| Yoda | |
|---|---|
| Star Wars character | |
| Portrayed by | Frank Oz (puppeteer, voice) Warwick Davis (costume, Episode I) John Lithgow (Radio) Tom Kane (Clone Wars, video games) |
| Fictional profile | |
| Gender | Male |
| Position | Jedi Master, Jedi Council leader, Jedi Grand Master |
| Affiliation | Jedi Order, Galactic Republic |
Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing in the second and third original films, as well as all three prequel trilogy films. A renowned Jedi master, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where he is responsible for training Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi. His final chronological appearance is Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, when he dies peacefully at the age of 900. He also appears extensively in the two animated Clone Wars series, as well as the Star Wars Expanded Universe of novels and comic books.
In the original films, he trains Luke Skywalker to fight against the evil Galactic Empire. In the prequel films, he serves as Grand Master of the Jedi Council and as a general in the Clone Wars.
In 2008, Yoda was selected by Empire magazine as the 25th greatest movie character of all time.[1] On their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked Yoda at number 60.[2]
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Frank Oz provided Yoda's voice in each film and lent his skills as a puppeteer in the original trilogy and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. For the latter, in some walking scenes, Warwick Davis incarnated Yoda as well. For the radio dramatizations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Yoda was voiced by John Lithgow, while Tom Kane voiced him in the Clone Wars animated series, several video games, and the new series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
In The Phantom Menace, he was redesigned to look younger. He was computer-generated for two distant shots, but remained mostly a puppet.[3] The puppet was re-designed by Nick Dudman from Stuart Freeborn's original design.
Rendered with computer animation in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: 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. His performance was deliberately designed to be consistent with the limitations of the puppet version, with some "mistakes" made such as the occasional ear-jiggling. Rob Coleman was responsible for the character's new incarnation to the series.
Yoda has been redone in CGI for the 2011 Blu-ray release of The Phantom Menace.[4] A clip of the new CG Yoda from The Phantom Menace was first seen in the featurette The Chosen One, included in the 2005 DVD release of Revenge of the Sith.[5]
Yoda is portrayed as a powerful Jedi Master in the Star Wars universe. Series creator George Lucas originally wished Yoda to follow his other characters in having a full name—Minch Yoda—but instead opted to have many details of the character's life history remain unknown. Yoda's race and home world have never been named in any media, canonical or otherwise, and he is merely said to be of a "species unknown" by the Star Wars Databank. Yoda's speech syntax has been analyzed and discussed by academic syntacticians, who found it somewhat inconsistent, but could extrapolate that "Yodic" has object–subject–verb word order.[6]
The films and Expanded Universe reveal that he had trained several Jedi, including Count Dooku, who is identified in Attack of the Clones as Yoda's old Padawan Learner; Mace Windu; Obi-Wan Kenobi (partially, before Qui-Gon Jinn takes over as Obi-Wan's master); Ki-Adi-Mundi, Kit Fisto and eventually Luke Skywalker. During the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, he mentions that he trained another one of the leaders on the Jedi Council, Master Oppo Rancisis. In the Star Wars prequels, it is shown that he instructs several younglings in the Jedi Temple before they are assigned to a master. This was displayed in a scene in Attack of the Clones.
Yoda makes his first film appearance in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) arrives on Dagobah to seek his guidance, having been instructed to do so by the Force ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness).
Rather than immediately identifying himself, Yoda tests Luke by initially presenting himself as a comical, backwater individual, deliberately provoking both Luke and R2-D2 (portrayed by Kenny Baker). Finding that Luke exhibits many of the flaws that led to his father's downfall, Yoda is reluctant to teach him in the ways of the Force, but agrees to do so at the spectral Obi-Wan's behest. Before finishing his training, however, Luke chooses to leave Dagobah in order to confront Darth Vader (played by David Prowse/voiced by James Earl Jones) and save his friends from the Empire's grasp at Bespin. Yoda and Obi-Wan insist to Luke that he is being lured into a trap, and that he must stay to complete his training. Luke refuses to forsake his friends, but gives Yoda his promise to return. As Luke departs, Obi-Wan laments that the boy is their "last hope," but Yoda reminds him that "there is another."[7]
Yoda's final chronological appearance is in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, set a year after The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda, sick and greatly weakened by old age, informs Luke that he has completed his training but will not be a Jedi until he confronts Darth Vader; he also confirms that Vader is Luke's father, which the Sith Lord had told a shocked Luke in the previous film. Yoda then peacefully dies at the age of 900, his body disappearing as he becomes "one with the Force". He leaves Luke with the knowledge that "there is another Sky...walk...er". Moments later, Obi-Wan's ghost helps Luke come to the realization that the "other" whom Yoda spoke of is Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), who is his twin sister.
In the film's final scene, after the Empire has been defeated, Luke sees Yoda's spirit looking upon him with pride, alongside Obi-Wan and the redeemed Anakin Skywalker (Vader's former Jedi self).[8]
In the films' timeline, Yoda first appears in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which is set 35 years before Empire Strikes Back. Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) brings the young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) to the Jedi Council. Qui-Gon claims that the boy is the "Chosen One" who will bring balance to the Force, and requests to train him once Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) has completed the trials necessary to become a Jedi Knight. Yoda senses great fear in the boy, and tells him, "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." Yoda plays a key role in the Council's initial decision to deny the request; he believes that Anakin 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.
Qui-Gon's dying wish after being mortally wounded in a duel with Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Park) is that Obi-Wan train Anakin as a Jedi. During a subsequent discussion with Yoda, Obi-Wan insists on training Anakin, with or without the Jedi Council's permission. Though the Jedi Council had already ruled in agreement with Qui-Gon's wish, Yoda momentarily withholds this from Obi-Wan, attempting to dissuade him. However, seeing that Obi-Wan's mind will not be changed, Yoda reluctantly reveals the council's decision and warns Obi-Wan that though Anakin may be the Chosen One, he fears that his training will bring danger.[9]
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, set 10 years after The Phantom Menace, Yoda is one of the many Jedi who are concerned about the emergence of the Separatists, a group of systems rebelling against the Galactic Republic. After the second attempted assassination of Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) "suggests" that she be put under the protection of Obi-Wan, who is training Anakin Skywalker (now played by Hayden Christensen).
Yoda later leads an army of Jedi and clone troopers in the film's climactic battle scene. He helps rescue Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padmé from execution at the hands of the Separatists. At the climax of the battle, Yoda duels with Separatist leader and Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), his former Jedi apprentice. Although seemingly frail, the ancient Yoda demonstrates agility and mastery of lightsaber combat and acrobatics through the Force. This confrontation ends with Dooku making his escape by threatening Yoda's comrades, Anakin and Obi-Wan.[10]
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, set three years after Attack of the Clones, Yoda leads the Jedi Council in pursuing the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Palpatine has by now amassed near-dictatorial emergency powers, and begins interfering in Jedi affairs by appointing Anakin as his personal representative on the Council. The Council grants Anakin a Council seat, but denies him the rank of Master, feeling that doing so would amount to giving Palpatine a vote in the Council. Embittered by the perceived snub, Anakin begins to lose faith in the Jedi.
Anakin seeks Yoda's counsel about his prophetic visions that someone close to him will die. Yoda, unaware of the intensity of Anakin's love for Padmé, his pregnant wife, tells him to "Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." Unsatisfied, Anakin turns to Palpatine, who reveals himself as Darth Sidious, and manipulates the young Jedi into becoming his Sith apprentice—Darth Vader—with the promise that the dark side holds the power to save Padmé from dying in childbirth.
Palpatine later transforms the Republic into the tyrannical Galactic Empire, proclaiming himself Emperor for life, and orders the clone troopers to kill their Jedi generals. At this time, Yoda is on Kashyyyk, overseeing the battle between the Separatist forces and a combined command of clone troopers and Wookiees. Through the Force, he feels the deaths of each of the Jedi as they are assassinated by their own troops. After swiftly killing the clone troopers instructed to kill him, he escapes with the help of Wookiee leaders Tarfful and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and returns to Coruscant, where he and Obi-Wan fight their way into the Jedi Temple to stop a trap for any surviving Jedi. Inside, they discover that all the Jedi inside, younglings included, have been slaughtered. They then discover a holographic recording revealing Anakin as the assassin. Yoda decides to face Palpatine, sending Obi-Wan to kill his former Padawan. Obi-Wan tells Yoda he cannot kill Anakin, asking instead to go after Palpatine. However, Yoda insists, saying, "To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not." He also tells Obi-Wan that the Anakin he knew no longer exists, having been "consumed by Darth Vader".
Subsequently, Yoda battles Palpatine in a lightsaber duel that wrecks the Senate Rotunda. At the climax of the duel, Yoda holds back the Sith Lord's Force lightning, creating a blast of energy that knocks him to the Senate floor. Yoda is forced to retreat and go into exile on Dagobah so that he may hide from the Empire and wait for another opportunity to destroy the Sith. At the end, it is revealed that Yoda has been in contact with Qui-Gon's spirit, learning the secret of immortality from him and passing it on to Obi-Wan.
Yoda is also instrumental in deciding the fate of the Skywalker children after Padmé dies in childbirth, recommending that Luke and Leia be hidden from Vader and Palpatine in remote locations. Other than the ancient Jedi Master, only the Organas, the Lars family, R2-D2 and Obi-Wan know of their true identities.[11]
During the opening of the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, Yoda is made a General, like many of the Jedi Knights and Masters. Yoda escorts Padmé on their journey to an unspecified planet, but Yoda senses several Jedi in distress on Ilum. Using the Jedi mind trick to convince Captain Typho to take them to Ilum, Yoda saves two Jedi Knights and finds a message from Count Dooku giving orders to destroy the Jedi Temple on Ilum. In the animated series' final episode, Yoda fights side by side with Mace Windu to defend Coruscant, which is under attack from the Separatists. The two Jedi Masters realize too late that the battle is a distraction; Separatist leader General Grievous truly intends to kidnap Palpatine. The Jedi Master's effort to stop Grievous fails, and Palpatine is taken hostage, thus setting the stage for Revenge of the Sith.
Yoda acts as a supporting character in Dark Horse Comics' Clone Wars tie-in comic books. He is also an important character in several novels set in the Star Wars universe, particularly Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. Yoda also appears in Disney's Star Tours: The Adventures Continue attraction, where he is voiced by his original voice actor, Frank Oz.[12]
Lego's Yoda minifigure was the first of their figures to have a shorter height, created by giving the toy shorter legs.[13]
TomTom has included a "Yoda" voice as one of the Celebrity GPS voicings in their "Star Wars" voice series [14]. A comical clip of the "behind the scenes" recording of this is available on "YouTube"
In the Family Guy spoof episode of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, called It's a Trap!, after the death of Yoda, it is revealed, through a credit card, that he has a surname ("Parsegian"), although, in the Star Wars universe, his only known name is just Yoda, as stated above.
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