

5 Shouldn’t: As A Baby, He Won’t Speak In Complete Sentences

The whole point of Yoda’s unforgettable speech pattern is that the phrasing of his sentences is off, but since he’s just a baby, when Grogu finally starts speaking, he won’t speak in complete sentences right away.

Babies start speaking with single words and short phrases as opposed to full sentences. Grogu won’t be saying enough words to order them like Yoda does.

4 Should: It Would Add An Interesting Layer To His Interactions With Mando

The Mandalorian’s interactions with Grogu are key to the show’s storylines, but at the moment, those interactions are one-sided as Grogu is unable to speak to his helmeted father figure.

When the kid finally begins to speak, if he speaks in an unusual way, it’ll add an interesting layer to the duo’s interactions.

3 Shouldn’t: The Mandalorian’s Sound Team Has Already Created A Distinctive Voice For Grogu

Skywalker Sound’s David Acord and Matthew Wood have created Grogu’s baby noises for The Mandalorian. At first, they planned to use sounds recorded from animals such as a bat-eared fox, but Jon Favreau felt he should sound more relatable and less alien, so they incorporated the sounds made by a real human baby.

Acord and Wood have already created a distinctive voice for Grogu and will likely continue to develop that voice as he ages instead of just copying the voice created for another character.

2 Should: It Would Be Really Cute

Yoda was already a cute character — he’s basically a Muppet — but the baby version seen in The Mandalorian is even cuter. When Yoda speaks, his stochastic phrasing is cute. If Grogu did it, it would be even cuter.

Speaking in the wrong order could be yet another trait that makes Grogu adorable, like his uncontrollable appetite and the fact that using his immense Force powers make him sleepy.

1 Shouldn’t: Yoda Originally Only Spoke Like That To Mess With Luke

When Luke arrives on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back seeking the wise old Jedi master that Obi-Wan referred him to, a weird little green guy comes along and starts rifling through his lunchbox before revealing that he is the Jedi.

In his original appearance, Yoda’s sentences were all out of order because he was messing with Luke. After revealing himself to be Yoda, he went back to speaking normally. However, going forward, it became Yoda’s defining characteristic.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
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Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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