Embo Returns in The Mandalorian & Grogu — And Yes, His Language Still Comes From French Smurfs Books

With The Mandalorian & Grogu bringing back fan-favorite bounty hunter Embo, one of the strangest and funniest pieces of Star Wars trivia is suddenly relevant again.

Because while Embo may look like one of the coolest warriors in the galaxy… his mysterious language has one of the most unexpected origins in franchise history.

Dave Filoni Created Embo’s Language by Accident

When Dave Filoni and the The Clone Wars team were developing Embo, they faced a creative challenge:
What should this silent, hat-wearing bounty hunter actually sound like?

Instead of building a fully constructed alien language from scratch, Filoni did something far more improvisational. He recorded himself reading from his editor’s French Smurfs books — originally meant for his child — and used that as placeholder dialogue for Embo.

The idea was simple:
Use something foreign-sounding and slightly garbled to create a believable alien voice while they figured out a final direction.

But then something unexpected happened.

The Placeholder Became Canon

Those rough recordings worked so well that the team decided to keep them.
What started as a temporary solution quickly became Embo’s official “language” in The Clone Wars.

That means whenever Embo speaks in the series, you’re essentially hearing Dave Filoni badly reading Smurfs stories in French — stylized and edited to sound like an alien dialect.

It’s peak Star Wars creativity: equal parts genius and chaos.

Embo’s Return Is Big for Clone Wars Fans

With Embo officially returning in The Mandalorian & Grogu, fans are once again hearing that same bizarre but iconic voice.

And yes — it still traces back to Filoni reading French Smurfs books into a microphone.

So the next time Embo speaks on screen in the upcoming film, just remember:
Behind that intimidating bounty hunter voice is one of the most random recording sessions in Star Wars history.

Somewhere in the galaxy far, far away… the Smurfs are canon.

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