Star Wars fans are freaking out over the possibility that Boba Fett is in ‘The Mandalorian’

No way … right?

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!! THERE ARE SO MANY SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE FIFTH EPISODE OF THE MANDALORIAN. IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED, DON’T SCROLL DOWN!

Ready?

You sure?

Okay.

The biggest question in Chapter 5 of The Mandalorian (“The Gunslinger”) comes right at the end of the episode.

Right before the credits, a shadowy figure in a cape and boots walks up to the body of the deceased Fennec Shand. We hear the sound of jingling as it squats down over the body. Cut to credits.

So … who is that?

Let’s see: this episode takes place in the desert dunes of Tatooine. And it just so happens that years before The Mandalorian takes place, a certain other bounty hunter was allegedly swallowed up by the Sarlacc on the same planet.

Is … that Boba Fett?

Couldn’t be, right? Once you get swallowed by a giant pit monster, you’re probably done for.

Except what if the bounty hunter survived on Tatooine?

I’ve already seen (and I’ll say SPOILER ALERT for this link, too) a debunking of this theory. But as Esquire pointed out, we heard that same jingling sound when Boba Fett appeared on Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back (about the 2:45 mark).

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! And now I’m geeking out a bit at hearing that sound, although maybe having Baby Yoda AND Boba Fett in the same series would be a bit much.

Fans are buzzing about the possibility:

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‘Baby Yoda Russell Wilson’ has taken over Seahawks social media

A bizarre crossover between the NFL and Star Wars, a photo of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson as “Baby Yoda” has gone viral.

Of the handful of universally beloved things in this country, two are NFL football and “Star Wars” movies. It’s not often these two pillars of American pop culture intersect, but when they do, it’s usually a big hit.

One of the most popular images trending on social media is “Baby Yoda,” an adorable little character from Disney’s new streaming series, “The Mandalorian.”

On Monday before the Seahawks’ primetime showdown with the Vikings, a new version of the popular “Baby Yoda” was edited to resemble quarterback Russell Wilson.

To encourage Pro Bowl votes for Seattle players, the Seahawks official Twitter account issued a dare to fans . . .  with 33,333 retweets, “Baby Yoda Russ” would become the team’s new profile picture.

Of course, it’s not just the fans who have gotten into this social media phenomenon. Wilson himself also changed his profile pic to “Baby Yoda Russ.”

Even the NFL’s official Twitter account is getting in on the fun as well. This year after major primetime games, the NFL tweets out a graphic from “The Checkdown” depicting players from the winning team.

In this image showing Wilson, Bobby Wagner and DK Metcalf enjoying coffee in the Space Needle, fans should zoom in on Wilson’s phone.

 

Seahawks Twitter is a lot like this year’s version of the team – a little bizarre at times, but more than fun nonetheless.

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Baby Yoda: The funniest memes from ‘The Mandalorian’

Rounding up the greatest Baby Yoda memes in the galaxy.

New Star Wars series The Mandalorian is midway through its first season on Disney+, and since the show debuted in early November, breakout star Baby Yoda has dominated the internet. You seemingly can’t scroll through Twitter or Instagram without seeing a Baby Yoda meme popping up, and a new wave of Baby Yoda mania follows the release of each episode. We’ve collected the funniest Baby Yoda memes through episode 4 of The Mandalorian. If you haven’t made it that far in the series, some memes could be considered spoilers.

The Mandalorian does not want to Get Low

Baby Yoda drinking

Baby Yoda loves fruit snacks

Baby Yoda > other mascots

Baby Yoda looking up

Who is the father?

Baby Yoda’s pod

Please don’t break the window

Russell Wilson is Baby Yoda

Cate Blanchett meets Baby Yoda

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The newest Baby Yoda meme is the best thing about ‘The Mandalorian’

LET BABY YODA PLAY HIS MUSIC!

It’s obvious the best thing in The Mandalorian is Baby Yoda, but a close second is all the Baby Yoda memes that have come from recent episodes of the Disney+ hit.

The latest one comes to us from episode No. 4, “Sanctuary,” in which our masked hero transports Baby Yoda in his ship to Sorgan. While flying there, little Baby Yoda does what any little baby alien would do on a super-awesome ship filled with buttons: he presses them.

That, of course, annoys Mando, so after a button push while looking Mando straight in the eye (a moment every parent can sympathize with) he grabs him and — awwww — puts him on his armored lap.

That scene has turned into a hilarious meme in which Baby Yoda turns on songs by pressing those buttons, and here are some examples:

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The Mandalorian: What we learned from episode 4, ‘Sanctuary’

The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda won’t get many chances to rest.

There’s no hope of retirement for the Mandalorian.

The fourth episode of The Mandalorian shows a tantalizingly settled image of Mando (Pedro Pascal) and the Child, a baby from Yoda’s species. After running away from Greef Carga (Carl Weathers) in a shootout over Baby Yoda in episode three, Mando seeks refuge in a small town on the planet Sorgan. What’s Sorgan like? “Real backwater skug hole,” Mando says as he approaches the planet in his ship. “Which means it’s perfect for us…. Nobody’s gonna find us here.”

While that’s the best line of the episode, titled “Sanctuary,” we see that there are actually beautiful people and beautiful landscapes out in the country of Sorgan. The lifestyle is lovely enough for Mano to consider leaving Baby Yoda to grow up in this community. But it’s hardly a safe haven. Mando and his new ally Cara Dune (Gina Carano), a former Rebel shock trooper, combine forces to defend the village from a group of raiders, who have an Imperial AT-ST. Once the the two soldiers win that battle, Dune kills a bounty hunter, who is pursuing Baby Yoda. While this episode came with few major revelations, one thing became clear: Mando and Baby Yoda have to keep moving. There’s no settling down.

Here are three things we learned from the episode.

1. Mando is not taking off the helmet anytime soon.

The widow Omera (Julia Jones) and her child Winta, who live in the village on Sorgan, seem to adore Mando and Baby Yoda.

Despite Omera’s apparent love interest in Mando, he rebukes her attempts to take off his helmet. Had she removed it, it’s easy to imagine the scenario Dune suggests during the episode: Mando could settle down and start a family with Omera. Because, as we learned in this episode, the Mandalorian’s cannot put their helmets back on after removing them in front of people. Mando has been wearing a helmet around people since he was a child. Taking off the helmet would be a clear step away from the Mandalorian way. While a life with Omera is clearly a tempting prospect for Mando, it’s also not happening. This is The Mandalorian — and not Star Wars’ version of Modern Family.

Mando keeps his helmet. He wants to respect his religion and stay on the move. And his ship only has room for one: Baby Yoda.

2. Cara Dune makes for a formidable ally.

Photo courtesy of Disney.

She and Mando dueled to a draw in the early stages of the episode. Dune decides to kick butt first and take names later, because she fears that Mando is on Sorgan to find and kill her. When they fight their way to the point that they have blasters to each other’s heads, they decide to pause the fight and share a bowl of soup to sort out their issues in a more civil way. But in that fight, Dune proves she’s an elite warrior on par with Mando. She also proves a competent leader and strategist in preparing the villagers for the attack of the raiders.

At the end of the episode, she parts ways with Mando. But don’t be surprised if she makes her way back into Mando and Baby Yoda’s lives. She shares the same wanderlust as Mando. That much was clear when she admitted to growing bored of playing bodyguard for the New Republic politicians. (And she may or may not be a part of the shooting for season two.)

3. The Client was onto something when he wondered: “Is the world more peaceful since the revolution?”

Mando, Baby Yoda, Dune and Kuiil are all trying to find their place in the galaxy after the fall of The Empire. While “Return of the Jedi” ends on a high note, this story explores the darker time that follows. The galaxy is reorganizing. The intergalactic governments are changing, and the ripple effects seem to have no bounds. And, of course, we already know that the New Republic and First Order are quietly jockeying for power.

Warrior types seem restless without the fighting. Dune would rather play vigilante in the outer rim than protect politicians in the New Republic. Even the raiders in the fourth episode — probably associated with the empire (because they own an AT-ST) — seem to have nothing better to do than rob krill farmers. That can’t be a particularly lucrative source of income. But the intergalactic economy is taking a downturn — that seemed apparent in the first episode when Mando is having trouble getting sufficient work as a bounty hunter. There is a consistent lawlessness on every planet we’ve seen to this point. Mando seems ready to navigate it as he acts as Baby Yoda’s personal protector.

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The Mandalorian: What we learned in episode 3, ‘The Sin’

We learned a few major facts about the show’s little green star.

Finally, the Mandalorian managed an act worthy of a signet, even if he may never get one. For those not aware, a Mandalorian receives a signet when he or she has completed a task of significance. Saving Baby Yoda, the most MEME-able character in Star Wars history, should earn him a signet, but Mando declines the honor.

In episode three of Disney+’s The Mandalorian titled, “The Sin,” Mando (Pedro Pascal) seems to be on the verge of establishing himself within his tribe — though perhaps in the wrong ways. He delivers Baby Yoda to The Client (Werner Herzog) and takes the reward, which is a hefty portion of Beskar. It seems briefly that Mando believes that the end has justified the means, no matter the cost. And yet when the armorer offers him a signet on his new getup (made from the rewarded Beskar) after Mando defeated a mudhorn, he declines the offer, relaying that an “enemy” helped him in the battle, which seems to lead to the realization that Baby Yoda isn’t an enemy at all. Ultimately, Mando completes a rescue operation — with help from other Mandalorians — and saves Baby Yoda from The Client.

So here’s hoping Mando eventually ends up with Baby Yoda signet on his breast plate. In the meantime, here’s what we learned in the episode.

1. Mando does care!

There were subtle ambiguities in Mando’s behavior toward Baby Yoda in the previous episode, like when he checked on the napping Baby Yoda, who needed rest after an epic display of force power. There were questions about Mando’s motives. Was Mando monitoring the child’s well-being because he cared or because he knew he’d make more money if he delivered the child alive? It was probably both. In this episode, Mando delivered Baby Yoda but he ultimately used his rewards to save Baby Yoda from his captors.

It seemed Mando couldn’t sit with a guilty conscience about bringing Baby Yoda into the wrong hands. Mando sees the light (side of The Force).

2. “Him.”

That’s right: Baby Yoda is a him.

At least, that’s what a doctor from The Empire said: “Him.” That’s one of the few facts we know about Yoda Jr.

3. The empire wants to “extract the necessary materials” from Baby Yoda.

The Mandalorian overhears an important conversation between The Client and Dr. Pershing.

“Extract the necessary material and be done with it,” The Client says.

What materials?

Genetic materials? For cloning?

Midichlorians? For extraction and study?

Or another material, which could aid in Emperor Palpatine’s comeback? (Think in terms of how Voldemort made a comeback with unicorn blood, horcruxes and the deathly hallows. These sorts of magic substances are obviously conceptually transferrable.)

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4. We get a closer look at Mandalorian culture.

An important revelation: Mandalorians have a lot in common with luchadores, who are the actors/wrestlers that work in the Mexican version of WWE. So what makes luchadores different than American wrestles? Luchadores wear masks, and it’s their code that, so long as they win, they cannot be unmasked. When they lose, they lose their mask. So Mando is basically a luchadore.

We also learned the Mandalorian catchphrase: “This is the way.”

And the Mandalorians have a major beef with The Empire, due to The Purge, a moment in Mandalorian history when The Empire forcefully stole Beskar from their species. It sounds like Stormtroopers killed many in the process. That’s why Mando and another Mandalorian dueled over Mando taking Beskar from what appeared to be former Empire employees.

That’s also probably why those Mandalorians were so quick to aid Mando when he does the right thing and saves Baby Yoda. How did those Mandalorians know Mando needed help? Unclear. But it made for an epic battle scene. It was like watching Iron Men with blasters and flamethrowers, and I couldn’t have been happier about it.

Greef (Carl Weathers). Photo courtesy of Disney+

5. The Mando and Baby Yoda are facing a life on the run.

The first few episodes have stablished the basic plot points and characters in this story. Essentially, we’ve got a buddy cop drama, starring Mando and Baby Yoda. We know very little about both of them. Surely, their identities will become clear through the coming trials and tribulations.

But what will those look like?

It’s easy to imagine The Client and Greef Carga (Carl Weathers) will attempt to track down them down. (Let’s not even talk about how ridiculous of a coincidence it was that Greef had Beskar in the perfect pocket to save himself from Mando’s blast in the final moments of the episode.) That will probably be one of their first obstacles. But the show suddenly feels very open ended now that Mando is probably done with bounty hunting. Considering how well it has been crafted to this point, that infinite opportunity shouldn’t be a problem.

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5 things we learned in episode 2 of ‘The Mandalorian’

We get an introduction to that character we met in the final moments of episode one.

If you’re not interested in seeing spoilers from the latest episode of The Mandalorian, you’d be wise to exit out of this article now. 

The first episode of Disney +’s The Mandalorian revealed a major plot twist, with the introduction of a baby Yoda, who turns out to be the mark for the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), a bounty hunter.

The second episode of the show builds on that twist and helps expand on what little we know about Yoda’s species. So, what did episode 2 of the The Mandalorian show us? Here are the five big takeaways from “The Child,” which dropped Friday morning.

1. It is an undeniable fact that Yoda Jr. is cute

Baby Yoda is adorable. You can’t deny it.

When ranking the galaxy’s cutest characters, there’s Yoda Jr. and Ewoks — and then there’s everyone else. This seems like a silly takeaway, but I promise it’s meaningful. This cuteness doesn’t seem to be just about fan service. It’s probably what will bring together Yoda Jr. and “Mando,” a nickname Kuiil (Nick Nolte) gave the Mandalorian. (Also, I must say: Kuiil looks considerably like a frowny-face emoji.)

In one of the first few scenes of the 27-minute episode, Yoda Jr. endears himself to Mando by trying to heal his wounds after three bounty hunters attempt to ambush them. When the baby repeatedly wanders from his crib and raises his hand to use the force, Mando brushes off the 50-year-old infant’s attempts, clearly not knowing what the baby is trying to do. (The Mandalorian reveals later in the episode that he’s unfamiliar with The Force. He can’t even put it into words.) It’s a sweet scene, with Yoda Jr. doting on Mando in the same ways Yoda doted on younglings in Star Wars Episode Two. Whether he’s Yoda’s kid or not, the child seems to have Yoda’s disposition.

But maybe I’ve buried the lede: THIS BABY HAS FORCE POWERS!

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2. The baby is as powerful as most imagined, and 3) the Mandalorian isn’t quite as powerful as he seemed.

Whether this is Yoda’s son, Yoda’s reincarnation or simply a lost member of Yoda’s species, the child seemed likely to be force sensitive.

We see a few uses of the force in the episode, and it’s largely as a product of Mando’s incompetence. Because while Mando’s abilities in battle were clean and impressive in the first episode, he’s clumsier in navigating the challenges in this episode.

We found out in the first episode that the Mandalorian’s spaceship was pre-Empire. Basically, it’s a collectible. So imagine getting back from the heist of the century to find that your getaway whip, a 1960s Corvette Stingray, has been gutted for parts. That’s how Mando must have felt upon finding that the Jawas dissembled his ride while he was off looking for Yoda Jr.

That was Mando’s first mistake of many in the episode.

The Jawas later blast Mando off the top Sandcrawler in an ensuing chase scene. With the Mandalorian attempting to scale the side of the moving vehicle, the scene felt like “Free Solo” meets “Indiana Jones.” His failure on the Sandcrawler forces negotiations with the Jawas — mediated by Kuiil. Mando and the Jawas decide on a compromise: the Mandalorian will procure an egg from a rabid space rhinoceros in exchange for the stolen parts. Seems fair, right?

That’s when Yoda Jr. looks a lot like Yoda Sr. The Mandalorian seemed to be on the verge of losing the fight with the rhino, but the baby stops the animal in its tracks and suspends it in mid-air. (That’s more than Luke Skywalker could manage in his early 20s when he failed to levitate his X-wing from the swamp on Dagobah in episode five.) That stops the beast’s momentum, so Mando can stab it and retrieve the egg.

The bond between Yoda Jr. and Mando grows deeper — the fuzzy, wrinkly nugget saved the steely, muscly cowboy’s life. Yoda Jr. needs a long nap after the display of force power, and Mando seems to be keeping close tabs on the baby’s health.

4. Few seem to know the enormity of Yoda Jr.’s presence.

The bounty hunters in the initial scene recognize that the baby is their mark, with one of them attempting to kill the child. But it’s unclear if they know the baby’s power or his intergalactic clout. (Although, was it just me or did the canyon lizards seem intent upon sneaking glances at the little, green prince?) No one in the episode seems to recognize who or what Yoda Jr. is.

“This is what was causing all the fuss?” Kuiil says looking at Yoda Jr.

“I think it’s a child,” Mando responds.

When the Mando explains Yoda Jr.’s use of the force against the rhino to Kuiil later in the episode, they are both befuddled. They’ve clearly never seen anything like it.

Word, apparently, does not get around in this galaxy far, far away.

5. The Mandalorian doesn’t care about the baby yet, but perhaps he will soon.

We’ve hit the classic (space) cowboy impasse: the loner protagonist has to bring himself to care about something. They’re recycling the tired trope (of toxic masculinity). Love? Attachment? Yuck.

In this case, it’s obvious the Mandalorian will come to care about Yoda Jr. But it’s unclear how long it will take him to adore the beautiful and bumbling baby that Star Wars nerds (like myself) surely already love.

“Good luck with the child. May it survive and bring you a handsome reward,” Kuiil says in the final moments of the episode.

The reward doesn’t have to be Beskar and money, like The Client (Werner Herzog) promised. The reward could be companionship and an existential purpose (like, say, helping restore order in the galaxy). I feel like we’ve seen another space pirate struggle with the same reward (*cough* Han Solo *cough*).

‘The Mandalorian’: Why that final scene is a huge twist

What did we learn?

This article contains significant spoilers about the first episode of “The Mandalorian.” If you wish to preserve the surprises from the premiere of the new Disney+ series, then scram.

“The Mandalorian” seemed like a story about the indiscriminate murder and capture of perceived criminals. That’s the work of a bounty hunter, after all.

But in the final moment of the first episode, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) doesn’t kill his mark. That twist has the potential to shift the entire course of the Star Wars franchise.

In the show, the Mandalorian’s target is a shocking reveal: a baby of Yoda’s species. The Mandalorian preserves the child’s life by killing another bounty hunter (a bounty-hunting droid, to be particular). The reveal that there is a baby Yoda could be massively important to the Star Wars franchise. Let’s dive into why the entrance of this kid is so huge.

1.  It proves there are more of Yoda’s species.

George Lucas has long been cagey about the details about Yoda’s species — so cagey that we don’t even know what that group of aliens is called. That’s why Star Wars fans are calling this a “Yoda baby” even though it’s unclear if it is, indeed, Yoda’s baby. It could be. We only know of two beings of Yoda’s race: Yoda and his wife Yaddle (who gets just 17 seconds of screen time in the movies). Perhaps they reproduce sexually, and we’re looking at their child. (The gender-reveal party, it seems we missed.) Perhaps they reproduce asexually. Perhaps this is a reincarnation of Yoda, like a Phoenix that rises from the ashes of a past life.

We now know that there are more Yoda-like beings in the universe beyond Yoda and Yaddle, even if it’s just this one baby, which is actually 50-years-old. And we know that that species didn’t become extinct when Yoda passed away in “Return of the Jedi.” A fun question that looms: Is this Yoda baby force powerful? How soon until we see it with a light saber?

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2.  It reveals a new side of the Mandalorian.

Photo courtesy of Disney.

He has no name — he’s just “The Mandalorian.” He has no face — Mandalorians don’t seem to take off their helmets. He may have no living family — at least, that’s what the episode’s lone flashback teased. There’s not much we know about him, except that he’s the best bounty hunter in the parsec. He reminds me of Tom Hardy’s “Mad Max” with a quiet and survivalist competence and, perhaps, a soft side.

The Mandalorian’s personality begins to emerge through the episode, despite his particularly steely disposition while dealing with a talkative Mythrol, who looks like a member of the Blue Man Group with gills. But the Mandalorian’s humanity — or his Madalorianity (?) — shows in the brief moments after he meets the baby. He blasts the bounty-hunting droid in the head to save the life of the child. And then the Mandalorian reaches out to touch the baby’s finger.

The episode ends with their fingers suspended (but not touching), much like “The Creation of Adam” in the Sistine Chapel. Does that mean this baby Yoda should draw a holy comparison? And does that also mean the Mandalorian is reborn? That question gets us to our next point.

3.  It adds a new dimension to what ‘The Mandalorian’ is about.

Photo courtesy of Disney.

No one valued bounty hunters quite like The Empire. Because Emperor Palpatine’s deep pockets are empty, the work for bounty hunters has disappeared. Even the most talented people in the profession are apparently having income issues. The Mandalorian reminds Greef, apparently a bounty-hunting assignment coordinator, that a target’s reward isn’t even worth the cost of gas. As its a dying profession, perhaps the Mandalorian is ready for a new gig as the protector of the Yoda Jr.

The Mandalorian could grow attached to young Yoda. Rumors teased the show would be about The Mandalorian’s relationship with a baby (which makes way more sense now than it did then). This may be a story of a former bounty hunter — and not an episodic look at bounty hunting.

That said, the Mandalorian is desperate for cash. He may have saved the baby’s life, not because of morality, but because The Client (an unnamed character played by Werner Herzog) said he’d pay more for the Yoda baby, if it was alive. But it seems likely that, at some point, the Mandalorian will assume a role as the baby’s protector.

4. Fans are already saying Yoda baby could make a reappearance.

The Yoda baby may make an appearance in “The Rise of the Skywalker.” One fan suggested a theory that Emperor Palpatine, who seems to be making some kind of comeback in the upcoming movie (as shown in a trailer), could be interested in researching how and why Yoda’s species can live to roughly 900 years old and why they age on a different timeline. The Emperor is presumed dead in “Return of the Jedi,” but his cackling laughter  in “The Rise of the Skywalker” teaser hints that he is somehow alive, whether in the flesh or as a force being. Perhaps there’s a connection between The Emperor and The Client, who was working with a doctor in Imperial garb and a handful of Storm Troopers. And perhaps Yoda Jr. is the answer to how The Emperor has lived so long.

There’s also a chance that the Yoda baby, perhaps aged into being a teenager, could appear in the final installment of the Star Wars saga. And if it does not, there is another trilogy in the works, directed by Rian Johnson. Because the child of Yoda’s species has the potential to live as long as Yoda, it could have a few roles to play in the upcoming pieces of Star Wars cannon.

Whatever happens, baby Yoda seems to have far reaching implications beyond just “The Mandalorian” show, and into the broader Star Wars universe.

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