By George & Josh Bate
When he made his shocking debut at the end of The Mandalorian‘s first episode nearly seven years ago, Baby Yoda instantly became pop culture phenomenon.
The adorable 50-year-old green alien, later officially named Grogu in The Mandalorian Season 2, recently made his first appearance on the big screen in The Mandalorian and Grogu, but a look back at old Star Wars comics reveals he may have made a hidden debut in an old Star Wars comic.
From 1999 to 2005, Dark Horse Comics published twenty four issues of Star Wars Tales, a quasi-canonical Legends comic book anthology. The comics, which originated from a variety of talented writers and artists, took a more comedic approach to the average Star Wars project by telling stories that at times ran counter to the established canon timeline.
Some of the most well-known issues of Star Wars Tales include “Resurrection,” a dark ‘what if’ story written by Ron Marz in which Darth Vader and Boba Fett face off, and “Fortune, Fate, and the Sport of Kings,” a story that saw Han Solo and Chewbacca accidentally land on Earth and meet Indiana Jones.
In #13 of Star Wars Tales, titled “Children of the Force,” a woman is tasked with delivering a would-be Jedi Padawan back to their parents. One moment in the comic features a nursery, in which you can catch a glimpse of a character who looks an awful lot like Grogu. Check it out below…
Now, it is obvious that this character is not Grogu, but it is nonetheless interesting to see that the idea of a Baby Yoda originated well before Jon Favreau created The Mandalorian.
More generally, Favreau and Lucasfilm Co-President Dave Filoni have consistently shown a willingness to integrate elements from Legends / EU into canon. Of course, Filoni did this in Star Wars Rebels when he brought Grand Admiral Thrawn from the pages of Timothy Zahn’s iconic novel to animated television. But the duo have also gone more deep cut with their integration and repurposing of Legends / EU material, including Dark Troopers, the Mando’a language, the pulse rifle, and chain codes.