The Mandalorian's Giancarlo Esposito Doesn't Blame Grogu For Eating Frog Lady's Eggs
When a baby version of Yoda was introduced in the first episode of "The Mandalorian," a shift in the cultural tide occurred. The first Disney+ "Star Wars" series instantly became a cultural phenomenon, with people tuning in week after week to see what the next adventure between Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu would be. A wave of merch followed, and to many, Baby Yoda could do no wrong.
That is until the Season 2 episode, "The Passenger," came out. The episode follows a basic "Mandalorian" format where Din has to do someone a favor in order to move further along in his own journey. This time, he has to transport an amphibian alien, known by many as Frog Lady, to another planet to reach her husband so that her eggs can get fertilized and continue on their race. They're the last of their species, so this is more than just an interplanetary booty call. The survival of their people depends on it.
In addition to facing various space dangers, Din and Frog Lady also have to contend with Grogu wanting to eat her eggs. Many fans took umbrage with this because Grogu was effectively committing genocide by nearly wiping out this race. Of course, not everyone felt as strongly, including Grogu's "Mandalorian" co-star Giancarlo Esposito.
Giancarlo Esposito thinks Grogu is a 'pure spirit'
Despite the fact Grogu is 50 years old, he's functionally a child — a baby, if you will. He probably didn't know any better and couldn't comprehend that the eggs he ate were part of saving an entire alien species. Still, the rebuke against his actions from certain portions of the internet was loud and intense, but some people kindly came to Grogu's side.
One of these individuals was Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Moff Gideon in "The Mandalorian." He's an antagonistic presence on the series, but Esposito proved he had a kind side by making it clear Grogu is fundamentally good. He told Entertainment Weekly, "Baby Yoda is a very pure spirit, and yet 50 years old, so he's someone who's very highly intelligent, but also has to survive. And we need to keep that baby happy. We've all fallen in love with The Child and The Child has some compassion and is funny and is absolutely the cutest thing you've ever seen."
Esposito wasn't the only "Star Wars" alum who came to Grogu's defense. Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in the sequel trilogy, made her feelings known to IGN: "I'm like, 'Yoda, do your thing.' The creature [Frog Lady] got to be where she needed to be with the eggs. It's all good. It was beautiful." Frog Lady did, indeed, make it to her destination with her husband to fertilize the eggs, so the alien species gets to continue. Everything worked out in the end, so maybe it's time for some viewers to cut Grogu some slack.