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Ever since Episode 2 of The Mandalorian (watch The Mandalorian now on Disney+) introduced us to the most adorable new face in Star Wars, the HoloNet … uh, Internet has been on fire. Everybody’s talking about, for want of a better term, “Baby Yoda.” We still don’t know the name of his species, but one thing’s for sure: a pop culture phenomenon has just been born, and this little green bundle of joy will likely be pivotal to the story this season. We’ll all be glued to our TVs watching and waiting for Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni to tell us more.
In the meantime, let’s look at some other babies (and younglings) that had a big impact on our favorite galaxy far, far away…
ROTTA THE HUTTLET
If there’s one thing a Hutt excels at, it’s causing trouble, so why would the son of Jabba the Hutt be any exception? Next in line to inherit Jabba’s extensive criminal enterprise, baby Rotta unexpectedly found himself kidnapped by Asajj Ventress. He was rescued by Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and returned to his doting father on Tatooine. Watch The Clone Wars now on Disney+.
ANAKIN SKYWALKER
Before he was a black-garbed, red lightsaber-wielding Sith Lord with half the known galaxy in his clenched fist, Anakin Skywalker was a slave boy with an aptitude for mechanics and piloting skills that bordered on the preternatural. When he wasn’t carrying out chores for his master, Watto, young Ani liked nothing more than to build droids and tinker with his podracer. If your first exposure to the Star Wars universe was watching Episode I (watch now on Disney+), you might not realize that the entire saga revolved around him.
KITSTER BANAI AND WALD
The life of a slave can be a lonely one, but fortunately Anakin Skywalker had some friends to keep him company along the way. Fellow slaves Kitster (a young human boy) and Wald (a Rodian) provided lots of moral support in the lead-up to the Boonta Eve Classic race, one of Tatooine’s most popular sporting events. They cheered him on from the sidelines as he left the cheating Dug Sebulba in the dust. Watch The Phantom Menace now on Disney+.
JEDI YOUNGLINGS
At the height of their power, the Jedi Order searched far and wide for children who were Force-sensitive. After coming to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant at a very early age, these initiates were schooled in the ways of the Force, taught to control and refine their special gift, before apprenticing themselves to a Jedi Master. Many younglings were slaughtered by the Jedi-turned-Sith-Lord Anakin Skywalker on what turned out to be the Jedi Order’s darkest day. Watch Revenge of the Sith now on Disney+.
EZRA BRIDGER
If he had been born just a few years earlier, the Force-sensitive boy Ezra Bridger would have been prime material for the Jedi Order…prior to the implementation of Order 66, that is. He signed on with Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus and the motley crew of the Ghost (watch Star Wars Rebels now on Disney+)and spent several years as a thorn in the Empire’s side. He was last seen heading into hyperspace on an Imperial Star Destroyer, and his present whereabouts are unknown.
TEMIRI BLAGG
Temiri Blagg was a young boy who found himself stranded on the planet Cantonica. He found work as a stable hand, caring for the racing animals known as fathiers, in the casino city of Canto Bight. Although work was hard and life was difficult, Temiri and his fellow children were not without hope: they were inspired by tales of the stand taken by the Resistance against the First Order. As we learn in the final shot of Episode VIII, Temiri possesses Force powers of his own, and will one day use them in the defense of freedom…
THE SOLO TWINS
Part of the Star Wars Legends publishing line, Jacen and Jaina Solo were the twin children of Han and Leia, and the next generation of the Solo family line. (A baby named Anakin would soon follow. Luke and Mara Jade would name their child Ben.) Jacen fell to the Dark Side, assuming the mantle of Darth Caedus, and in a tragic stroke of irony, the Jedi who finally took him down was his own sister, Jaina.
CLONE CADETS
We all have to start somewhere — even Clone Troopers, who start out as Cadets in the Clone Youth Brigade. High standards, challenging field exercises, and rigorous discipline are all employed in order to help develop the still-growing young clones to the point where they are ready for advanced combat training. This is where the infamous bounty hunter, Boba Fett, got his start.
WOKLINGS
Some babies are cuter than others, but few are more adorable than Woklings, Ewok babies that are native to the forest moon of Endor. It’s hard to believe that a face this sweet will grow into a warrior capable of taking out an Imperial AT-ST!
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