The Child, or more commonly known as Baby Yoda, captured the hearts of audiences when he was introduced in Disney+'s The Mandalorian in 2019. On Reddit, however, an eagle-eyed Star Wars fan caught what they believe may have been Baby Yoda's true first appearance in Star Wars Rebels.
In the episode "A World Between Worlds," while Sabine was being held for questioning by Veris Hydan at an imperial command center outside of the Lothal Jedi Temple, a drawing featuring what looks to be a tiny, Yoda-like figure appears on one of the center's screens. However, several factors including the production timeline of the show do not add up, making it very unlikely for this is the same adorable green creature that first appeared in The Mandalorian.
THE PRODUCTION TIMELINE
One major reason why the drawing could not have been of the same Baby Yoda was the timeline of the production. The idea for the character was conceived by Mandalorian creator and executive producer Jon Favreau in mid-summer of 2017. The design came around when Favreau met with Star Wars: Rebels co-creator Dave Filoni, who would later make the first sketch of The Child on a paper napkin. Just a few short months later on February 26, 2018, the episode "A World Between Worlds" was released.
In an interview with Animation Magazine in 2018, just a few days before the release of that episode, Dave Filoni said that "from inception to final it takes close to a year for one episode," noting the heavy amounts of work that goes into screenwriting as well as the actual animation process that goes into the production. Because of this very narrow timeline, it seems highly unlikely that the drawing was indeed the same Baby Yoda from the Disney+ live-action series.
IF NOT BABY YODA, THEN WHO?
Although Baby Yoda was alive around the time that Rebels took place, it's a stretch to believe that the drawing was referring to that character. A more likely candidate would be Jedi Master Yoda, whose voice was heard by Ezra at the beginning of the episode while inside the Jedi Temple Portal. With the original Yoda being one of the oldest, most powerful and most feared Jedi warriors in the galaxy, it would not be far-fetched to believe that a civilization may have crafted a drawing to chronicle one of his many adventures throughout his 900 years as a Jedi.
A possible context for this drawing could be found in The Clone Wars episode "Destiny," when Yoda encounters the five Force Priestesses, who resemble the tall, stick-like figures in the drawing and were surrounding Yoda in a similar manner in the episode. Another reason why this could be what the drawing was referencing was due to an appearance by the Force Priestesses in the form of a painting in the Rebels episode "Wolves And A Door," which leads right into "A World Between Worlds."
With The Mandalorian becoming a huge phenomenon since its debut last year, many fans have been clamoring for more of the series as well as its breakout star, Baby Yoda. While some fans may have believed that they caught a glimpse of the little green alien on Rebels, the production timeline, as well as the previous events in the Star Wars canon, make this more likely to be a Clone Wars easter egg than a tease for Baby Yoda.