Here's Why Baby Yoda's Real Name Was Finally Revealed

Hasta la vista, Baby ... Yoda.

On the latest episode of Disney+’s “The Mandalorian,” fans finally learned that Baby Yoda isn’t really “Baby Yoda” at all. The live-action debut of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) found the character communicating with The Child telepathically, allowing her to reveal Baby’s real name: Grogu.

The name reveal gave the internet plenty of thoughts. And now, in an interview with Vanity Fair, “The Mandalorian” executive producer Dave Filoni explained why this was the right time for Baby’s name to come out.

“The name has been around for a while. [Jon Favreau] told me early on in Season 1 what it would be, which made me start to think about how people could learn the name,” Filoni explained. “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. Through that connection, she learns the name and then tells Mando and the audience.”

Filoni said “one of the most compelling things about introducing Ahsoka” is that she was one of the few people who could tell that Grogu was similar to Yoda. Ahsoka mentions Yoda, but Filoni didn’t want the moment to become too over-the-top.

“I had to stop myself from doing something ridiculous, like have her say, ‘Is that a Yoda baby?’ It almost demands to be said,” he added.

Filoni also noted that “Yoda’s Theme” from “Star Wars” briefly plays when Ahsoka mentions the wise Jedi.

“It’s just an acknowledgement to that great performance by Frank Oz and the great character design. There’s no way that the name Yoda Baby wasn’t going to happen, just given the stature of Yoda himself, so I think it’s a nice nod to the history,” Filoni said.

With so many allusions to the actual Yoda, could there be a bigger reveal coming? That Grogu’s relationship to Yoda is more than just their looks? Also, Filoni mentioned Frank Oz, who famously voiced Yoda as well as Miss Piggy, once theorized to be Yoda’s mom. Could she be related to Baby Yoda too?

There are still a few episodes of “The Mandalorian” Season 2 remaining, perhaps with answers to come. But for now — as Yoda might say — clear your mind of questions.

Also, look at this side-by-side photo of Miss Piggy and Baby Yoda and notice the ears:

Hmm ... ear-ily similar. (Photo: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic via Getty and Disney/Lucasfilm)
Hmm ... ear-ily similar. (Photo: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic via Getty and Disney/Lucasfilm)

Read more at Vanity Fair.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.