Yoda

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In the original trilogy, Yoda lives in solitude on the swamp planet Dagobah. He is introduced as a former mentor of the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force until his death at the age of 900. In the prequel films, Yoda leads the Jedi High Council and trains young Jedi until they are assigned to a master. When the Clone Wars break out, he becomes a general in the army of the Republic and leads several legions of clone troopers. Yoda is one of the few Jedi to survive the events of Order 66 at the end of the war, when he battles Darth Sidious and is forced to go into hiding. Yoda's Force spirit appears again in the sequel trilogy, advising an older Luke on his training of Rey.

In Their Own Story

In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Luke arrives on Dagobah to seek Yoda's guidance at the behest of Obi-Wan's Force spirit. At first, Yoda does not identify himself and instead tests Luke's patience by provoking him. Finding Luke impatient and undisciplined, Yoda is reluctant to mentor him but agrees after conferring with Obi-Wan. Before finishing his training, Luke leaves to confront Darth Vader. Yoda warns he is not ready, and when Obi-Wan laments that Luke is their 'last hope,' Yoda reminds him that 'there is another.' In Return of the Jedi (1983), now sick and frail, Yoda tells Luke his training is complete but that he will not be a Jedi until he confronts Vader. Yoda confirms Vader is Luke's father, then peacefully dies at age 900, his body disappearing as he becomes 'one with the Force.' He leaves Luke with the knowledge that 'there is another Skywalker.' In the film's final scene, Yoda's spirit appears on Endor alongside the spirits of Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker.

Reader's Guide

Yoda appears in the prequel trilogy beginning with The Phantom Menace (1999), set 35 years before The Empire Strikes Back. When Qui-Gon Jinn brings young Anakin Skywalker to the Jedi Council, Yoda senses great fear in Anakin regarding his attachment to his mother Shmi and foresees 'grave danger' in his training. The Council rejects Qui-Gon's request, but after Qui-Gon's death, Yoda reluctantly gives his blessing to Anakin's training under Obi-Wan. In Attack of the Clones (2002), Yoda is Master of the High Council and Grandmaster. At the film's climax, he saves Obi-Wan and Anakin from Separatists and defeats his former apprentice Count Dooku in a lightsaber duel. In Revenge of the Sith (2005), Yoda and the Council pursue Darth Sidious. Anakin seeks Yoda's counsel about prophetic visions; Yoda tells him to train himself to let go of everything he fears to lose. Unsatisfied, Anakin turns to Palpatine, who reveals himself as Sidious. Sidious orders the clone troopers to kill their Jedi generals, and Yoda feels the deaths of each Jedi through the Force.

Did You Know?

• Yoda's name was chosen because George Lucas envisioned the character as a 'little Dalai Lama' and wanted an 'Eastern-sounding' name.
• The design that Lucas settled on was described by art director Joe Johnston as a combination of a leprechaun, a troll, and a gnome.
• Stuart Freeborn based Yoda's face on his own facial features and those of Albert Einstein, hoping Einstein's features would make the character appear intelligent.
• In the original 1999 release of The Phantom Menace, Yoda was portrayed by a new puppet in all but two shots; those wide shots used CGI.
• In Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), Yoda is entirely computer-generated, allowing movements not possible with the puppet, such as fighting with a lightsaber.