The Mandalorian: Who Uncovers Grogu's Real Name?

Many Star Wars fans believe that the best thing the franchise has done since being bought by Disney in 2012 is introduce the world to Baby Yoda, a.k.a. Grogu. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) met the adorable critter toward the end of the first episode of "The Mandalorian," and fans fell instantly in love. The creature couldn't talk, so characters on the show referred to him simply as "The Child," but those who are chronically online gave him the far more fitting name of Baby Yoda. It wasn't until "The Mandalorian" Season 2, Episode 5, titled "The Jedi," that the world learned his name was Grogu. But who uncovered this information, in case you forgot?

In the episode, Din and Grogu meet Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), who connects with the Child via the Force. She not only discovers his name is Grogu but also provides some backstory. Grogu was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and trained under Jedi Masters. Even after the pair help her along her quest, she refuses to train the Child and instead points them in the right direction. It's a pivotal moment for the series, but even though the world now knew that the Child's name was Grogu, he's still colloquially called Baby Yoda, probably because it just rolls off the tongue.

The world may have heard the name "Grogu" for the first time on Season 2 of "The Mandalorian," but show creators Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have known about it for a while. Filoni told Vanity Fair how they pursued making the name — which was Favreau's idea — known to audiences. "Jon told me early on in Season 1 what it would be," Filoni revealed, "which made me start to think about how people could learn the name. This gave me the idea that Ahsoka, who is very compassionate, would be able to connect with the child, and that without words they could probably communicate through memories and experiences."

It was an appropriate method, giving Ahsoka an important role in Din Djarin's journey. And while it's taken some time to get used to calling Baby Yoda "Grogu," the name seems to have caught on. After the name debuted late in 2020, it started making its way to the world of dog owners. The name "Grogu" was popular for dogs in 2020 and 2021, along with the shorthand for the lead character, Mando. We'd really be interested in seeing if anyone named their human children "Grogu," but that may be a step too far for some parents. 

With plenty of "Star Wars" shows and movies coming down the pipeline, it's likely "The Mandalorian" won't be the last place people see the little critter — which means his name may stick around for a while.