Should Baby Yoda Have Eaten All Those Eggs?

In the most recent episode of The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda, officially known as "The Child," has some snacks. It turns out, his munchies have been pretty controversial! The little green guy sneaks eggs out of a canister belonging to the creature known only as Frog Lady. To the Frog Lady, these eggs are precious cargo: They are her eggs, the only hope of keeping her species alive, and Mando is tasked with transporting them across the galaxy to ensure the Frog People's survival. To Baby Yoda, they are tasty treats.

The question is: How bad was it that Baby Yoda ate those eggs? Was he right for satiating his hunger with the nearest available food item that probably tasted pretty good? Or did eating Frog Lady's eggs turn Baby Yoda into a tiny villain? Thrillist Entertainment staffers Emma Stefansky and Esther Zuckerman debate.

Emma Stefansky: After watching this horror show play out last week, I have only one thing to say: Friendship ended with Baby Yoda; Frog Lady and her eggs are my new friends. There's a lot to love about Frog Lady. She's a frog. She's a lady. She has a canister full of eggs floating in goop that she carries around on her back while she travels through space, as all frogs are known to do. Eggs that, she mentions multiple times, are the last of her genetic line, and that she must reunite with her husband to fertilize and keep her species going.

These eggs are treasures, more precious than gold, or platinum, or kyber crystal—and what happens to them?? An untold number are EATEN by the Child, a tiny green monster who hides his murderous tendencies underneath an adorable little baby-sized robe. I see you, Baby Yoda. I see what you are. Mando should have let Moff Gideon spirit you away when he had the chance. 

Esther Zuckerman: Counterpoint: Baby Yoda is a baby.

Look, I'll admit that personal experience lends me to side with Baby Yoda here. Despite being 50 years old, actually, he is still developmentally a baby and babies do stupid shit. I spent this past Sunday evening waiting outside an animal hospital after my beloved Corgi mix, who just turned 1, vomited a lot because, like Baby Yoda, she ate a bunch of shit off the ground outside when I wasn't looking. She and Baby Yoda are both very sneaky. (By the way, she's fine and seems to have forgotten about the whole traumatic incident.) 

Shortly after the episode, I tweeted that Mando and Baby Yoda have a similar relationship to me and my dog. I'm constantly saying "no, don't eat that," and she's constantly trying to find ways to disobey me. She's a little agent of chaos and her mind is solely focused on identifying things to consume. They're both very cute and have big ears and I want to hug them both. 

And, no, I don't blame Mando, who has a lot on his plate, what with his ship crash landing on an ice planet. The fact of the matter is: Babies—human, dog, or Yoda—are going to eat things they are not supposed to. The best you can do is be vigilant as possible.

Emma: Here's the thing to remember about "Baby" Yoda. He's 50 years old!! Sure, okay, there are lots of species in this galaxy and maybe some of them take a while to reach adolescence. But, may I remind you, Baby Yoda has a very clear sense of right and wrong. He first demonstrated his nascent Jedi powers by levitating the Mudhorn in the first season, saving Mando's life from a creature that would have killed him. He even Force-choked Cara Dune (alarming in itself!!!) when she and Mando were arm-wrestling because, to him, it looked like his daddy was in trouble. Baby Yoda understands the concepts of danger and death, and he also understands the importance of protecting those close to you. 

The implications of habitat loss and species driven to near extinction may be a little complex for a Baby Yoda-sized infant brain to handle, but a lot could have been avoided by Mando simply sitting his charge down and explaining that Frog Lady is our friend, and these albeit delicious eggs are precious to her, and are therefore important for us to protect. The episode definitely would have been served by a roundtable discussion of environmental conservation. Very cinematic. 

Esther: Wow, Emma. This is getting heated, and, to be honest, you're making me look like a real jerk here. I'm not saying that Baby Yoda was right in eating the eggs, I'm just saying that I don't blame Baby Yoda for eating the eggs, and therefore he should not be tried at the Hague for genocide. 

I would counter your arguments about Baby Yoda using the force to protect his helmet-wearing daddy by saying that all of those instances were examples of instinct taking hold. He uses his powers sparingly, and most of the time just hides from conflict—he's very good at hiding! Mando does try to tell Baby Yoda that he shouldn't eat the eggs, but Baby Yoda is stubborn and hungry. He's willing to eat anything, even a gross spider out of its little cocoon.

We don't really know much about the Frog Lady's species; maybe there's an ecological reason why they are dying out. Plus, there are still some eggs left at the end of the episode... I think... You've really backed me into a corner here trying to defend my green son.  

Esther: No, he's a hungry child, whose brain is warped by his tum tum. 

Emma: He's a carnivorous predator with shaky morals and potentially deadly superpowers. Mando needs to rein him in!!

I will say that Star Wars is all about redemption narratives, so maybe in the next episode, Baby Yoda will end up being instrumental in reuniting Frog Lady with her Frog Husband and joyously continuing their species' small but peaceful existence. Provided there are any eggs left.

Need help finding something to watch? Sign up here for our weekly Streamail newsletter to get streaming recommendations delivered straight to your inbox.