The Star Wars community has been overwhelmed by the presence of Baby Yoda on The Mandalorian, but history suggests that they wouldn't be anywhere near as receptive to the idea if George Lucas had come up with it first. Ever since "the Child" first appeared on the highly-acclaimed series from Disney+, the character has hosted its own orbit of online fandom, headlining countless memes. Baby Yoda has already appeared in an episode of South Park — the true test of pop culture relevance.
Introduced at the tail end of The Mandalorian's premiere episode, the Child was originally the target of the titular bounty hunter. Sent by the Guild to fulfill a contract by an unknown client, Mando (Pedro Pascal) comes into contact with the young being and opts to spare it, breaking the code of conduct for both the Guild and the Mandalorian species. Ever since, the nameless child has accompanied the Mandalorian on his quests across the galaxy, with the bounty hunter electing himself to be its surrogate protector.
Of course, the Star Wars community is not ignorant in the ways of cute and cuddly supporting characters. For years, the franchise has been plagued by controversial add-ons that clearly seek to do nothing but grab some extra cash for the company. Baby Yoda, however, has not received that kind of unpleasant welcome; however, if George Lucas, the creator of the series and a huge proprietor of these cuddly, but useless creatures (after all, he's gone on record as saying that Jar-Jar Binks is his favorite character in the entire Skywalker Saga), was responsible for Baby Yoda, it's very possible that the outcome would have been very, very different.
A thankful and important factor in the overall design of Baby Yoda is that it is a puppet, and not another one of the series' lifeless CGI creations. Of course, these computer animations were most prominent in the prequel trilogy with characters like the aforementioned Jar-Jar Binks, General Grievous, and even the adult, digitally "enhanced" version of Yoda himself. Over the years, George Lucas has gone back and either upgraded or inserted random CGI characters throughout his original trilogy of films. It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume, therefore, that if George Lucas had crafted the Baby Yoda character for one of his own Star Wars endeavors, it would have been another attempt at an appealing, but overall, disparaging CGI creature.
One of the many reasons that the Child works in the show is because its posture and movements perfectly coincide with its infancy, creating a wholly believable (and adorable) experience. This decision is also a callback to Yoda's original puppet form in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi; as a puppet, this character comes to life. Baby Yoda's interactions feel real with those around him because that's exactly what they are.
That being said, the way Lucas' "cute" characters function onscreen has remained relatively stagnant across the franchise. The controversial practice was first seen in Return of the Jedi with the introduction of the Ewoks, Endor's fluffy, teddy bear-looking forest warriors. Together, their ensuing battle against the tyrannous and occupying stormtroopers was filled with overly-sentimental encounters, obviously staged fight sequences, and a campy set of jungle weaponry.
During the other films in which George Lucas was involved in production, his army of unique and annoying creations drew similar criticism. For the most part, fans saw right through the franchise's ploy to get over-anxious parents out of the house and into the toy stores. And not only that, but a great deal of these characters were totally unappealing to children. The Gungans, for instance, are slimy, reptilian-like aquatic creatures with flappy ears and three toes – not exactly an appetizing subject for candy (the Jar-Jar Binks lollipops may be the franchise's worst official merchandise).
While Baby Yoda could very easily be construed as a cash grab for Disney+ on their LucasArts victory lap, the fact that the major studio did not have Baby Yoda toys available this holiday season helps eradicate that theory. Disney CEO Bob Iger himself has said that the fan reception to Baby Yoda has been far greater than he, or anybody at the Mouse House, had anticipated.
The obvious, protruding distinction between the way George Lucas inserted his "adorable" characters and the way The Mandalorian handles the Child is that the latter produces a functioning story around Baby Yoda. The series, as its producers and creator Jon Favreau have not been shy to point out, plays like an exhibition of the great samurai stories (most specifically, Kazuo Koike's Lone Wolf and Cub stories), or those of the wild, wild west. The warrior is not strangled by an overly-demanding, overarching struggle; rather, his journeys are individual chapters, each with its own clear beginning, middle and end. In The Mandalorian, the Child fits perfectly into that low-key formula, illustrating Mando's altering priorities, as well as engaging the audience in the younger character's own mysterious abilities.
Now, it's also very possible that the Star Wars community has just gotten used to these sort of characters. The galaxy, over and over again, has proved to be a haven for an enormous number of strange, unique, and various creatures, species, and, for lack of a better term, "things." Recently, the latest trilogy of films has brought us three distinctly cute characters, with the rollable and lovable droid BB-8, The Last Jedi's collection of Porg birds, and, most recently, The Rise of Skywalker's D-O — maybe The Mandalorian's Child also fits perfectly into this strange, ever-expanding Star Wars habitat.
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