Copyright Screen Rant
Six years have officially passed since the Star Wars franchise was forever changed with the introduction of one character. 2019, of course, was a big year for the franchise. Not only did the Skywalker Saga conclude with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019, but a month earlier, Star Wars' first live-action TV series finally debuted. The Mandalorian premiered on November 12, 2019, as part of Disney+'s big launch day. The show, which was set after the events of Return of the Jedi, was headlined by Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter. Pascal's portrayal as Din Djarin was an immediate draw, but The Mandalorian's supporting cast was stellar from the start. However, the most impactful figure from the show came in the form of an infant. Baby Yoda Was Introduced On November 12, 2019 The Mandalorian only needed one episode to hook viewers, thanks to a specific character introduction that would quickly snowball into a pop culture phenomenon. At the end of The Mandalorian's premiere episode, released on November 12, 2019, Din first encountered his 50-year-old target, which happened to be an infant that viewers collectively nicknamed "Baby Yoda." After that character reveal, the Star Wars franchise would never be the same. Baby Yoda, aka "The Child," quickly became a viral sensation and gained a massive fan following nearly overnight. Yoda has always been a fan favorite Star Wars character, so viewers instantly fell in love with the infant version of a character from the same species. Even those who didn't consider themselves Star Wars fans couldn't help but adore the mischievous little Force-sensitive creature. Star Wars and Disney+ realized they struck gold with Baby Yoda, allowing the character to grow increasingly more popular through marketing and merchandise. For the most part, fans couldn't get enough, and even after three seasons of The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda, who we later learned was named Grogu, never outstayed his welcome. In fact, viewers are now awaiting the character's return in 2026's The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars movie since The Rise of Skywalker. The Mandalorian Launched A New Era For Star Wars While The Mandalorian will always be a game-changer for introducing Grogu into the world of Star Wars, the show itself also marked a massive new era for the franchise. On the heels of the Skywalker Saga's conclusion, The Mandalorian led the way for more live-action storytelling on streaming over the past six years. Due to The Mandalorian's timeline, the show was able to branch off with spinoffs like The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka. In addition to connecting back to past Star Wars projects, The Mandalorian had the opportunity to bring animated characters to live-action, like the case with Ahsoka Tano, Cad Bane, Cobb Vanth, and Bo-Katan Kryze. Disney+ also expanded other existing stories with the releases of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor, while bringing back actors such as Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, and Diego Luna.
