Baby Yoda who understandably dominated headlines. Officially known as The Child, this young member of Yoda's species captured everyone's hearts and rode shotgun in Djarin's ship on his way to becoming a cultural icon.
In storytelling , Baby Yoda is a classic example of a MacGuffin. A technique as old as fiction itself, the MacGuffin was popularized in film thanks to Alfred Hitchcock, and describes an object (or sometimes a character) that serves as the central driving force of the plot. The villains might be hunting it, the heroes may have to protect it, but essentially, a MacGuffin facilitates everything else in the story, even though the item itself is largely inconsequential outside of its chief purpose as a motivator. Well-known examples include the Maltese Falcon, the Ark of the Covenant, James Bond series is also well-known for using MacGuffins, with a powerful piece of fictional spy tech sought after by 007 and his enemies alike. The machine itself doesn't matter in these stories, but its existence triggers a chase that forms the spine of the film.
It's vital to stress that MacGuffins are not inherently bad or indicative of lazy writing. A MacGuffin is an important, long-standing technique in cinematic storytelling and some of the best films and TV shows have employed them to great effect. Referring to Baby Yoda as a MacGuffin is in no way a criticism, as the little green bundle of joy has enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive reception since he appeared in The Mandalorian's season premiere. But unlike many MacGuffins, Baby Yoda does have the potential to be something more.
Why Baby Yoda Is A MacGuffin In The Mandalorian Season 1
In The Mandalorian's opening episodes, Baby Yoda is the very definition of a MacGuffin, only ever referred to as a "package." The remnants of the Empire want said package, but it's well defended and many have perished trying to claim it. The series premiere takes Din Djarin on a journey from being commissioned to hunt down this mysterious item to teaming up with IG-11 and breaking through the small army standing guard. This unspecified treasure instigates the main plot of the episode, and only in the very closing scene is "the package" revealed to be Baby Yoda.
Although the rest of The Mandalorian season 1 adds more detail and context to Baby Yoda, he remains, at his core, the MacGuffin of the piece. The Empire continue to chase The Child, which means Djarin is forced to stay on the run, hiding out on distant worlds and making uneasy alliances. This allows The Mandalorian to tell its various stories - "The Gunslinger" on Tatooine, the jailbreak in "The Prisoner" and the Seven Samurai-style battle on Sorgan. In all of these episodes, Baby Yoda is peripheral to the primary goings-on, mostly left to eat frogs and inspire memes, but he remains the spark that sets each event into motion and keeps the ongoing struggle between Mando and the Empire simmering away until the final episode, where the galactic custody battle comes to a bloody climax.
While most MacGuffins are mere objects, Baby Yoda is, of course, a character in his own right, and this means he's afforded more time to shine than a simple ancient artifact or glowing briefcase. The young alien has several standout moments using The Force - lifting a wild beast to save Din Djarin, killing an Incinerator trooper with his own flames, and healing Greef Karga from a fatal wound. But even in these moments, the intention is to deepen the sense of value and mystique around Baby Yoda, so the audience know his worth to both the heroes and the villains vying to possess him.
Baby Yoda Proves MacGuffins Can Be Great
The term "MacGuffin" is often used in a derogatory fashion to denote a quick-and-easy plot device as a substitute for good writing. In truth, this is rarely the case. As with every other technique in cinema, there are good and bad examples of MacGuffins throughout history. The One Ring in Thor: The Dark World, for example, the audience are given very little reason to care about the Aether (formally known as the Reality Stone) and it's not easy to invest in Thor's struggle to protect it because the Stone itself remains largely unexplained.
The Mandalorian's Baby Yoda sits proudly as one of the best MacGuffins in Star Wars canon. The most important aspect of a MacGuffin is ensuring the audience understand its importance. By evoking Yoda from the original Star Wars trilogy and adding a truck-load of adorable, Baby Yoda etched himself into the fabric of 2019, becoming recognizable even to those who don't know their Kuill from their Qin. Baby Yoda's actions did virtually nothing to advance the plot, but by stealing a shiny ball from Mando's ship and drinking his soupy-soup, The Child rapidly endeared himself to the audience.
Making a character your MacGuffin requires more skill than an inanimate object; there's a tricky balance between giving a living, breathing MacGuffin just enough personality to feel realistic, while still fulfilling the duties of the role. The Mandalorian strikes a sweet spot by giving Baby Yoda his own little quirks, hinting at his likes, dislikes and moral alignment without him actually communicating in any traditional sense. The audience get just enough of Baby Yoda to care, and this elevates the rest of the cast. Din Djarin feels more heroic because the audience love Baby Yoda, the Empire look more dastardly because everyone loves Baby Yoda, and Jason Sudekis is still in hiding... because everyone loves Baby Yoda.
How Baby Yoda Can Be More Than A MacGuffin In The Mandalorian Season 2
Baby Yoda was the perfect MacGuffin in The Mandalorian season 1, but that trope might wear thin in the second season. Fans can probably expect more than just 8 more episodes of Mando flying around the galaxy protecting his young companion from the clutches of the Empire when The Mandalorian returns, and this means Baby Yoda will evolve beyond just a MacGuffin.
The final episode of The Mandalorian season 1 introduced the Darksaber into live-action, and season 2 will bring both The Mandalorian season 2 could see Din Djarin taking on a more parental role and imparting his own principles upon Baby Yoda, raising him rather than merely serving as a protector.
Another key development to Baby Yoda will be his background and heritage. At the end of The Mandalorian's first season, Din Djarin declares his intention to take Baby Yoda back home, but the existence and fate of his species is still a major mystery within the Star Wars universe. This plot point gives The Mandalorian an opportunity to explore Baby Yoda's identity and his sense of "home." Will he come to consider Din Djarin his real family, or is the youngster the only one of his kind left in the galaxy">The Mandalorian's second season.
The Mandalorian season 2 premieres October 2020 on Disney+.