Yoda/Legends

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

- Yoda

Yoda was one of the most renowned Jedi Masters in the Galaxy, and one of the few Galactic Republic Jedi to survive into the Galactic Civil War. He served as Jedi Grand Master during the Clone Wars and the founding of the Galactic Empire, after which he went into hiding to escape the Jedi Purge.

Biography
Standing a mere 66 centimeters tall, Yoda was a male member of a mysterious race. He was the Grand Master of the Jedi Order and one of the senior members of the Jedi High Council in the last days of the Galactic Republic. He had exceptional skills in lightsaber combat, employing whirling and acrobatic Form IV techniques. From c. 300 BBY to 19 BBY he trained almost every Jedi in the Galaxy&mdash;as Grand Master, he had instructed every youngling in the Jedi Temple at least once before they were assigned to a master. Perhaps the only Jedi of the Republic not to have been directly taught by Yoda was Anakin Skywalker&mdash;which may have contributed to the young man's fall to the dark side.

Yoda's most important student was arguably Luke Skywalker, whom Yoda trained to become the future of the Jedi. Having trained the first member of the New Jedi Order, Yoda served as the conduit between the two orders, preserving the Jedi's flame for the next generation.

Republic (896 BBY to 22 BBY)
"You think Yoda stops teaching, just because his student does not want to hear? Yoda a teacher is. Yoda teaches like drunkards drink, like killers kill."

- Yoda to Count Dooku



Most details about Yoda's past are very difficult to determine, but some events in his history have been established. Born on a remote planet, Yoda originally did not know that he was Force-sensitive at all. He left his home planet with a Human friend, who also did not know he was Force-sensitive, on an old, barely space-worthy ship en route to the Core Worlds to seek employment. However, long before they could reach their destination, the ship was struck by an asteroid causing it to become severely disabled beyond their abilities to repair. They spent several days drifting dead in space during which time both their life support systems and rations came close to being exhausted, and there was still no response to their distress signal. It seemed like they would soon meet their deaths until their sensors picked up a star system not too far away. They had just enough power to make it there, and did so before crash landing on a swampy planet covered with a dense fog.

They spent a few days there before being found by a strange being: Hysalrian Jedi Master N'Kata Del Gormo, who revealed to them both that they were Force-sensitive. Master Gormo took them to his home where he trained them in the ways of the Force and, not long after their training was complete, a Galactic Republic starship picked up their distress signal and rescued the two friends, who were now Jedi themselves. It is possible that this "rescue" was in fact planned by Master Gormo, as the timing would seem to fit a bit too nicely, but this has never been confirmed.

By 796 BBY, Yoda had been granted the title of Jedi Master and had begun the training of his first student, who would be one of the thousands of Padawans Yoda would train over the course of his own life. Later, Yoda was 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 one hundred years later, 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 left no means of reading them. The tapes were bestowed to Rell of the Singing Mountain Clan for safekeeping until a time 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.

Near 700 BBY, an insurrection broke out on Bpfassh, and a number of Dark Jedi ran rampant through the region. Yoda himself tracked one of the dark siders to the world of Dagobah. On that fog-shrouded world, Yoda and the Dark Jedi battled, and eventually Yoda emerged victorious. However, the power of the Dark Jedi lingered, casting a dark taint on the area. This would later manifest itself as a nexus of dark side energy centered around an old cave hidden underneath a gnarled tree.

In 482 BBY, Yoda traveled to Kushibah in search of a new Padawan. There among the diminutive Kushiban, the Jedi Master discovered young Ikrit, and took him to be trained as a Jedi.

By 200 BBY, Yoda, along with other great Jedi Masters of the age, discovered that the shape of the Force had begun to flux, becoming murky and uncertain. Studying the perplexing mystery in silent meditation, the Jedi High Council (of which Yoda was now a member) was unanimous&mdash;the power of the dark side was growing. Some believed this pointed to an imminent return of the Sith, but when no Dark Lords made an appearance, Yoda proposed an alternative theory: the long-awaited arrival of the prophesized Chosen One, who would bring balance to the Force. In opposition, several of the younger Jedi disputed Yoda's findings, and formed a breakaway sect&mdash;the Potentium. Their heresy was not welcomed by the Council, and Yoda led the campaign to expel them from the order in 130 BBY.

Circa 171 BBY, Yoda traveled to Ord Cestus and saved the native X'Ting from disaster. They honored Yoda by building a giant statue of him, at least 70 meters tall, inside the X'Ting Hall Of Heroes. He later was the lightsaber instructor of Cin Drallig.

Yoda was forced into combat&mdash;an activity he deplored but recognized as an occasional necessity&mdash;during the Yinchorri Uprising of 33 BBY. Leading his fellow Council members against the interloping Yinchorri warriors, Yoda proved that he was still a force to be reckoned with, even at his advanced age.

In 32 BBY, Qui-Gon Jinn brought a young Anakin Skywalker to the Jedi Council, requesting to train him once Obi-Wan Kenobi had completed the trials necessary to become a Jedi Knight, as Jedi could only have one apprentice at a time. Yoda, as the teacher of many of those on the Council, and its most venerable and respected member, played a key role in that body's initial decision to deny the request. Yoda believed that the boy was clearly affected by his years as a slave and that he still clung too tightly to the memory of his mother to be trained safely. The boy's future, Yoda thought, was clouded.

After Qui-Gon Jinn's death at the hands of Darth Maul, however, the Council rescinded its previous decision and let Qui-Gon's apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, now a Jedi Knight, train Anakin. However, Yoda did express opposition to Obi-Wan's decision to act as the boy's Jedi teacher.

Start of the war
"Begun, the Clone War has."

- Master Yoda



A decade later, during an investigation of a strange poisonous dart, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered a massive army of clones was being created on the planet Kamino. After much debate, Yoda traveled to the planet to see these clones for himself. When several Jedi and Senator Padmé Amidala were captured on the planet Geonosis by the Separatists, it was noted that a droid factory on the planet was producing a powerful army. It was then decided that the clones would be used to put down this threat in hopes of preventing a galactic war. This was also used as a rescue mission to save the senator and the captured Jedi.

As the battle began, Yoda learned that the droid army was controlled by his old apprentice Count Dooku, who had left the Jedi Order to become a powerful Sith Lord and organized the Confederacy of Independent Systems to oppose the Republic. An epic duel began between the puissant Jedi Master and his fallen apprentice. Master Yoda proved able to counter all of the Sith Lord's Force techniques, and after a brief but explosive lightsaber duel in which the ancient Jedi further demonstrated his prowess, the Sith Lord fled, distracting Yoda by attempting to drop a pillar on the wounded Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker. Yoda was forced to use his power to stop the pillar, which gave Dooku enough time to escape.



Though the Republic won the Battle of Geonosis under the direction of High General Yoda, he soon sensed that the Clone Wars would be a long and tumultuous period for both the Republic and the Jedi Order itself. During the Clone Wars, Yoda, along with many other Jedi Masters, became a long-term General fighting in various battles for the Republic on worlds across the Galaxy.

Frontline warrior
"Wars not make one great!"

- Yoda

Early in the conflict, Yoda saw frontline action on Axion, leading clone troopers into battle atop his kybuck steed. On that contested world, he saved the life of Commander Brolis, and in the process defeated a Hailfire droid in single combat. During the Battle of Muunilinst, Yoda came to the rescue of Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee after the Crystal Caves on Ilum were destroyed by chameleon droids. On Ilum, Yoda learned that Dooku's treachery ran deeper than he had believed, for the former Jedi Master had ordered the attack on the crystal temple.

Yoda had lost his former Padawan to the dark side before the war began, but during the conflict, Yoda lost another good friend. King Alaric of Thustra was planning to secede his homeworld to the Confederacy, although he intended to rejoin the Republic when the corruption he had witnessed was gone. Yoda traveled to Thustra to speak with Alaric, but his old friend was resolute, and eventually, his world became embroiled in battle. Unwilling to face the state of his world, Alaric drew a blaster on Yoda, knowing his friend would be forced to defend himself. Left with no choice, Yoda deflected the bolt into the body of the King. Yoda lamented the fall of his friend, but more worrying was how even he had been forced to draw his blade in battle, and feared he would have to draw it again in many battles to come.

Near the end of the war, Yoda journeyed to the planet Vjun after receiving a communication from Count Dooku, stating his intention to defect. Although Yoda was well aware of Dooku's treachery, he could not help but hope the Count's plea was sincere, and that his former student was, at last, trying to find his way home. Taking Knights Maks Leem, Jai Maruk, and their Padawans Whie Malreaux and Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy, Yoda traveled secretly to Vjun. However, along the way, Asajj Ventress tracked and captured the foursome, and unleashed new assassin droids. Killing Leem and Maruk, Ventress tried to destroy the space station to kill Yoda. The little green creature, using the help of his media doppleganger, destroyed Ventress's ship, allowing them to escape. Yoda rendezvoused with Dooku in Château Malreaux, and confronted the Sith Lord over his choice to join the dark side. Dooku attempted to convert Yoda, but the Jedi Master easily pushed aside Dooku's hollow promises. Instead, Yoda tried to persuade Dooku to rejoin the Jedi Order, and it appeared his words had a profound effect on Dooku. The unexpected intervention of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker hardened Dooku's resolve, and Yoda was forced into a second duel with the Count. Both Yoda and Dooku survived, but each left the confrontation with much on their minds.

Invasion of Coruscant
"Darker, the coming storm grows. I fear the dark cloud of the Sith shrouds us all."

- Yoda



Despite these dark sojourns, Yoda largely remained on Coruscant, and coordinated the war effort on behalf of the Jedi. During the Second Battle of Coruscant, Yoda again rode his kybuck into battle, to support the forces of Captain Fordo with a dazzling display of mounted lightsaber combat. He eventually sent the creature back to the Temple, and continued to fight, side-by-side with Mace Windu, on foot.

Despite their efforts, the Jedi were unable to prevent the capture of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine by General Grievous, though Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi later rescued him and killed Dooku in the process. With his hopes of converting his pupil back to the light dashed, Yoda set his focus on tracking down the last Sith Lord, though tensions between the Jedi High Council and the Office of the Supreme Chancellor were high.

In 19 BBY, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine appointed Anakin to the Jedi Council as his own representative. Again, the Council was hesitant about Skywalker's temperament but, in turn, acquiesced to the request. Yoda once more played a significant role in the young Jedi's ascension in the order, as they denied Anakin the rank of Jedi Master. During that discussion, the clones reported that the Wookiees were under attack and Yoda, having once been the planet's watchman, decided to venture to Kashyyyk to assist them. Yoda was quite skilled in the technique of Battle Meditation and would use this to some effect during the Second Battle of Kashyyyk, assisting the Wookiees and clones below.

Survival
"In a dark place we find ourselves&hellip; a little more knowledge might light our way."

- Yoda



While Yoda was on Kashyyyk, Palpatine, now revealed as Darth Sidious, ordered the clones to implement Order 66, which meant the extermination of all Jedi. Yoda sensed his Jedi brethren being killed all over the galaxy, and was able to stop Commander Gree and his troops from assassinating him. With help from the Wookiees Chewbacca and Tarfful, Yoda was able to escape to meet with another surviving Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. The two Jedi then went to the conquered Jedi Temple so they could reconfigure the emanating signal that was drawing Jedi survivors back to Coruscant into a trap. They disabled the deadly beacon after cutting through several clone troopers, and saw the Temple littered with the bodies of fallen Jedi, including younglings, who had been slaughtered with a lightsaber.

The two soon learned that Anakin had taken the Sith name Darth Vader and fallen to the dark side. They agreed that the two Sith Lords must be destroyed. Yoda would remain on Coruscant to confront the newly crowned Emperor Palpatine in the Senate Building, while Obi-Wan would battle his apprentice. Quickly dispatching Sidious' guards by merely Force-Pushing them into the wall, Yoda began the battle that would decide the fate of the galaxy. The Grand Master of the Jedi Order and the Dark Lord of the Sith were counterpoised. During the fight his vision pierced the veil of the dark side and he was able to see a glimpse of the future. What he might have seen was unclear, but one thing is certain&mdash;Yoda gained an insight that bore the hope for the galaxy and he could not risk dying here.



The battle ended in a stalemate when an explosion of the Force, caused by Yoda's deflection of the Dark Lord's Force lightning, hurled them apart. Both Masters were able to grasp the edge of nearby Senate pods, with Sidious barely managing to right himself and achieve the high ground. Yoda, however, unable to maintain his grasp, fell several hundred feet down, to the floor of the Senate chamber. Sensing arriving storm troopers, he realised he would be unable to fight them and Sidious at the same time. Thanks to Bail Organa, he escaped to Polis Massa.

There, he was instrumental in deciding the fate of the Skywalker children, agreeing that Luke and Leia be hidden from Darth Vader and the Emperor in unsuspecting locations. Other than the ancient Jedi Master, only the Organas, the Lars, and Kenobi would know of their placement. He would also tell Obi-Wan another secret &mdash; an old friend, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, had found the way in which to retain one's identity after death, a skill he would teach both of them. Yoda would play a role he had not taken on in centuries: an apprentice.

Exile (19 BBY to 4 ABY)
"Into exile I must go. Failed, I have."

- Yoda to Bail Organa



During the Great Jedi Purge, Yoda escaped to Dagobah and hid on the swamp planet during the Galactic Civil War. He made his home inside a Force-sensitive tree, letting the organism absorb the Force power around it. Thusly, Yoda's imprint on the Force was hidden, and Darth Vader was prevented from ever finding the little green master's sanctuary.

In addition to the massive amount of lifeforms which masked his presence in the Living Force, there were several other factors affecting Yoda's decision to live on Dagobah, not the least of which being the nearby Dark Side Cave that counteracted his presence in the light side. Moreover, Dagobah was one of the thirty-seven planets erased from the Jedi Archives, further ensuring his anonymity. Yoda slew another Dark Jedi from Bpfassh here in 19 BBY.



Shortly afterwards, Qu Rahn went to Dagobah and was taught many skills by the wise old master. Before the Battle of Hoth, Tash and Zak Arranda would also encounter Yoda. It was during these years that the diminutive being developed a taste for rootleaf stew.

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 &mdash; in this case, through the loss of memory. Hextrophon was instead made to swear not to reveal his existence. He erased the records which lead him to Yoda in the first place, and apart from keeping logs in his private journal, it is believed he kept his word.

When Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, arrived Yoda reluctantly agreed to train him in the ways of the the Force, expressing caution as he sensed in Luke traits similar to his father and judging him too old for training. The Jedi Master proved how great a teacher he was, summing up Jedi training to fit in the limited time they could afford. However, prior to finishing his instruction, Luke chose to leave Dagobah without completing his training in order to confront Darth Vader at Cloud City and save his friends. Yoda attempted to convince Luke to stay, thinking Luke not ready to face Vader yet, and the revelation to come. However, neither Yoda nor the spirit of Obi-Wan could persuade Luke otherwise. The brash young Luke promised to come back in order to complete his training. "Luke, do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father's fate, you will. Luke, when gone, am I, the last of the Jedi, will you be."

- Yoda to Luke Skywalker



Luke returned a year later to find the elderly Yoda in poor health, obviously unable to continue his teaching. Yoda told Luke that his last test would be to face Darth Vader. Yoda then died at the age of 900 and became one with the Force. At the celebration after the Battle of Endor, Luke would look upon the specters of Yoda, Obi-Wan, and his redeemed father.

Personality and traits
"Mine! Or I will help you not."

- Yoda

To his students, the elfin luminary Yoda could appear as either very strict or like a grandfatherly figure, testing them to mental and physical extremes one moment and showing warmth the next. Students often strongly disagreed with him at first, but gradually came to understand his attitudes.



Amongst his colleagues on the Jedi Council, he was known to have a penchant for mischief and practical jokes. To all of them, he was the humble Yoda, who offered enlightened leadership and epitomized the ideals of the Jedi Order; a grandmaster of that august body, he was widely known as a sage instructor.

Yoda spoke an unusual version of Basic. He usually tended to place verbs (especially auxiliary verbs) 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. Most agreed that this pattern of speech was convoluted, and while it seems as though others of his species (e.g. Yaddle) had the same penchant for rearranging sentences, not all of them did (e.g. Vandar Tokare).

Yoda walked with the aid of a cane later in life, although he was capable of throwing it aside and moving nimbly while using the Force. One of his canes was a gift from the Wookiees. His rare gimer stick cane contained nutrients that could sustain him were he to chew on it. He also used a Hoverchair for moving about the Temple quickly and more efficiently.

Another item unique to Master Yoda was a blissl, an instrument similar to a panflute, which he wore around his neck while on Dagobah. During the Clone Wars, he would often make use of a kybuck given to him by a Woolwarricca princess from Kashyyyk as a gift.

Powers and abilities
"Size matters not. Judge me by my size, do you?"

- Master Yoda to Luke Skywalker

"I'm looking for a great warrior."

- Luke Skywalker

Yoda was a formidable practitioner of lightsaber combat; his preferred choice was Form IV (Ataru), and the form which he mastered to its highest degree. Form IV enabled him to overcome the limitations of his height and reach. He was an exceptional swordsman, displaying amazing speed and dexterity, leaping through the air and twirling as he battered at an opponent's defenses. Yoda was a great contributor to the highest level of Jedi strategy, and was also a worldly diplomat comparable to Mace Windu.

Master Yoda could fool individuals such as Captain Typho and enter into the minds of others, telekinetically lift enormous objects, including a C-9979 Landing Craft, and use Force Push and Force Wave to an untold degree. He was also adept at the saber throw, as demonstrated in his return to the Jedi Temple during the Great Jedi Purge. His skill with Force Valor gave him the surge of power required to perform the demanding acrobatic maneuvers of Ataru.

Yoda was even able to win battles by lifting the morale of thousands of companions while simultaneously dampening the spirits of thousands of his opponents, using a valued Force technique called Battle meditation. Really, given his reputation as a warrior, his very presence on the battlefield was enough to raise the spirits of the Republic Army. He could dissipate and deflect Force lightning with his bare hands, foresee events with great clarity and feel the deaths of individual people and identify them. Due to his training with Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda had the power to retain his identity after becoming one with the Force. These skills, in particular, showed a far more profound knowledge of the Force than most Jedi Masters or Sith Lords possessed.

Behind the scenes


Yoda is voiced by Frank Oz. 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. Rendered with computer animation in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Yoda appeared in ways not previously possible, including his participation in elaborate fight scenes. For the radio dramatizations of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, he was voiced by veteran character actor John Lithgow. Tom Kane provided the voice in the Clone Wars animated series, as well as several video game incarnations including Battlefront II and Galactic Battlegrounds.




 * During filming of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, director George Lucas played a prank on actor Christopher Lee by placing vampire fangs on a prop Yoda during shooting of the climatic lightsaber duel. This was a tongue-in-cheek reference to Lee's career of playing the famous vampire Dracula in the British Hammer Horror films of the 1960s-70s. The vampire Yoda can be seen on a segment of the documentary features on the Attack of the Clones DVD.


 * There is some uncertainty as to the precise number of toes that Yoda actually has (at least canonically), as the depiction of this anatomical feature is inconsistent between different films, alternately numbering three, four and even five toes. For more, see article: Unknown tridactyl species.


 * Yoda's popularity is such that the comedy musician, "Weird Al" Yankovic, parodied the song "Lola" by The Kinks 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 &#8216;n Da Hood (1996) and Carpe Dementia (1999).




 * Producer/Director Mel Brooks lampooned the character of 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.


 * The name Yoda is derived from "Yoddha", the Sanskrit word for "warrior." The name may also be connected to the Hebrew "Yodea", meaning "He knows" or "One who knows." Additionally some believe the name might also be a reference to the teachings of Yoga, an ancient eastern mind, body and spiritual practice that influenced many vital energy based martial art forms in the far east, such as Tai Chi, and almost certainly inspired many of the concepts and abilities demonstrated by both light and dark side force users in Star Wars.


 * Yoda also appears in the hip hop Yoda music video, which can be accessed via the Revenge of the Sith DVD when you go to the Options Menu, highlight the THX logo, and press 11-wait for the pause-then press 3-wait for the pause-and finally press 8.


 * To get the animation team back in shape for their work Episode III, Rob Coleman and his team replaced the footage of the Episode I Yoda puppet with their Episode III digital model as a test to see how far they could push his usual performance boundaries. This footage worked its way into the DVD, where it can be see as part of "The Chosen One" featurette on Disc 2 of Revenge of the Sith. The footage has not yet been incorporated into a DVD release of The Phantom Menace.


 * Original concepts showed Yoda as being blue instead of his green color that we all know today.

Non-canon appearances

 * Force Fiction
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Return of the Ewok
 * Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi
 * Do or Do Not
 * Star Wars: Yoda Stories
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption