Some fans even hypothesized that Grogu literally was a "Baby Yoda" and represented a reincarnated form of the Jedi Master. This is impossible due to Grogu having already been born when Yoda was still alive. Thus, while the Mandalorian is Grogu's adoptive father, his actual parents remain a mystery.
Is Grogu Yoda? According to the events of "The Mandalorian" so far, Grogu and Yoda are not the same character. They are simply from the same species. The name of this species has never been revealed since "Star Wars" creator George Lucas wanted to give Yoda a sense of mystery.
Given that Grogu, Yoda, and Yaddle are the only known canon members of their species, it makes sense why some would try to draw a connection between the three of them. While Star Wars hasn't disproved the theory, it's highly unlikely that Yoda or Yaddle were Grogu's biological parents.
Grogu appears to be the youngest known member of Yoda's species. He is only 50 years old, and he is still developmentally an infant. For the whole first season of The Mandalorian™, they referred to him only as the Child.
Yoda dies during Episode 6 which is set 5 years before The Mandalorian. And with Grogu being 50 in The Mandalorian, that puts Grogu's birth at around 45 years prior to Yoda's death. Gorgu is fifty when the Mandalorian takes place — that is five years after Endor and about as long after Yoda's demise.
If I didn't miscalculate, I'd say Grogu was born in the same year as Anakin: Grogu is 50 years old in "The Mandalorian" which takes place about 9 years after A New Hope, meaning he was 41 years old during ANH, which would make him 22 years old during ROTS which is the same age Anakin/Vader was at at that time.
It was believed that Grogu would eventually become a victim of Kylo Ren's destruction of Luke's Jedi Order. However, The Book of Boba Fett revealed that Grogu chose to follow the Way of the Mandalorian rather than become a Jedi, sparing him from Kylo Ren's wrath.
Given the rarity of his species in the galaxy, along with the fact that the only other two known members of Grogu's species were both living in the Temple when he was born, it seems likely that Grogu is the child of Yoda and Yaddle and was born to help preserve their rare species.
You might be surprised to learn that Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, is 50. By human standards, he should have gone through a mid-life crisis by now but in the context of what 50 means for his mysterious species, it makes sense that he'd still be an infant.
In The Mandalorian season 2, Din Djarin and Grogu's encounter with Ahsoka reveals Grogu isn't just any Force-sensitive youngling, but actually a survivor of Anakin's Jedi Temple purge on Coruscant during Order 66.
Grogu had survived the Great Jedi Purge and was hidden away. Years later, he was rediscovered by a remnant of the Galactic Empire after it fell and led by Moff Gideon. At this point, Grogu became known to many simply as the Child, during the New Republic Era.
Luke Skywalker eventually had the lightsaber in his possession after Yoda's death in 4 ABY. Five years later, he offered the weapon to Grogu in a choice against obtaining beskar armor. However, Grogu chose the beskar armor over the lightsaber and went back to Din Djarin.
Legend had it that Yoda—a Jedi who became Grand Master—was trained by N'Kata Del Gormo. A Force-sensitive Hysalrian, N'Kata Del Gormo was trained in the ways of the Force and achieved the rank of Master within the Jedi Order.
He is a Force-sensitive 50-year-old infant of the same species as Yoda who is sought after by the Bounty Hunters' Guild on behalf of the Imperial remnant. He is taken in by Din Djarin as a Mandalorian foundling and adoptive son.
So, maybe it wasn't about trying to have Grogu look like Yoda, but rather figuring out a specific design for himself. "Jon wanted them to be dog-like, with giant dark pupils," Chiang continues, and, lucky for us, that's what we got — the alternative being a psychotic samurai baby gnome, from the concepts shown.
To be clear, Grogu is not a younger version of Yoda since "The Mandalorian" is set after "Return of the Jedi," in which Yoda (played by Frank Oz) died. They are, however, of the same species — but that species has not yet been revealed. There are more similarities between Yoda and Grogu than just looks.
One popular fan theory says Grogu is a clone of Yoda. While there is circumstantial evidence to support that possibility, Grogu's age would seem to contradict that idea. The Jedi Council didn't even know about Kamino's clone army until Attack of the Clones set in 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope).
Coupled with the fact that the only other members of his species to have been seen in Star Wars canon were also especially powerful Jedi, this may begin to explain Grogu's true significance. Grogu may be the child of Yoda and Yaddle, potentially conceived purely to help preserve their incredibly rare species.
While we know the simple answer is that Grogu hadn't been created yet when The Force Awakens kicked off the third Star Wars trilogy in 2015, it's an interesting question from an in-universe perspective, and one THR recently asked The Mandalorian executive producer Dave Filoni.
How old is Kylo Ren around the time of The Mandalorian season 2? Ben Solo was born in 5 ABY. The Mandalorian takes place, or at least starts in 9 ABY. Which means that little baby Ben is about 4–5 years old at this point in time, and won't be joining Luke's Jedi school for another half decade.
Minch Yoda, known by most as simply just Yoda, was a legendary Groglyn male who was regarded as one of the most renowned and powerful Jedi Masters in the history of the Jedi.
In The Mandalorian season 2, Ahsoka Tano explained that Grogu needed to choose his own path, and it may be with the Mandalorians rather than the Jedi (showing Tano may be a little wiser than Luke, to boot). Thus, Grogu choosing his family over the asceticism of the Jedi Order made for incredibly engaging storytelling.
