The Mandalorian certainly didn't waste any time getting into the action as the premiere episode immediately sent the titular bounty hunter off on a dangerous mission. However, the first episode of the Star Wars series also made sure viewers would get emotional once it introduced a mysterious new character that nobody expected. Not surprisingly, there are already speculations that the surprise character could somehow be connected to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. But what role will the strange little alien play in Star Wars Episode 9?
In The Mandalorian Season 1 Episode 1, the nameless bounty hunter was given a mysterious task by an equally nameless client. He is told to retrieve a 50-year-old target from the desert planet Arvala-7. Once the Mandalorian gets there, he is told that several bounty hunters have attempted to take the target but all have failed. However, the Mandalorian manages to get through the facility with the help of a fellow bounty hunter, the droid IG-11.
The best thing about Chapter One is how it ends with a truly unexpected revelation of the target. It is revealed to be an infant that belongs to the same species as the Jedi Master Yoda and the Mandalorian is forced to kill IG-11 to prevent the droid from executing the child. Although it is still unclear whether the baby will play a major role in the series, people have since started speculating that an older version of the character will eventually show up in Star Wars Episode 9.
The name of Yoda's species is still a great mystery, but it is known that the Jedi Master lived to a ripe old age of 900 in Return of the Jedi. Considering that Yoda and Yaddle, the only other character who is the same species as Yoda, are both Force users, there is a huge chance that the baby could be Force-sensitive as well. With that in mind, fans are beginning to believe that the character introduced in The Mandalorian could eventually resurface in The Rise of Skywalker and possibly help Rey at her time of need.
For now, it is still unclear whether the mysterious child will actually survive throughout the first season of The Mandalorian. But if the baby lives through the show, there is a good chance he (or she) will show up in Star Wars Episode 9. However, it is important to point out that this has not yet been confirmed so it's best to take it with a grain of salt.
The Mandalorian Season 1 Episode 2 will air on Disney+ on November 15. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will premiere on December 20.
