Star Wars Nearly Debuted Baby Yoda 14 Years Before The Mandalorian (But There’s a Catch)

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More than five years after the somewhat divisive ending of the sequel trilogy, the Star Wars franchise is coming back to theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu, scheduled for release in May 2026. This new film will continue the story told in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, which hasn’t had new episodes since its third season finished in 2023. The series was a huge success, demonstrating that live-action Star Wars could thrive as an episodic show. A key reason for this success was Grogu, a young member of Yoda’s mysterious species who was adopted by the main character, Din Djarin, and joined him on his journeys. Grogu’s cute appearance and lovable personality quickly made him one of the most popular and profitable characters in the Star Wars universe.

For a while, until the second season aired, everyone just called him Baby Yoda. Disney really wanted official sources to call him “the Child” – I guess they didn’t want people thinking he was *literally* a young Yoda – but good luck getting the fans to change what they called him! It was a lost cause. Recently, though, the nickname “Baby Yoda” actually showed up in official material – a non-canon special, LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past, to be exact. It’s funny because if George Lucas had followed through with one of his original ideas for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the phrase “Baby Yoda” would have a *completely* different meaning for Star Wars fans. It’s a fascinating bit of Star Wars trivia, really.

Order 66 Was Originally More Complicated in Revenge of the Sith

Matthew Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith was written before the movie’s script was finished, so it contains some ideas that didn’t make it into the final cut. One example is a scene that was removed from the film, which would have happened after Order 66 was given. In the movie, there’s a quick battle outside the Jedi Temple where clone troopers from the 501st Legion attack the two Jedi, who easily defeat them. However, in the book, the clones used a more cunning plan. A small group of clones called Decoy Squad 5 dressed up in brown robes, pretending to be Jedi who had taken back the Temple, in an attempt to trick any Jedi who had survived Order 66. But Obi-Wan and Yoda were too smart for them, as they had already arrived in disguise themselves.

Obi-Wan disguised himself as “a ragged, drooling hunchback,” carrying “a bundle cradled in his arms.” He said he needed to bring the baby back to the Jedi Temple. A clone in disguise came closer and asked why Obi-Wan thought the baby was a Jedi. Suddenly, the supposed baby activated a green lightsaber, revealing himself to be Yoda. Together, Yoda and Obi-Wan defeated Decoy Squad 5 and went inside the temple, which caused the story in the novel to match the events of the movie. As shown in behind-the-scenes footage from Revenge of the Sith, a later version of this scene still featured the disguised clones, but it removed the part where Obi-Wan pretended to find a Jedi baby. This revised version progressed further in production, and was even filmed, although the special effects weren’t finished.

This Deleted Scene Would Have Felt Out of Place in Revenge of the Sith’s Final Act

The primary reason this scene was cut is likely because it didn’t fit the overall serious mood Lucas was aiming for. Revenge of the Sith did include some funny parts, and Yoda pretending to be a baby might have been okay earlier in the movie. However, the timing – during Order 66 – was wrong for comedy. The wiping out of the Jedi was a major event, and it was handled with gravity. This deleted scene would have occurred between Anakin Skywalker killing the Separatist leaders and the Jedi realizing Anakin had turned to the dark side. Because of this, its playful tone would have felt very out of place.

It was a good decision to leave this scene out of Revenge of the Sith, because had it stayed in, Star Wars might never have shown us a baby of Yoda’s species, and we wouldn’t have met Grogu. While Yoda’s disguise would have been a one-time joke, Grogu is a fully developed character with a story that’s lasted for multiple seasons and even appeared in another show. Grogu is so popular that, despite production delays or indefinite postponement, The Mandalorian and Grogu will bring the franchise back to the big screen. This new movie might even echo Revenge of the Sith‘s cut scene.

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2025-10-03 03:36