Yoda () is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a small, green, elderly humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force, and he typically speaks in an inverted phrase order. He first appeared in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, in which he is voiced and puppeteered by Frank Oz, who reprised the role in the sequel film Return of the Jedi (1983), and in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the sequel trilogy, and the animated series Star Wars Rebels. Other actors who have voiced Yoda are Tom Kane, John Lithgow, Peter McConnell, Piotr Michael and Tony Pope. In addition to films and television series, Yoda has appeared in comics, novels, video games and commercials.
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.
Creation
The Star Wars franchise was created by George Lucas, who wrote and directed the original Star Wars film (1977). He created the character Obi-Wan Kenobi as a mentor for Luke Skywalker, and originally planned for Obi-Wan to continue training Luke in the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. However, Lucas ultimately decided that Obi-Wan would die in the first film. Lucas then introduced a new mentor character, who was originally a diminutive frog-like creature called "Minch Yoda". The name "Yoda" was chosen because Lucas envisioned the character as a "little Dalai Lama", and he wanted him to have an "Eastern-sounding" name. One of the film's screenwriters, Lawrence Kasdan, said that Yoda was based on Shimada, the lead samurai from the 1954 Akira Kurosawa film Seven Samurai. According to Lucas, the narrative goal of Yoda's design was to teach Luke "to respect everybody and pay attention to the poorest person". Lucas wanted Yoda to be the "exact opposite" of what audiences would expect.
The film's visual effects art director, Joe Johnston, sketched hundreds of different versions of Yoda. The design that Lucas finally settled on was described by Johnston as a combination of a leprechaun, a troll and a gnome. Lucas gave Yoda a backward speech pattern because he felt the character needed a unique way of speaking that was more dramatic than an accent.
Portrayal
The production team working on The Empire Strikes Back considered several ways of portraying Yoda, such as using stop-motion animation or dressing a monkey, a child or a dwarf in a Yoda costume. They ultimately decided to use a sophisticated puppet, which was created by Stuart Freeborn and Wendy Froud. Freeborn based Yoda's face on his own facial features and those of Albert Einstein, hoping that Einstein's features would make the character appear intelligent. Lucas asked Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, to perform the puppeteering for Yoda. Henson was busy with another project, however, and recommended Frank Oz for the role. To perform Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, Oz inserted his hand into the puppet's head to manipulate the mouth and brow. Kathryn Mullen, Wendy Froud and David Barclay operated Yoda's eyes, ears and other body parts using cables, strings, hydraulics and electronic mechanisms. There was also a radio-controlled Yoda puppet that was used when the Jedi Master is riding on Luke's back. Lucas originally intended for an actor other than Oz to provide Yoda's voice, but ultimately decided that Oz was the best performer for the role.
In the original 1999 release of The Phantom Menace, Yoda was portrayed by a new puppet in all but two shots. In these two wide shots, the character was created using computer-generated imagery (CGI). The puppet was replaced with a digital Yoda in the 2011 Blu-ray release of the film and in the 2012 theatrical 3D release. In Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), Yoda is entirely computer-generated. The digital character accomplishes movements not possible with the puppet, such as fighting with a lightsaber. In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda's face is shown in several close-ups, which required highly detailed CGI work.
Reception
Yoda was well-received by several prominent critics when he debuted in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. Vincent Canby of The New York Times called him "delightful" and "the hit of the movie", but felt he was only a success when used sparingly. Joy Gould Boyum of The Wall Street Journal praised the "exquisitely constructed" Yoda puppet, and said that Oz "so finely put together [the character]...as to make us wonder continually if he isn't real." Arthur Knight of The Hollywood Reporter and Gary Arnold of The Washington Post similarly felt that Yoda was incredibly lifelike, with Arnold comparing his face to that of a human actor. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune called Yoda the highlight of the film, while People magazine called him a pivotal character. In his review of the 1997 re-release of The Empire Strikes Back, Roger Ebert praised the range of emotions conveyed by Yoda, and said his acting was possibly the best in the film.
Yoda has been a popular character since his introduction more than forty years ago. Brandon Katz of Observer has called him an icon of cinema. Empire magazine claimed that after the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, Yoda is the "most beloved" character in the Star Wars franchise. The first film of the trilogy, The Force Awakens (2015), takes place thirty years after Yoda's death in Return of the Jedi. When the scavenger Rey has a Force vision and discovers Luke's lightsaber, she hears Yoda's voice. In The Last Jedi (2017), Yoda appears to Luke as a Force spirit. As Luke considers whether to burn down a tree storing sacred Jedi texts, Yoda reminds him that a Jedi must always be sure of his path. When Luke decides to burn down the tree, Yoda summons a lightning bolt and sets it ablaze. Luke is suddenly concerned about the loss of the texts, but Yoda assures him that they contained no knowledge that Rey does not already possess. Yoda's voice is heard again in The Rise of Skywalker (2019) when many deceased Jedi are speaking to Rey during her battle against the resurrected Darth Sidious.
The Clone Wars
Yoda appears in the 2008 animated film The Clone Wars and the television series of the same name. He is voiced by Tom Kane in both productions. In the film, he assigns Anakin an apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, believing the responsibility will help him grow as a Jedi and mature as a person. Throughout most of the series, Yoda is on Coruscant with the Jedi Council, but he occasionally leaves for certain tasks, such as negotiations with King Katuunko on Rugosa and a confrontation with Asajj Ventress's droid army. Yoda also watches over Anakin and Ahsoka, pleased that they are both maturing with each other's influence. In season five, Ahsoka is framed for a crime she did not commit, and Yoda and the Jedi Council turn her over to the Republic military. Before a verdict is read in Ahsoka's trial, Anakin reveals the true culprit, the fallen Jedi Barriss Offee. Yoda, Anakin, and the Council then invite Ahsoka to rejoin the Order, but she refuses.
In the sixth season, Yoda hears the voice of the deceased Qui-Gon Jinn. He travels to Dagobah to find answers. He sees cryptic visions of the fall of the Jedi, and learns that he has been chosen to manifest his consciousness after death as a Force spirit. A group of spirit priestesses then gives him various tests, including facing an illusion of the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane. His final challenge is to resist an attempt by Sidious and Dooku to lure him to the dark side. Yoda engages in a metaphysical battle with Sidious and seemingly sacrifices himself to save Anakin, only to awaken and discover that the battle was merely a vision, and that he passed the test. The priestesses inform Yoda that his training will resume in time.
Star Wars Rebels
Yoda returns in the animated series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018).' In the season one episode "Path of the Jedi", he telepathically communicates with the Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger and his master Kanan Jarrus, helping the pair to understand their true motivations. In the season two episode "Shroud of Darkness", Yoda appears to Ezra in a vision.
Tales of the Jedi
Yoda appears in two episodes of Tales of the Jedi (2022), although he has no dialogue. In the third episode, he attends the funeral of Jedi Master Katri, and in the fifth episode he observes the training of Ahsoka.
Other
Yoda is voiced by John Lithgow in the radio dramatizations of The Empire Strikes Back (1983) and Return of the Jedi (1996). He is featured in the audio drama Dooku: Jedi Lost and the novel Master and Apprentice, both released in 2019. He appears in the web series Forces of Destiny (2017–2018), the children's television series Young Jedi Adventures (2023–present) and the 2021 comic The High Republic Adventures, which takes place 200 years before the prequel trilogy. He also makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the final episode of the television series The Acolyte (2024). In 2012, Yoda was featured in a series of Vodafone commercials, which were broadcast in the United Kingdom.
Star Wars Legends
Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced between 1977 and 2014 were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise. The Legends works comprise a separate narrative universe.
Novels and comics
Yoda appears in the 2004 Sean Stewart novel Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, in which he sends an impersonator of himself to negotiate a treaty with Dooku. He is also a character in the comic series Star Wars: Republic.
Clone Wars
Yoda is voiced by Tom Kane in the animated television series Clone Wars, which aired on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2005.