Yoda
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
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| Yoda | |
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| Biographical information | |
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Physical description | |
| Species | |
| Gender | |
| Height |
0.66 meters[3] |
| Hair color |
Brown (later White)[3] |
| Eye color |
Green[3] |
| Chronological and political information | |
| Era(s) | |
| Affiliation | |
| Known masters |
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- "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."
- ―Yoda, to Luke Skywalker[src]
Yoda was one of the most renowned and powerful Jedi Masters in galactic history, and one of the few Galactic Republic Jedi to survive into the Galactic Civil War. One of the Order's most perceptive masters, 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. Though Yoda was one of the most respected members of the Order, he was not flawless. It was partly due to his lack of vision that the Jedi Order was destroyed by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, and the Republic replaced with the Galactic Empire. Still, he would make up for his mistakes by playing a major role in later galactic events, training and mentoring Luke Skywalker during the Galactic Civil War. After his death in 4 ABY, he became one with the Force.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
- "A trial of being old is this: remembering which thing one has said into which young ears."
- ―Yoda[src]
Standing at about 66cm tall, Yoda was a male member of a mysterious species. 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 (Yoda also was a master of all forms of lightsaber combat and was considered by many as the Swordmaster). From c. 300 BBY to 19 BBY he trained almost every Jedi in the Galaxy—as Grand Master, he had instructed every youngling in the Jedi Temple at least once before they were assigned to a master.
[edit] Republic (896 BBY to 22 BBY)
Details about Yoda's past are scarce, 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 spaceworthy 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 many 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.[4]
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 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 more than 3,500 years earlier.[5]
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—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—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.[6] Later he was the lightsaber instructor of Cin Drallig.
During the Yinchorri Uprising of 33 BBY, Yoda was forced into combat, a recourse he deplored but recognized as an occasional necessity. 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.[7]
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.[8]
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.[8]
Six years later, Yoda went on a negotiation mission to Mawan with Obi-Wan, Anakin and Yaddle. Their goal was to settle a devastating civil war between three crime gangs. These gangs, led by Decca the Hutt, Feena Shaan, and Striker, caused the remainder of the population to take refuge underground. Unbeknownst to them, the chaotic planet was a trap set for the Jedi by Striker. He released a fatal chemical weapon that killed Yaddle when she absorbed it through the Force. However, through her sacrifice, she saved the city of Naatan. The weapon was intended by its vengeful maker to kill Anakin and Obi-Wan, but it failed because of what Yaddle had done. Anakin and Obi-Wan managed to bring peace to Mawan, but Anakin still felt responsible for the death of the Jedi High Council member.[9]
[edit] Clone Wars (22 BBY to 19 BBY)
[edit] Start of the war
- "The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."
- ―Master Yoda[src]
A decade later, during an investigation of a strange poisonous dart, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered that a massive army of clones was being created on the planet Kamino. After Obi-Wan reached Geonosis in his search, a group of Jedi was sent in his assistance and Yoda decided to travel to Kamino to see the clones for himself. When the Jedi and Senator Padmé Amidala were captured by the Separatists, Yoda arrived with the clone army, beginning the Battle of Geonosis[10]
As the battle began, he learned that the droid army was controlled by his former apprentice, Count Dooku, who had become a Sith Lord and supported the Confederacy of Independent Systems against the Republic. Yoda met Dooku in a hangar right after the Sith had wounded Obi-Wan and Anakin. After rejecting some of Dooku's Force Powers, among which Force Lightning,Yoda realized that Dooku had turned to the Dark Side of the Force, becoming a Sith Lord. A lightsaber duel began between the two, Yoda almost managing to defeat Dooku when the latter used the Force to drop a pillar over Obi-Wan and Anakin. Yoda had to concentrate on stopping the massive construction from crushing the two Jedi, time in which Dooku made his escape.[10]
Though the Republic won the Battle of Geonosis under the direction of High General Yoda, many Jedi were killed. More importantly, the 1,000 year peace ever since the Seventh Battle of Ruusan was over. Yoda sensed that the Clone Wars would be a long and tumultuous period for both the Republic and the Jedi Order itself, and indeed they were, shaking the galaxy. During the Clone Wars, Yoda, along with many other Jedi Masters, was forced to become a General fighting in various battles for the Republic on worlds across the galaxy.[11]
[edit] Frontline warrior
- "Darker, the coming storm grows."
- ―Yoda[src]
Early in the conflict, Yoda saw frontline action at the Battle of 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.[12] During the Battle of Muunilinst, Yoda came to the rescue of Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee with the help of Padmé Amidala after the Crystal Caves on Ilum were destroyed by chameleon droids, sensing their peril. 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.[11]
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.[13]
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.[14]
[edit] Invasion of Kashyyyk
- "I fear the dark cloud of the Sith shrouds us all."
- ―Yoda[src]
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.[15] 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 would last a day and a half, before finally defeating him.[16] Or, so it seemed to be. Mortally wounded, the fallen Bpfasshi Jedi made it to the swamp planet Dagobah, where he died.[17] At the site of the Dark Jedi's death formed a dark side nexus, becoming the Dark Side Cave.[18]
Despite these dark sojourns, Yoda largely remained on Coruscant and coordinated the war effort on behalf of the Jedi. During the 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.[11]
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.[19]
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.[20] Yoda was quite skilled in the technique of battle meditation and would use this to some effect during the Battle of Kashyyyk, assisting the Wookiees and clones below.[21]
[edit] Survival
- "In a dark place we find ourselves… and a little more knowledge might light our way."
- ―Yoda[src]
While Yoda was on Kashyyyk, Palpatine, now revealed as Darth Sidious, ordered the clones to execute Order 66, which meant the extermination of all Jedi. Yoda sensed his Jedi brethren being killed all over the galaxy and, coming to the only logical conclusion for so many concurrent deaths of his fellow Jedi, he suddenly realized, in one horrible instant, that the clone troopers were responsible. He was thus able to stop Commander Gree, his assistant, and his troops from assassinating him. With help from the Wookiees Chewbacca and Tarfful, Yoda, like fellow Jedi Quinlan Vos, survived and was able to escape to meet with another surviving Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. Yoda and Kenobi 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.[20]
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 former apprentice.[20]
[edit] Duel in the Senate
- "I have waited a long time for this moment, my little green friend ... At last, the Jedi are no more."
"Not if anything to say about it, I have! [...] At an end your rule is, and not short enough it was." - ―Palpatine and Yoda[src]
As Palpatine waited for word from his apprentice, Yoda entered the office. Quickly dispatching Sidious's guards by merely Force-pushing them into the wall, Yoda confronted Palpatine, who seemed surprised at his survival and attacked Yoda with Force lightning. His disgust soon turned to delight as he realized his wish to fight the Jedi Grand Master had come true. Yoda quickly fought back with a Force push that sent the evil Sith Lord flying across the room and into his chair. As Palpatine tried to flee, Yoda jumped in front of him and pulled out his lightsaber. Palpatine then retrieved his Sith saber and so the duel began.[20]
The duel moved into the Senate, where the two Force-users engaged in a saber duel on the Emperor's Podium. The two fought, with Sidious managing to gain the upper hand, but barely. The fight tore apart most of the Senate Chamber as Palpatine was trying to crush the Jedi Master by Force-pushing Senator podiums at him. The Grand Master of the Jedi Order and the Dark Lord of the Sith were counterpoised. As the duel progressed, Yoda grew weaker, while his opponent, Darth Sidious, grew stronger.[19] He could not hold up much longer against the Lord of the Sith and had to end the duel, and quickly. Yoda confronted Palpatine once again and Palpatine projected Force lightning at Yoda. The attack tore the lightsaber from Yoda's hand, therefore disarming him. Sidious almost had Yoda, but the Jedi Master managed to catch the lightning and begin to mold it. 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—Yoda gained an insight that bore the hope for the galaxy and he could not risk dying there.[19]
Yoda continued to mold the Dark Lord's Force lightning until, in an explosion of the Force, Yoda returned the lightning to its source. The blast hurled them apart, ending the battle. 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, had used all his strength to mold the Dark Lord's lightning, was unable to maintain his grasp, fell several hundred feet down to the floor of the Senate Chamber. He fled and escaped through several service pipes, with his small size proving advantageous in this moment, and met up with Bail Organa, who hurried him away in his speeder as Yoda mused about his failure. The two left to the asteroid colony of Polis Massa.[20]
[edit] Exile (19 BBY to 4 ABY)
- "Into exile I must go. Failed, I have."
- ―Yoda to Bail Organa[src]
When returning to the Tantive IV with Bail Organa and reuniting with Obi-Wan Kenobi, he decided that Luke and Leia—the Skywalker children—should 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—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: that of an apprentice.[19]
During the Great Jedi Purge, Yoda stowed away aboard an automated Polis Massan-registered barge that was transporting grain to starving inhabitants of the ex-Separatist world of Sluis Van. The ship briefly dropped out of hyperspace near the planet Dagobah. Undetected and unrecorded, Yoda launched his escape pod and landed on the swamp planet. He would hide there during the Galactic Civil War.[22]
Yoda then healed badly wounded Jorj Car'das, a victim of the now deceased survivor of the Bpfasshi Dark Jedi insurrection.[16] After 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.[18] 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, he became greatly feared by the Children, who called him the "Imp".[23]
Shortly afterwards, Qu Rahn went to Dagobah and was taught many skills by the old master. Before the Battle of Hoth, Tash and Zak Arranda would also encounter Yoda.[23] 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 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 gift 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 realized he was so embarrassed by his 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.[16]
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.[24]
[edit] The next Skywalker
- "Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."
- ―Yoda to Luke Skywalker[src]
When Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, arrived on Dagobah, Yoda reluctantly agreed to train him in the ways of the Force. He expressed caution, though, as he sensed in Luke traits similar to his father and judged him too old for training. The experienced Jedi Master summed up Luke Skywalker's 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 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 Leia Organa, Luke's sister.[25]
[edit] Death
- "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. Pass on what you have learned."
- ―Yoda to Luke Skywalker[src]
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. 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. At the celebration after the Battle of Endor, Luke would look upon the specters of Yoda, Obi-Wan, and his redeemed father.[2]
[edit] Legacy
- "When you look at the dark side, careful you must be... For the dark side looks back"
- ―Yoda to Whie Malreaux and Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy[src]
Yoda would look down on Leia and the Solo twins when they were first 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.
[edit] Personality and traits
- "Mine! Or I will help you not."
- ―Yoda[src]
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.
Among his colleagues on the Jedi Council, he was known to have a penchant for mischief and practical jokes. He would also sneak candies into young Jedi's tunics when they were unaware.[source?] 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 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." 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 around the Temple quickly and more efficiently.[10]
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.[26]
[edit] Powers and abilities
- "I'm looking for a great warrior."
- ―Luke Skywalker[src]
Considered one of the greatest Jedi Masters of the era, Yoda was a highly skilled user of the Jedi arts and the Force. Master Yoda was capable of easily manipulating individuals such as Captain Typho[11] and enter into the minds of others, telekinetically lift enormous objects, including two C-9979 landing crafts, and use Force Push and Force Wave to an extreme 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 and overcome the infirmities of old age.
In addition to his powers in the Force, Yoda was an expert practitioner in lightsaber combat, one of the greatest duelists of his day. Although a master of all forms, his preferred choice was Form IV (Ataru), a form which he mastered to its highest degree, as it 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.
He carried a lightsaber with a green blade which, unlike others, possessed an ignition button that also acted as a clip.
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.[21] 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.
Yoda was a contributor to the highest level of Jedi strategy, and was also a diplomat comparable to Mace Windu.
[edit] Behind the scenes
Yoda was 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. In Episode I the actor Warwick Davis played Yoda for scenes where the character was required to walk. 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 Yoda's voice for the Clone Wars animated series, as well as many video game incarnations: Jedi Power Battles, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing, Jedi Starfighter, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, Star Wars: Battlefront, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Star Wars: Republic Commando and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
During filming of 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 climactic 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 the article on Yoda's species.
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 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.
In the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakushô, in the Three Kings Saga, one of Yomi's (Kurama's old ally) advisors is a tiny youkai with long ears called Yoda, who evens speaks like the subject. This Yoda would eventually work commenting the Dark Tournament.
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 on 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.[1]
Original concepts showed Yoda as being blue instead of his green color that we all know today, and he is depicted as being blue in The Empire Strikes Back novelization and the Marvel Comics adaptation of the movie. Furthermore, in Star Wars 42 (published before the ESB movie), Yoda seems to be a tiny creature that can comfortably sit on mushrooms.
The name Yoda may be derived from "Yoddha", the Sanskrit word for "warrior." The name may also be connected to the Hebrew ידע(Pronounced: "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 is also a Japanese name.
In some foreign dubs of the films, Yoda's bizarre manner of speaking has not been translated.
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. This conflicts with the movie storyline which 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 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.[17] 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 theory has not been confirmed yet.
