The scientific reason why everyone in the galaxy is obsessed with Baby Yoda

Even the Mandalorian can't resist the evolutionary power of cuteness

Baby Yoda.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Olga Karpova/iStock, Disney Plus, MicrovOne/iStock)

One would think that a hardened bounty hunter living on the fringes of the Galaxy would be less susceptible to, well, cuteness. But who can blame the Mandalorian for succumbing to the wiles — or at the very least, the burbles — of Baby Yoda? We all have.

Ever since fans first laid eyes on his tiny green head in the pilot episode of Disney+'s The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda has been an object of both curiosity and obsession. We've poured over gifs, cooed over those tiny wittle hairs on his tiny wittle head, and committed to buying all the Baby Yoda merch that Disney inevitably will offer. To be fair, we're only human; we're hardwired to adore anything that looks like Baby Yoda, which is the only reason why the events in the third episode of The Mandalorian resonated at all.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.