This Mandalorian Easter egg suggests Grogu has a unique link to Darth Vader

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The Mandalorian’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment that could tie Grogu to the Dark Side

Grogu in The Mandalorian
(Image credit: Disney)

Is it time to say hello to Darth Grogu? An Easter egg uncovered in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 6 seems to hint that Baby Yoda has ties to Darth Vader and maybe even the Dark Side of the Force.

As spotted on Reddit, Grogu’s Force meditation on the Seeing Stone on Tython has parallels with a moment from Star Wars comic, 2017's Dark Lord of the Sith.

Darth Vader meditating in Dark Lord of the Sith #8 and Grogu meditating from r/StarWarsLeaks

There, Darth Vader is also seen meditating in a similar pose to Baby Yoda – but that’s not where the similarities end. In each moment, blue butterflies surround the figure.

Coincidence? Another Dave Filoni deep cut? It’s hard to say at this stage, but it appears The Mandalorian season 2 is pulling out all the stops when it comes to providing nods to the wider franchise. There have been prequel Easter eggs, translated messages hinting at Legends canon, and even a returning Ahsoka Tano.

Now, there’s one more which could have serious story implications. In Vader’s story, the blue butterflies signified an internal conflict with the Sith Lord. Their appearance beside Grogu could merely be a clever callback, but could also be sneaky shorthand for the youngling’s own battles between the Light Side and the Dark Side of the Force.

Grogu has, after all, been seen Force choking people on not one but two occasions now. For the moment, he’s still the cooing, meme-tastic leading light of The Mandalorian. But as this referential Easter egg proves, Baby Yoda’s future is worryingly clouded.

Find out when the next episode of Mando drops with The Mandalorian season 2 release schedule.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.