Yoda/Legends

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This article is about the Jedi Master. You may be looking for Mount Yoda.

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship."
―Yoda, to Luke Skywalker[src]

Yoda was a male Jedi Master of a mysterious species, details of which he did not reveal. He was known as a 'legendary teacher'[6] and specifically for training Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, heroes of the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War respectively.

Following his death, Yoda retained his identity within the Force and was revered as a legendary Jedi Master by Skywalker's New Jedi Order.

Biography

Early life

The earliest record of Yoda is as one of the Jedi Masters who led the mobile academy aboard the starship Chu'unthor, which was constructed circa 500 BBY. After crash-landing on the planet of Dathomir at around 230 BBY, Yoda and the other Jedi fought with the famed Witches of Dathomir. Coming to a stalemate, he agreed to leave the ship's data tapes. Although he left no means of reading the tapes, they were bestowed to Rell of the Singing Mountain Clan for safekeeping until such a time, Yoda foresaw, when a Jedi would come to save the planet from darkness and the information could safely be shared with the Witches. This did not happen until around 8 ABY, when Yoda's final student, Luke Skywalker, found his way to Dathomir, fulfilling his Master's prophecy.[7]

Yoda once traveled to Kushibah in search of a new Padawan. There among the diminutive Kushiban, the Jedi Master discovered young Ikrit, who proved strong in the Force, and took him to be trained as a Jedi. As a Jedi Knight, Ikrit once lost control during a petty disagreement and almost murdered a friend with his lightsaber, with Yoda risking his own life to stop him. As a result, Ikrit forsook the use of lightsabers for years afterward.[5]

By around 400 BBY, when Beldorion left the Jedi Order, Yoda could be considered one of the greatest Masters in Jedi history, comparable with Nomi Sunrider or Thon, both of whom had lived more than 3,500 years earlier.[8]

Bpfasshi Dark Jedi

Around 25 BBY, a group of Bpfasshi Dark Jedi were responsible for a rampage of terror and destruction throughout the Bpfassh system and, indeed, the entire Sluis sector. One of the Bpfasshi Dark Jedi commandeered Jorj Car'das's smuggling ship and, after using Car'das to help him elude the forces gathering against him, made for Dagobah. There Yoda was waiting for the Dark Jedi. The battle lasted nearly a day and a half, at the end of which the Dark Jedi was dead. Yoda then spent an indeterminate amount of time nursing Car'das back to health.[9]

Luke speculated that the death of the Bpfasshi Dark Jedi's death was responsible for special properties of the Dark Side Cave. He further speculated that the cave helped to hide Yoda from being sensed in the force.[10]

At some point, he encountered the Children, a group of cannibals whose parents had been part of a Republic survey team that became stranded on the planet decades earlier. For some reason, the Children became extremely afraid of him and called him the "Imp."[11]

Shortly afterward, Qu Rahn, another Jedi who survived the Jedi Purge, went to Dagobah and was taught many skills by the old master. Before the Battle of Hoth, Tash and Zak Arranda also encountered Yoda.[11] It was during these years that the diminutive being developed a taste for rootleaf stew.

One day around 0 BBY, Jorj Car'das suddenly showed up once more on Dagobah, violently demanding that Yoda put his failing health right. Yoda simply took his blaster and the beckon call from his ship and flung them into the swamp, then berated Car'das for wasting the second chance he had been given. He also told Car'das that he couldn't help him any further, since he was busy preparing for the most important training he would ever lead. Car'das became so embarrassed by his own actions that he couldn't return to his group, so he fled to Exocron, where Yoda had indicated he might receive help from the Aing-Tii monks.[9] At some point during his exile, Alliance historian Major Arhul Hextrophon discovered Yoda's whereabouts and traveled to Dagobah to find him. Yoda originally intended to wipe his mind but in the end decided against it, since it was not the Jedi way to cause pain and suffering—in this case, through the loss of memory. Hextrophon was instead made to swear not to reveal his existence. He erased the records which led him to Yoda in the first place, and apart from keeping logs in his private journal, it is believed he kept his word.[12]

The next Skywalker

"Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."
―Yoda to Luke Skywalker — (audio) Listen (file info)[src]
Yoda passes down his knowledge to Luke Skywalker.

When Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, arrived on Dagobah, Yoda met him but kept his identity to himself, acting like a primitive life form as a means to test Luke, although he did promise to lead Luke to Yoda. He also warned Luke before returning to his hut that Luke must avoid the water as there were many dangers in the swamps of Dagobah. Upon Luke's arrival at the hut, Luke expressed his irritation at his not encountering Yoda yet, causing Yoda to voice his doubts to Obi-Wan Kenobi's ghost about whether training Luke was a good idea. Yoda reluctantly agreed to train him in the ways of the Force, after Luke realized the creature was Yoda and pledged to train under him, as well as Obi-Wan's reminder to Yoda that Obi-Wan himself was also reckless and impatient when he was younger. He expressed caution, though, as he sensed in Luke traits similar to his father and judged him too old for training.

Yoda training Skywalker in concentration.

Luke chose to leave Dagobah without completing his training in order to confront Darth Vader at Cloud City above Bespin and save his friends. Yoda and the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi attempted to convince him to stay, thinking Luke ready to face neither Vader nor the revelation to come. Skywalker promised to come back in order to complete his training. Obi-Wan was concerned about this decision, telling Yoda that Luke was their last hope. Yoda quickly reminded Kenobi that hope still remained in the person of "another,"[4] namely Leia Organa, Luke's sister.[1]

Death

"Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall. That is the way of things, the way of the Force."
―Yoda, to Luke Skywalker, shortly before his death[src]
Yoda becomes one with the Force.

When Luke returned a year later, Yoda had grown sick and weak, and knew his death was imminent. He informed Luke that his training was complete, but that his final test would be to face Darth Vader. He proceeded to confirm that Darth Vader was his true father, and scolded him for recklessly fighting Vader on Cloud City. He also told Luke that he should not underestimate Palpatine, and that he should pass on what he had learned, as the Force ran strong within Luke's family. With his final breaths, Yoda struggled to tell Luke his final words: "Luke. There is another Skywalker."

Yoda then died and dissipated as he became one with the Force. Palpatine eventually discovered Yoda's demise by probing Luke's mind when he was brought aboard the second Death Star, and proceeded to mock the deceased Jedi Master, while Vader reacted without any emotion at the news.[13] At the celebration after the Battle of Endor, Luke would look upon the specters of Yoda, Obi-Wan, and his redeemed father.[1]

Legacy

Yoda as a Force ghost

Doubtlessly, Yoda was one of the most gifted Force users in the history of the Jedi Order. Aside from his mastery of the Force, his most noticeable attributes were leadership and a very long lifespan. With almost a millennium of life, Yoda was able to establish himself as the most venerated Jedi Master throughout the entire Order—a status that would remain solely his for centuries until the fall of the Republic.

After his death at the age of 900, Yoda retained his individuality in the Force. As a so-called Force ghost, he would look down on Leia and the Solo twins when they were born. His teachings would become the basis for what Luke taught his New Jedi Order. Since Yoda's teachings to Luke were rushed, most teachings of the Jedi Order were lost until the New Jedi Order began to find ancient holocrons, or, in some cases, libraries like the one on Ossus.

Personality and traits

Despite being disposed to trickery and jest Yoda would balance this with severe gravity and had the deepest commitment to the Force and the teachings thereof.[12]

Despite historical examples like Ulic Qel-Droma and Oss Wilum Yoda believed that a Jedi who was seduced by the dark side of the Force would be forever condemned to walk in darkness. Before his death he warned Luke Skywalker: "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."[1]

Yoda spoke an unusual version of Basic. He tended to place verbs (especially auxiliaries) after the object and subject (an object-subject-verb format). An example of Yoda's speech pattern: "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not."(Listen (help·info))

When visited by Luke he carried a Gimer Stick.[3]

Powers and abilities

"Help you I can. Yes, mmm."
"I don't think so. I'm looking for a great warrior."
"Oh! Great warrior. Wars not make one great."
―Yoda and Luke Skywalker, meeting on Dagobah[src]

Yoda's powers awestruck even the Dark Jedi Beldorion, who grouped him among three elite Jedi Masters, along with Thon and Nomi Sunrider, who had lived several millennia earlier than him. Beldorion considered the trio to be truly great as they were prodigiously talented in the Force, specifically in the directing of pure light-side energies.[8]

Force powers

Yoda, as befitting a centuries-old Jedi Master, was extraordinarily powerful and skilled in the Force. Luke Skywalker considered Yoda's powers to be far beyond what Darth Vader was capable of, and felt Yoda was likewise much more powerful than he was in 9 ABY.[10]

Yoda was also extraordinarily skilled in telekinesis. He demonstrated on one occasion the ability to easily telekinetically lift and carry an X-wing.[4]

After his exile was so strong in the Force that he was able to resist old age long enough to train Luke.[14] However, despite his great power and skill as a warrior, Yoda was known to strongly dislike combat in general, and was even a bit disdainful of the idea that "greatness" could be achieved through martial prowess.[4]

In addition, Yoda could use Force Harmony to defend himself from Dark powers and even shatter powers already in effect—this ability became more effective if Yoda was able to join his power with that of other Jedi.[14] Yoda was believed by Luke to have, in 3 ABY, used the Force to disable the sensors of the young Jedi's ship, then used the Force to guide the craft to where it needed to be.[10] Yoda was very proficient in the use of the Force to preserve life, having learned the use of many powers to heal himself and others,[14] and even keeping himself alive though sheer willpower until he trained Luke Skywalker, though just before he allowed himself to pass into the Force he admitted he was at the end of his strength due to the great power required for such a feat.[13] Upon his death, Yoda's body vanished as he became a Force ghost.[13]

Yoda understood the Dark Side powers to kill with a touch or take total control over a victim, though he is not known to actually used these Dark Side powers.[14] Yoda contemplated using the dark side to remove all memory of himself from a man, but ultimately decided that to do so would be wrong, and instead did what he felt the Force was guiding him to do and spared the historian.[12]


Other abilities

Yoda in his hut on Dagobah

Yoda demonstrated his strategical aptitude by choosing Dagobah as his place of exile, using the strong dark-side presence around the cave representing the dark side to block the senses of Sidious and Vader.[10]

Luke Skywalker felt the old master's stews tasted good.[10]

Behind the scenes

Yoda was voiced by Muppeteer Frank Oz in the Star Wars films. In the original trilogy, he was realized as a puppet (controlled by Oz). Yoda's appearance was originally designed by British makeup artist Stuart Freeborn, who based Yoda's face partly on his own and partly on Albert Einstein's.

For the radio dramatizations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, he was voiced by veteran character actor John Lithgow.

Along with a few substitute voice actors in the original trilogy, but from the second one onwards, Yoda is dubbed in Japanese by the late Ichirō Nagai.

Very early concept art of Yoda

Original concept art showed Yoda as blue instead of the green that he ended up being, and he is depicted as blue in The Empire Strikes Back novelization (published before the film of The Empire Strikes Back) . In Marvel's Star Wars (1977) 42, Yoda also seems to be tinier than in his normal appearance.

In November 2013, a deleted scene for Return of the Jedi was found on the laserdisc edition of the film. The scene, taking place on Yoda's deathbed and presumably occurring when Luke learns Vader was indeed his father, had him revealing that Obi-Wan Kenobi would have told Luke about his paternal relation to Vader had Yoda let him, making clear that Yoda was largely the reason Kenobi hid the truth from Luke.[15]

Legends/Canon

The depiction of the number of Yoda's toes is inconsistent outside of Canon. Starting with the prequels, he alternately had three, four and five toes. For more, see the article on Yoda's species.

In Before the Storm, Luke Skywalker tells Han Solo that when he first met Yoda, he was a hermit on Dagobah for a hundred years or more. Additionally Heir to the Empire and Vision of the Future describe how Yoda confronted a Bpfasshi Dark Jedi on Dagobah and killed him. The prequel films ignore this and has Yoda only going to Dagobah in 19BBY. The novelization of Episode III goes as far as to imply he had never been to Dagobah before his 'exile'.

In the prequel films and various related non-canon sources, Yoda is portrayed as a warrior. He wields commands troops in battle, is a lightsaber master, and even uses a chaingun. This either contradicts, or changes the implications of his 'Wars not make one great' line to Luke.

Appearances

A portrait of Yoda

Sources

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Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Yoda" – Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Junior Jedi Knights: Vader's Fortress
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Star Wars 92
  7. ↑ The Courtship of Princess Leia
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Planet of Twilight, p. 187.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Vision of the Future
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Heir to the Empire
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Galaxy of Fear: The Hunger
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 The Star Wars Sourcebook
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novelization
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook
  15. ↑ McMillan, Graeme: The Deleted 'Jedi' Line That Redeemed Obi-Wan Kenobi (2013-11-05). The Hollywood Reporter (archived from the original on February 13, 2021)

External links

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