Yoda/Legends

"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

Yoda was a Force-sensitive male Jedi Master of a mysterious species, details of which he did not reveal. He was known training Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, heroes of the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War respectively.

Following his death, Master Yoda retained his identity within the Force and was revered as among the most legendary Jedi Masters of all time 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.

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.

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.

Bpfasshi Dark Jedi

Early in 19 BBY, Yoda led a Jedi task force to confront the Dark Jedi crisis on the planet Bpfassh. 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. The task force was able to stop the insurrection and quell the uprising. Yoda then personally engaged the last of the Bpfasshi Dark Jedi, who survived the Jedi intervention and managed to escape, commandeering Jorj Car'das's smuggling ship, in a duel that lasted a day and a half, before finally defeating him—or so it seemed. Mortally wounded, the fallen Bpfasshi Jedi made it to the swamp planet Dagobah, where he died. At the site of the Dark Jedi's death, a dark-side nexus was formed, becoming the Dark Side Cave.

Yoda experiences a vision of Darth Sidious in the Dark Side Cave

Yoda soon found and healed the badly wounded smuggler Jorj Car'das, who had been wounded by a survivor of the Bpfasshi Dark Jedi insurrection. After a revived Car'das left Dagobah, Yoda made his home near the Dark Side Cave, which, in addition to the massive number of lifeforms (which masked his presence in the Living Force), counteracted his presence in the light side. Yoda's imprint on the Force was hidden, as was his sanctuary from the Emperor's sinister agents. Moreover, Dagobah was one of the thirty-seven planets erased from the Jedi Archives, further ensuring his anonymity.

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."

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. 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. 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.

The next Skywalker

"Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."

―Yoda to Luke Skywalker

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," namely Leia Organa, Luke's sister.

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

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. At the celebration after the Battle of Endor, Luke would look upon the specters of Yoda, Obi-Wan, and his redeemed father.

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

Yoda, respecter of all life, holds a neebray on his hand.

Although Yoda was a strict and firm leader, he deeply cared for the Jedi Order and the light side. The Jedi Master had the deepest commitment to the Force and the teachings thereof.

Despite a body of evidence to the contrary, which included famous names such as Ulic Qel-Droma, Oss Wilum, and Revan, Yoda was largely a traditionalist in his belief that a Jedi who was seduced by the dark side of the Force would be forever condemned to walk in darkness. During the Clone Wars, however, he originally believed that no Jedi was beyond redemption and forgiveness. Even after Count Dooku betrayed the Republic and the Jedi by committing numerous atrocities as the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, Yoda once tried to persuade his former student to let go of the dark side and return to the ways of the Jedi, and very nearly succeeded in redeeming Dooku. Even as Quinlan Vos slipped further into the dark side's embrace, Yoda had faith that the disturbed young Jedi Master would find his way back to the light side of the Force; unlike Dooku, Vos vindicated Yoda's belief in redemption.

However, Yoda's failure to redeem Dooku, as well as his inability to prevent the rise of the Galactic Empire, left the Grand Master more jaded than ever. In addition to the fall of the Republic, the Jedi Order was pushed to the brink of extinction by the fallen Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, whose fall to the dark side turned him into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Having failed to protect all that he cared for, Yoda was disillusioned in many ways and sought to have Vader killed; the chance at redemption for those who embraced the dark side was no longer an option as far as Yoda was concerned.

Throughout his exile on Dagobah, the tyranny of the Empire and the Sith hunt for the Jedi during the Great Jedi Purge embittered Yoda to the point where he lost all faith in the idea of redemption. In his exile, Yoda held no interest in being involved with the rest of the galaxy, seeing himself as more of a watcher of the events which unfolded during the Empire's rule. Before his death, he warned Vader's son, Luke Skywalker, that "when a person falls to the dark side, their destiny would forever be dominated by darkness."

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 )

Yoda's crest

Yoda walked with the aid of a cane later in life. His rare gimer cane contained nutrients that could sustain him were he to chew on it.

Yoda also had a unique crest that adorned his quarters.

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

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.

Force powers

File:Yodaholdup.jpg

Yoda demonstrates his ability to telekinetically move objects.

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.

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

After his exile was so strong in the Force that he was able to resist old age long enough to train Luke. 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.

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. 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. 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, 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. Upon his death, Yoda's body vanished as he became a Force ghost.

Yoda was aware of several Sith spells—though he did not use them, and understood the Dark Side powers to kill with a touch or take total control over a victim, though again he is not known to actually used these Dark Side powers. 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.

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.

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

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

Yoda's popularity is such that the comedy musician "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song "Lola" with a version called "Yoda," included on the album Dare to Be Stupid (1985). More recently, the Great Luke Ski parodied the song "YMCA" by the Village People with a version called "Y.O.D.A." included on the albums Fanboys 'n Da Hood (1996) and Carpe Dementia (1999).

Producer/director Mel Brooks lampooned Yoda in his 1987 movie Spaceballs. Brooks portrayed a diminutive character named Yogurt, who specialized in manipulating a magical energy known as the Schwartz. Yoda also made a cameo in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, voiced by Eric Jacobson. Jacobson took over many of Frank Oz's Muppet roles.

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.

Legends Continuity Differences

The depiction of the number of Yoda's toes is inconsistent between different films, alternately numbering three, four and five toes. Leland Chee, keeper of the Holocron continuity database, has stated that Yoda canonically has four toes—three in the front and one in the back. 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. The prequel trilogy's storyline, created several years later, shows that Yoda was on Dagobah for no more than 22 years when Luke first met him.

Heir to the Empire and Vision of the Future describes how Yoda followed a Dark Jedi from Bpfassh to Dagobah and killed him on the planet. After the Revenge of the Sith novelization (which hints that Yoda had never been on Dagobah before his exile) was published, it has been suggested the battle occurred shortly after the exile. In Star Wars Insider 98 Leland Chee wrote that the location of the battle is no longer considered part of continuity, but that it is possible that a mortally wounded Dark Jedi died on the planet after having fought Yoda elsewhere. However, this has not been confirmed.

Appearances

A portrait of Yoda "Scouting Report SS-176.01, Imperial Year One …" – Heir to the Empire Sourcebook Domain of Evil (Mentioned only) "Domain of Evil" – Classic Adventures: Volume Two (Mentioned only) The Farlander Papers (voice in a dream) (Indirect mention only) Star Wars: Rebellion (Mentioned only) Galaxy of Fear: The Hunger "Jedi Heirlooms" – Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (Mentioned only) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novel (First appearance) Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back The Empire Strikes Back: A Storybook Star Wars (1977) 39 (Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 41 Star Wars (1977) 42 Star Wars: Yoda Stories Star Wars (1977) 43 Star Wars (1977) 44 (Mentioned only) Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars (1977) 45 (In flashback(s)) Star Wars (1977) 50 (Vision to Luke Skywalker) Star Wars (1977) 62 (In flashback(s)) Shadows of the Empire novel (Mentioned only) Shadows of the Empire audiobook (Mentioned only) Shadows of the Empire junior novelization (Mentioned only) Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Galoob minicomic (Mentioned only) Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novel Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi junior novelization "Out of the Closet: The Assassin's Tale"—Tales from Jabba's Palace (Mentioned only) Return of the Jedi 2 Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Appears as a ghost or spirit) "One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid"—Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (Indirect mention only) The Truce at Bakura (Mentioned only) Star Wars 92 (Appears as a ghost or spirit) "Easy Credits" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 9 (Indirect mention only) The Glove of Darth Vader (Mentioned only) The Lost City of the Jedi (Mentioned only) Zorba the Hutt's Revenge (Mentioned only) Mission from Mount Yoda (Mentioned only) Queen of the Empire (Mentioned only) Prophets of the Dark Side (Mentioned only) Dark Forces: Rebel Agent / audio drama (Mentioned only) Dark Forces: Jedi Knight (Mentioned only) The Courtship of Princess Leia (Appears in hologram) Heir to the Empire (Mentioned only) Dark Force Rising (Mentioned only) Dark Force Rising audiobook (Mentioned only) The Last Command (Mentioned only) The Last Command audiobook (Mentioned only) The Last Command 1 Jedi Search (Mentioned only) "Firestorm" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 15 (Mentioned only) Planet of Twilight (Mentioned only) Before the Storm (Mentioned only) Shield of Lies (Mentioned only) Tyrant's Test (Mentioned only) The New Rebellion (Mentioned only) Star Wars: Union (dream) Junior Jedi Knights: Anakin's Quest (Mentioned only) Junior Jedi Knights: Vader's Fortress (Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Jedi Under Siege (Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Return to Ord Mantell (Mentioned only)

Sources

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Pack: Yoda) (backup link) The Empire Strikes Back Coloring Book (1982) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Coloring Book (Max Rebo) (Picture only) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Coloring Book (Luke Skywalker) (Picture only) Star Wars Word Puzzles A Guide to the Star Wars Universe  "Star Wars: Ten Year Tribute" – The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 1 (Picture only) Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game The Star Wars Sourcebook  "Mark Hamill: 10 Years Later" – The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 3 (Picture only) Lightsaber Dueling Pack Star Wars Campaign Pack The Star Wars Rules Companion Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi George Lucas: The Creative Impulse Heir to the Empire Sourcebook Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition Dark Force Rising Sourcebook Star Wars Gamemaster Handbook Dark Empire Sourcebook The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook Star Wars Screen Entertainment "Glah Ubooki's Strange & Wondrous Imports" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 1 The Last Command Sourcebook Star Wars Sourcebook, Second Edition Classic Campaigns "Boba Fett: Mystery Man in Not-So-Shining Armor" – Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 1 The Jedi Academy Sourcebook Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Second Edition Live-Action Adventures Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded Star Wars Gamemaster Screen, Revised Cracken's Threat Dossier Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook, Special Edition The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire "Star Wars Kids Answer Quest" – Star Wars Kids 3  Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Hoth Limited (Card: You Will Go To The Dagobah System) (backup link)  Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Dagobah Limited (Card: A Jedi's Strength) (backup link) (Picture only)  Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Dagobah Limited (Card: Anger, Fear, Aggression) (backup link) (Quote only)  Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Dagobah Limited (Card: Yoda) (backup link) Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary Star Wars: Chronicles The Essential Guide to Characters

External links

• Yoda on Wikipedia
• Yoda at the Internet Movie Database (backup link)