The Mandalorian was undoubtedly a great series, but Disney owes much of its success to the adorable Baby Yoda, who apparently is now a tank in the U.S. Army.
If nothing else, Jon Favreau’s new show was a breath of fresh air for the Star Wars franchise, introducing viewers to a different side of the galaxy far, far away where the ancient battle between the Sith and the Jedi is no longer the centerpiece of the conflict. In addition, the story was intimate, revolving merely around a bounty hunter who was trying to make his way in the galaxy. As such, we didn’t get to see any world-threatening dilemmas like the Skywalker Saga, but considering the raw power of Baby Yoda, that may yet change in future seasons.
The Child’s importance actually goes beyond the fact that he’s a powerful Force-user. In fact, some would argue that Baby Yoda is already a household name due to his irresistible charm and Disney would be wise to utilize his overwhelming popularity to compensate for the lackluster Sequel Trilogy in the near future.
As popular as he is, though, who would have thought that the United States military would decide to honor the character by naming a tank after him?
As seen above, the official account for the U.S. Army recently tweeted this photo with the words “#MayTheForceBeWithYou,” announcing that they’ve decided to name an M1 Abrams armored vehicle “Baby Yoda” from Disney’s new web series. Here’s the official message on Twitter:
“#MayTheForceBeWithYou! 3rd Infantry M1 Abrams armored track vehicles are aligned and ready for inventory after loading operations concluded on the American Roll-On Roll-Off vessel, for #DefenderEurope 20 in Savannah, Ga.”
Some might say that this is taking the love for Baby Yoda too far, but think about it for a second; the Child has already proven that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the first season of The Mandalorian, so is it that surprising to see a tank in the U.S. Army named after him?