The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy Didn’t Expect Baby Yoda’s Overwhelming Popularity


Lucasfilm knew that Baby Yoda would do well among fans – but they weren't expecting The Child to take over the internet overnight.

Speaking in an interview with The Wrap to discuss the future of the Star Wars franchise now that the galaxy far, far away is moving away from the Skywalker Saga, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy also addresses the rumors surrounding Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Aside from all of the unverified reports promising Ahsoka and Sabine Wren's appearance in the hit Star Wars series, there have been rumors going around saying that Baby Yoda's role in The Mandalorian was expanded because of his unexpected popularity.

According to Kennedy, Lucasfilm always planned Baby Yoda to be part of the reformation of the Star Wars franchise.

"Baby Yoda was part of this from the beginning. We didn't know exactly what Baby Yoda was going to look like, and we didn't necessarily call him Baby Yoda," Kennedy told the entertainment news outlet, "But yes, he was a part of this."

The studio always knew that The Child would be popular – they just didn't know how popular the character would be.

"We knew when he (Baby Yoda) was on the set from how everybody was reacting that he would certainly be a popular character. But I don't think anybody quite anticipated the degree to which he would catch on. That, I have to say, was a bit of a surprise. We knew enough to keep him secret. But we keep a lot of things secret on Star Wars," the Lucasfilm president went on.

Baby Yoda has been quite the phenomenon, pushing The Mandalorian to the top. Everyone's eager to see what's going to happen to Mando (Pedro Pascal) and The Child in season 2 of the series.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian is available for streaming on Disney+.

Read: Hiring Female Filmmakers for Star Wars is "Absolutely a Priority" for Lucasfilm

For more articles like this, take a look at our Star Wars page.