The Mandalorian director reveals why he wanted more Baby Yoda in show

Emma Soteriou
the mandalorian baby yoda greef karga

Baby Yoda was used to balance out the action-packed Chapter 12 of The Mandalorian, according to one of the show’s directors.

The Mandalorian’s Carl Weathers didn’t make it a secret that he would be directing Chapter 12 of the show, sharing his excitement with fans online.

Now the episode has aired, the actor has spoken out about what it was like directing and starring in ‘The Siege’.

baby yoda in the mandalorian
Baby Yoda is a firm fan-favorite

Why The Mandalorian needs more Baby Yoda

Having only hit the screen in 2019, Baby Yoda has quickly become one of the most popular Star Wars characters to date, so why not use that to your advantage?

Well, Weathers did exactly that. In a conversation with Empire on their Spoiler Special Podcast, the actor said: “When I read the script, one of my comments was to ask John to put more of the Baby in there.”

Though no one could complain about more Baby Yoda content, there was a valid reason for Weathers making this decision, which he went on to explain.

Din Djairn, Cara Dune and Greef Karga
Mando united with some old friends for a mission

“The journey that we’re on is fraught with danger and is very action-oriented, and there’s a lot of weapons-fire and bad guys going down and chases and all that good stuff…” he said.

“But there’s also the Baby. This gentler, softer, sweeter side that comes out of everyone who interacts with him. And that to me was just a wonderful balance.”

Though fans may not directly notice the difference when watching the episode, Baby Yoda’s presence breaks up what could otherwise be a very heavy chapter with big revelations.

Speaking about the challenges in creating the episode, Weathers also addressed the bomb that was dropped half way through: “The challenge for me as a director – and I’m certain the challenge for Jon as a writer-producer – was keeping people engaged, wanting to know what’s going to happen next.

“And when you find out what’s really involved here, you finally get to, ‘Oh man, this thing is much bigger than we thought.’”

That’s definitely how we felt watching Chapter 12 unfold. New episodes of The Mandalorian are available to stream on Disney Plus every Friday.

About The Author

Emma is a former Dexerto writer. Emma joined Dexerto's Movies and TV vertical in its early stages, and helped shape a new area of coverage focused on the biggest shows and movies releasing. Keeping fans up to date with the stars, directors, and production companies, and all the juiciest stories from around the entertainment industry.