Yoda
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The Jedi Master known as Yoda (896 BBY–4 ABY), voiced by Frank Oz, is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He appears in all of the franchise's installments except for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Like many names in Star Wars, the name "Yoda" may be etymologically derived from the Sanskrit yoddha ("warrior") and/or the Hebrew yodea ("one who knows"). Yoda's character is believed by some to have been inspired by the title character in the 1975 Russian-Japanese film Dersu Uzala directed by Akira Kurosawa.
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History
Yoda, standing only 2' 2" (0.66 m) tall, is one of the senior members of the Jedi Council and arguably the wisest in the Star Wars Universe, even toward his demise, though the toll of his great age is noticeable. Over his lifetime, Yoda trains several notable Jedi, including Count Dooku, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi (partially, before Qui-Gon Jinn took over with Obi-Wan's training), Ki-Adi-Mundi and Luke Skywalker.
George Lucas has intentionally kept the name of Yoda's race a secret. (Yoda, Yaddle, and Vandar Tokare are sometimes erroneously referred to as Whills, despite Lucas' insistence that they are not.) In fact, very little is reported of Yoda's life before the events of The Phantom Menace. It is speculated from the Expanded Universe that he achieved the status of Jedi Knight at the age of 50 and the rank of Jedi Master at 100. Following his training, Yoda is said to have spent 100 years in self-imposed solitude, attempting to attain a higher level of understanding of the Force. He was one of the Jedi Masters who ran the mobile academy aboard the starship Chu'unthor about 200 years before A New Hope, leaving the ship's data tapes in the care of one of the natives when the vessel crashes on Dathomir.
In 32 BBY (The Phantom Menace), Qui-Gon brings a young Anakin Skywalker to the Jedi Council, claiming that the boy is the Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force, and requests to train him once Obi-Wan has completed the trials necessary to become a Jedi Knight (Jedi can 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, plays a key role in that body's initial decision to deny the request. Yoda believes that the boy is clearly affected by his years as a slave and that he still clings too tightly to the memory of his mother to be trained safely. His future, Yoda thinks, is clouded.
After Qui-Gon's death at the hands of Darth Maul, however, the Council rescinds its previous decision, though the reasons for this are unclear. Personally, Yoda somewhat disagrees with the decision. One possible explanation for this retraction is that Yoda trusts Kenobi more than his notoriously unorthodox teacher. Another reason suggested is that, with Anakin showing such strength in the Force by destroying the droid control ship, the Council feels that it would be a shame and a waste (perhaps also a danger) to not train someone so strong in the Force.
In 22 BBY (Attack of the Clones), Yoda is a key Republic general at the Battle of Geonosis, when the clone trooper Army of the Republic is first deployed. He leads the group which rescues the surrounded Jedi in the execution arena. At the climax of the Battle of Geonosis, Yoda duels with Count Dooku and saves Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin. Though seemingly frail, the ancient Yoda demonstrates a legendary mastery of lightsaber combat (Form IV lightsaber combat, known for using the Force to achieve extreme acrobatics - see the seven forms of lightsaber combat).
The Great Jedi Purge
In 19 BBY (Revenge of the Sith), Chancellor Palpatine appoints Anakin to the Jedi Council as his own representative. Again, the Council is hesitant about Anakin's temperament but acquiesces to the request. Yoda and Mace Windu continue to be powerful forces in the young Jedi's ascension in the order, as they deny him the rank of Jedi Master. They know that to give him the rank of Master will also give him a vote in all Council matters, and would be the same as giving Palpatine a vote in the Council — something they were not willing to allow.
It is at about this time that Yoda leads the Council in pursuing the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Yoda uses his incredible sensitivity and power with the Force to sense the Sith Lord's presence, finally concluding that Sidious is someone within Palpatine's inner circle.
For all his mastery of the Force, however, Yoda does not foresee Anakin's fall to the dark side of the Force. Palpatine gradually manipulates the young Jedi's anger with the Council and his fear that his wife, Padmé Amidala, will die in childbirth until he finally reveals himself as Darth Sidious. Anakin reports this treachery to Windu, but is so overpowered by Palpatine's promise to save his wife with the dark side that he defends the Chancellor, disarming Windu and pledging himself to Palpatine's service as his second-in-command, Darth Vader.
When Palpatine, now self-appointed Emperor of the Galactic Empire, implements Order 66, Yoda is on Kashyyyk, overseeing the battle between the Separatist forces and a combined command of clone troopers and Wookiees. He feels the deaths of each of the Jedi as they are cut down by the very troops they led. This gives him ample warning and allows him to swiftly kill the clone troopers sent to dispatch him (with the skill only a Jedi Master could possess), escape with the help of Wookiee leaders Tarfful and Chewbacca, and return to Coruscant, where he and Obi-Wan Kenobi fight their way into the Jedi Temple to stop a trap for any Jedi who also survived Order 66. Upon discovering a holographic recording revealing Anakin as the assassin, Yoda sends Kenobi to kill his former Padawan. Kenobi wants to switch opponents, as he would rather not have to fight with his beloved pupil. To this Yoda says, "To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not."
Subsequently, Yoda battles Palpatine in a titanic struggle that wrecks the Senate building. The fight seems evenly matched between the two patriarchs of both sides of the Force, as they use their full arsenal of lightsaber mastery and Force powers to battle each other. The fight ends in a stalemate when an explosion of Force powers hurls them apart. Both Masters are able to grasp the edge of nearby Senate pods, with Palpatine barely managing to right himself and achieve the high ground. Yoda, unable to maintain his grasp, falls to the floor of the Senate chamber. With Clone Troopers about to arrive, Yoda realizes that the Sith Order cannot be destroyed through battle. He goes into exile, knowing he cannot face Palpatine again on his own.
At the end, it is revealed that Yoda has been in contact with Qui-Gon's spirit. Although this is given little attention in the film, in the novelization it is revealed that Yoda actually becomes Padawan to the deceased Jedi Master's Force ghost, learning the secret of immortality from him and passing it onto Obi-Wan.
He is also instrumental in deciding the fate of the Skywalker children, recommending that Luke and Leia be hidden from Darth Vader and his Emperor in unsuspecting and remote locations. Other than the ancient Jedi Master, only the Organas, the Lars, and Obi-Wan know of their placement (it is unlikely that the Lars were fully aware of Leia's existence, however.) Originally, Obi-Wan wants to have both Yoda and himself take one child each to separate spots and train the children in the ways of the Force, but Yoda realizes that there are other ways to learn discipline than just Jedi training, and that Luke and Leia will need to be trained differently if they are going to defeat the Empire. In addition, the twins' anonymity would be more difficult to protect if the Sith were to discover the remaining Jedi Knights before Luke and/or Leia were ready. As we know from Return of the Jedi, this strategy certainly pays off.
During the Great Jedi Purge, Yoda eludes detection and eventually escapes to Dagobah, where he awaits the arrival of Luke Skywalker. When Luke arrives more than twenty years later (in The Empire Strikes Back), Yoda, after initial reluctance, agrees to teach him in the ways of the Force. Prior to finishing his instruction, however, Luke chooses to leave Dagobah in order to confront Darth Vader and save his friends from the Empire's grasp. Luke promises to return to complete his training, but on his arrival (in Return of the Jedi), Yoda, sick and greatly weakened by old age, informs Luke that he has completed his training but will not be a Jedi until he defeats his father, Darth Vader. Yoda then dies at the age of 900 and becomes "one with the Force."
Yoda's teachings eventually save Luke from giving in to his anger and falling to the dark side; he remembers to control his feelings just as he is seconds away from killing Vader and becoming the Emperor's new apprentice. When the Emperor tries to kill Luke with Force lightning, Vader redeems himself, and once again becomes Anakin Skywalker, by killing his master to save his son. Anakin dies in his son's arms as the Empire crumbles around them. Later that night, Luke sees his father's spirit looking at him with pride and gratitude, in the company of Obi-Wan Kenobi and their once and future master, Yoda.
Powers and abilities
Yoda has achieved mastery of all forms of lightsaber combat, though Form IV (Ataru) is his preferred choice, since it enables him to overcome the limitations of his height and reach. He is an exceptional swordsman, displaying amazing speed and dexterity, leaping through the air and twirling as he batters at an opponent's defenses. Yoda is a great contributor to the highest level of Jedi strategy, and is also a worldly diplomat comparable to Windu. Master Yoda can dissipate and deflect Force Lightning, telekinetically lift enormous objects, including an X-wing starfighter, and use Force Push to an untold degree. He has a talent for sensing the future that is on par with Darth Sidious and is completely incorruptible by the dark side (particularly in the Clone Wars novel Dark Rendezvous when Yoda turns to the dark side for a short while to see why Dooku went there in the first place. Also, Dooku claimed that Sidious would have been annihilated if "Dark Yoda" fought him). Yoda is even able to use Battle Meditation to win battles by lifting the morale of thousands of companions while simultaneously dampering the spirits of thousands of his opponents. He can purge Dark Side manifestations through the use of Force Light and feel the deaths of individual people and identify them. These skills, in particular, show a far more profound knowledge of the Force than most Jedi Masters or Sith Lords possess.
Personality and traits
To his students, the elfin Yoda can appear as either very strict or like a grandfather, testing them to mental and physical extremes one moment and showing warmth the next. (In the beginning of their training, students may not see eye-to-eye with him, but eventually come to see the significance of his teachings.) Among his colleagues on the Jedi Council, he is known to have a penchant for mischief and practical jokes. To all of them, the humble Yoda, who offers enlightened leadership, epitomizes the ideals of the Jedi Order; the grandmaster of that august body is widely known as a sage instructor.
Yoda speaks "Galactic Basic" in a distinctive manner by placing verbs (and more frequently, auxiliary verbs) after the object and subject. In linguistic typology this is the "Object Subject Verb" format. A typical example of Yoda's speech pattern is from Return of the Jedi: "When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not." This speech pattern has been the source of much parody.
For Italian fans of the Star Wars series, especially children, Yoda is often referred as "The Sardinian One" or "The One Who Speaks Sardinian". This is due to the fact that once translated into Italian, Yoda's manner of speaking is very close to the Sardinian accent that in Italy is considered humorous, even if slightly ridiculous.
When not actively using the Force, the elderly Yoda walks with a cane. In the Expanded Universe, it is revealed that one of his canes is a gift from the Wookiees, and that his gimer stick cane contains nutrients that can sustain him were he to chew on it.
Another item unique to Master Yoda is a blissl, an instrument similar to a panflute, which he wears around his neck while on Dagobah.
When we first meet Yoda, he cooks up a stew of roots and leaves to share with Luke Skywalker. Though he lives in a world teeming with animal life, his choice of food has led some to believe that he adheres to a vegetarian or vegan diet. Some have suggested that this is due to the strong empathy he feels with all living beings through the Force. Yoda is never shown eating what is easily recognizable as a meat product; however, we only see Yoda for a relatively short period of time in the Star Wars films, and in that time, see him eat only twice. This, coupled with the fact that there is no current mention of Yoda's specific diet in any official works, means that the details of his diet are not yet described in the canonical sense.
The basis for Yoda's character may be derived as a duality between two, since passed, Japanese martial masters. Basis for this assumption points to the late Sokaku Takeda and Gozo Shioda. Takeda is credited with introducing the once privately practiced martial-art of the Takeda samurai family to the world. This art, Daito-ryu, is accepted as the primary ancestral art to Aikido. The master swordsman Takeda, standing just under 4'11", earned the nickname Aizu no Kotengu (the little goblin). Similarly, Gozo, martial-master of Yoshinkan Aikido, stood just under 4'11". Like Yoda, they were very short; this did not hinder their extroadinary martial ability, however. Their arts both centered on Aiki and the ever present ki (the Force) in their techniques. Moreover, like Yoda, they were master teachers and devoted their lives to preserving the ways of their martial-arts for the good of mankind.
Bringing the character to life
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, as his eyes are supposedly inspired by the latter. Yoda is voiced by Frank Oz. In the original Star Wars trilogy, he is realized as a puppet (controlled by Oz).
In The Phantom Menace, he was redesigned to look younger. He was computer-generated for two distant shots, but remained mostly a puppet.
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. In Revenge of the Sith his face appears in several big close-ups, demanding highly detailed CGI work. Despite the use of advanced technology, his performance was deliberately intended to match the puppet version, with some "mistakes" made, such as the occasional ear-jiggling.
According to many LucasFilm reports, Yoda has been redone in CGI for a later release of The Phantom Menace. This edition will most likely be part of a prequel trilogy pack.
Parody songs
The comedy musician "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song "Lola" by the Kinks with a remake titled "Yoda", included on the album Dare to Be Stupid (1985). Todd Downing parodies Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" with the song "Livin' La Vida Yoda." More recently, "The Great Luke Ski" parodied the song "YMCA" by the Village People with a version titled "Y.O.D.A." included on the albums Fanboys ‘n Da Hood (1996) and Carpe Dementia (1999).
References
- The Jedi Apprentice series by Dave Wolverton and Jude Watson
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace, 1st edition paperback, 1999. Terry Brooks, George Lucas, ISBN 0-345-43411-0
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Novelisation, 1st edition hardcover, 2005. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1
- The Annotated Screenplays, softcover, 1997. George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Laurent Bouzereau, ISBN 0-345-40981-7
- The Courtship of Princess Leia, 1995. Dave Wolverton, ISBN 0-553-56937-6
- Mission from Mount Yoda, 1993. Paul Davids, Hollace Davids, ISBN 0-553-15890-2
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, 2nd edition, 1994. Bill Slavicsek, ISBN 0-345-38625-6
- The Essential guide to Characters (Star Wars), 1st edition, 1995. Andy Mangels, ISBN 0-245-39535-2
- The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2
- Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1998. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-43481-4
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2005. James Luceno, ISBN 0-756-61128-8
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Revised Core Rulebook, hardcover, 2002. Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, J.D. Wiker, ISBN 0-786-92876-X
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, hardcover, 2002. Michael Mikaelian, Jeff Grubb, Owen K.C. Stephens, James Maliszewski, ISBN 0-786-92781-X
External links
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