The adorable Baby Yoda looks up vulnerably in The Mandalorian

Courtesy of Lucasfilm

Adorable spoilers ahead for anyone that has yet to stream The Mandalorian, the first ever live action Star Wars series, available now on Disney+. You've been warned.

It's May 4th, which means its time to celebrate all things Star Wars. Most of all, it means celebrating Baby Yoda

Since 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi introduced Ewoks, a ferocious but cuddle-coaxing teddy bear type Pokémon, audiences have come to expect Star Warsmedia to deliver at least one good boy per film. Many fans considered that a negative turning point in the franchise, citing Lucasfilm's apparent desire to focus more on selling toys to young children than quality storytelling and world building. So when Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, Ewok-haters fully expected the Star Wars franchise to plunge into Beanie Baby fan fiction set in space.

Enter The Mandalorian, an original live action series available exclusively on Disney+, which premiered earlier this year. Everything about the show's marketing portrayed the series as dark, gritty, and tailored to a more mature Star Wars fandom. And it delivers! From the opening sequence where a violent bar fight unfolds and a man's body get sliced in half, to the haunting performance of Werner Herzog portraying a member of the Imperial remnant, it's clear this show leans more towards Showtime than Nick Jr.

It's at the end of episode 1, however, where the "big twist" sets this show apart from all Star Wars media, managing to do the impossible: giving fans the most adorable creature imaginable, in the darkest, most violent Star Wars story to date. I'm not going to waste time here speculating on the implications of what a "baby" from Yoda's species appearing in this show has for this series, upcoming feature films, or the franchise as a whole. No. Today we simply behold the unparalleled cutie pie goodness of "Baby Yoda."

Baby Yoda uses the force in episode 2Who's got the force? Is it you? Yeeesssss it is! Lucasfilm

Our hero finds Baby Yoda Can you say "Mando?" Lucasfilm


Baby Yoda in his floating crib Baby Yoda in his floating smoochmobile Lucasfilm


Baby Yoda snuggled up Who me? Lucasfilm


Baby Yoda reaching out"I want to go to there" Lucasfilm


The most adorable Baby Yoda GIFYeah, this show is about a Mandalorian, sure. ;)Lucasfilm

The Mandalorian from Disney Star Wars is a promising, welcome addition to the Star Wars franchise. The sequel trilogy has been extremely divisive for fans. However, if you binge YouTube commentary like I do, it's clear that most fans are pro-Mandolorian so far, even if they hated Rise of Skywalker. Sure, one can criticize the show for cashing in on nostalgia like much of Disney-era Star Wars, but when we get something like Baby Yoda (presumably the child of Yoda and Yaddle) it's hard to object.