Yoda (Supermorff)

"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

Yoda was one of the most renowned Jedi Masters in galactic history. The only known member of a diminutive, green-skinned species, Yoda was known for his legendary wisdom and his mastery of the Force. Although he lived much of his long life as an ascetic hermit, he nevertheless felt considerable compassion for and obligation to his fellow sentient beings throughout the galaxy.

He was a first and foremost a devoted and respected teacher of Jedi for over 800 years, but over the course of his life he was also a diplomat, a peacemaker and a missionary. Although never much of a fighter himself, as far as history records, many of his students became renowned Jedi Knights and warriors, praised often for their cunning, strategic thinking, and honour. Some of his last students were Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.

Yoda also possessed a mischeivous streak, sometimes using his unassuming stature and appearance to test new and prospective students. Given time, he preferred his students to learn for themselves through communion with the Force, rather than rely on him for answers.

Early life
"For 800 years have I trained Jedi. My own council will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind."

- Yoda

Very little is known of Yoda's early life, and even much of his time as a Jedi Master is unrecorded. Although greatly respected, Yoda often shunned the company of other Jedi, except those learners that he took as full-time apprentices. Yoda and his apprentices were known to travel the galaxy, learning and doing good deeds, or to remain for years on end in quiet seclusion, for example on the swamp planet Dagobah.

In the last years of the Galactic Republic, Yoda came to disapprove of the increasing militarisation and politicisation of the Jedi and the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Although he continued to take apprentices, his visits to galactic centre became less frequent.

Training Obi-Wan Kenobi
"I'm looking for a great warrior." "Oh! Great warrior. Wars not make one great."

- Luke Skywalker and Yoda, meeting on Dagobah

Following the outbreak of the First Clone War, Yoda was persuaded to help negotiate a peace between the Republic and the Mandalorians. The two sides were ideologically opposed over the Mandalorian use of cloning. A staunch pacifist, Yoda agreed to assist as a mediator in the negotiations between Senator Bail Organa and the Mandalorian representative.

Hardline elements within both the Republic and the Mandalorians, determined to thwart the peace process, conspired to kill the two key negotiators. They were saved, along with the hope for peace, thanks to the intervention of the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and two younglings, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, both of whom desired to be trained as Jedi Knights. Yoda was sufficiently impressed to accept one as his Padawan. However, while most expected him to take the quieter and more spiritual Skywalker, he selected the more idealistic and reckless Kenobi.

Kenobi lived with Yoda for several years, honing his use of the Force. Although Yoda had a profound impact on Kenobi, he was unable to disabuse the young apprentice of his dreams of heroic Jedi Knights charging around and solving the galaxy's problems. Kenobi eventually graduated to full Jedi Knight with Yoda's blessing.

During the Second Clone War, Kenobi was made a General under Senator Organa. He sought out Yoda to join the war effort, but Yoda refused, feeling that Jedi should keep the peace, not make war. However, Yoda did share Kenobi's concerns about the mysterious deaths and disappearances of several Jedi around the galaxy (conducted in secret by Darth Vader on the orders of President Palpatine). Yoda felt that the war could have been hiding more sinister plots, and warned Kenobi to be careful. Yoda's prophecy proved to be correct when Palpatine denounced the Jedi and proclaimed himself Emperor. Both Yoda and Kenobi were able to escape and go into hiding.

Training Luke Skywalker
"You will go to the Dagobah system.''" "Dagobah system?" "''There, you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker

Many years later, after Kenobi's death, Kenobi's ghost instructed Luke Skywalker to seek out Yoda on Dagobah for training in the ways of the Jedi. When Skywalker arrived on the system, Yoda approached him but concealed his true identity, pretending to be a simple lifeform and offering to lead Luke to Yoda in exchange for barter. He took Luke back to his hut and prepared food, but Luke expressed his irritation at this apparent waste of time. Disappointed at Luke's lack of patience, Yoda voiced his doubts to Obi-Wan Kenobi's ghost about whether training Luke was a good idea, thereby revealing his true identity to Luke. Yoda tried to find reasons not to train Luke, saying that Luke was reckless and impatient (to which Obi-Wan pointed out that he had been the same at Luke's age), that he was angry (like his father), and then refusing on the grounds that Luke was too old (to which Luke said that he had already learned a lot). Finally, though, Yoda agreed,

Yoda sped Luke's Jedi training to fit in the limited time they could afford. However, 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, saying that Luke wasn't ready to face neither Vader. Despite Skywalker promising to come back to complete his training, Obi-Wan was concerned about this decision, believing that Luke was their last hope. Yoda, however, said that there was another hope if Luke failed.

Behind the scenes
originally appeared in the the film The Empire Strikes Back, realized on screen by a puppet and voiced by Frank Oz. This version of the character was created by Supermorff as part of an exercise to see how different the Star Wars saga may have been if the franchise had taken a different direction after The Empire Strikes Back. Therefore, while his appearance in this movie is included unchanged, his backstory is very different to that revealed in the prequel trilogy and other Expanded Universe material.