Yoda

Master Yoda is a wise and sage-like diminutively-sized green alien creature in the Star Wars universe, appearing as a supporting character in the second and third original films, as well as one of the major characters of all three prequel trilogy films. No one knows what his species or homeworld is.

Background
A renowned Jedi master whose dialogue often includes reversed grammar, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in The Empire Strikes Back, where he is responsible for training Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi. His final chronological appearance is Return of the Jedi, when he dies peacefully at the age of 900, but not before he reveals to Luke that Princess Leia is his sister. He also appears extensively in the two animated Clone Wars series as well as the Star Wars Expanded Universe of novels and comic books. Despite his old age, he has matched up well against far younger opponents.

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. On their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked Yoda at number 60.

Personality
Yoda is described as being flawless. He represents a mysterious and complex character; his wisdom and skill excels that of most Jedi masters, his age and wisdom as well as his deep connection to the Force proved both enviable and formidable.

Despite Yoda's strict demeanour during Jedi-training, he served as a grandfather-figure to generations of Jedi, testing their capabilities, both mental and physical in extreme settings one moment and show warmth and guidance the next.

Being over 800 years old, Yoda exhibited immense intelligence and wisdom. However, like most Jedi Masters, he was somewhat short-sighted in underestimating the younger generations of Jedi, like those of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, both of whom he was reluctant to accept for Jedi training. In Anakin's case, Yoda's refusal to allow him to become a Jedi was overruled by the Jedi High Council; particularly the then-Master of the Order Mace Windu, in Luke's case. However, he allowed Obi-Wan Kenobi to persuade him into accepting Luke as trainee.

Yoda was known to have a penchant for mischief and practical jokes, and he bore a pleasant sense of humor. His humility was admirable and his kindness, exemplary. This selfless sage offered enlightened leadership and epitomized the ideals of the Jedi Order.

Yoda initially bore a deep residing belief that a Jedi seduced by the Dark Side of the Force was not beyond redemption and forgiveness as exhibited in his encounters with two of his former apprentices; after Dooku betrayed the Republic and the Jedi by committing numerous atrocities as the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, Yoda once tried to persuade his former student to let go of the Dark side and return to the ways of the Jedi - He very nearly succeeded in redeeming Dooku. Even as Quinlan Vos slipped further into the dark side's embrace, Yoda had faith that the disturbed young Jedi master would find his way back to the light side of the Force; unlike Dooku, Quinlan affirmed Yoda's belief in redemption.

However, Yoda's failure to redeem Dooku, as well as his inability to prevent the rise of the Galactic Empire, left the Grand Master more jaded than ever. In addition to the fall of the Republic, the Jedi Order was pushed to the brink of extinction by the fallen Jedi Knight Anakin, whose embrace of the dark side turned him into the ruthless Sith Lord Darth Vader. Having failed to protect all that he cared for, Yoda was disillusioned in many ways and sought to kill the two Sith Lords; the chance at redemption for those who embraced the dark side was no longer an option as far as Yoda was concerned, as his experiences had altered his faith in redemption and he was left to feel that a Jedi who was seduced by the Dark side of the Force would be forever condemned to walk in darkness.

Throughout his exile on Dagobah, the tyranny of the Empire and the Sith hunt for the Jedi during the Great Jedi Purge further embittered Yoda and before his death, he warned Vader's son, Luke, that "when a person falls to the dark side, their destiny would forever be dominated by darkness"; this was disproved when Vader's son, Luke, was being tortured by Palpatine, and Vader broke away from the dark side of the force, becoming the good person he once was, and sacrificed himself to save his son; thus redeemed by the love he had for his son.

As Yoda neared his death before the Battle of Endor commenced, he accepted his own mortality and imminent demise, and died peacefully - becoming one with the Force.

Yoda's ears were expressive and would sometimes curl when he was expressing strong emotions like surprise, like most of his kind, Yoda spoke in riddles an unusual version of English, an example of Yoda's speech pattern; "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not", which confused most of his comrades, like his clone troopers, he was also secretive as he never revealed his origins or homeworld to anyone.

Powers

 * The Force: Despite his advanced age, Yoda was immensely powerful and had an amazingly strong connection to the Force. Although he was not quite as powerful as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Yoda was still one of the most powerful Force users in the history of the galaxy.
 * Telekinesis: Yoda was very skilled in the use of Telekinesis and utilized it either as offense or defense.
 * Telepathy: Yoda utilized Telepathy to mentally communicate over small or vast distances with other individuals.
 * Mind control: Yoda utilized Mind control, to control the minds of other sentient beings, however, it did not work on individuals who have very strong wills.
 * Tutaminis: Yoda utilized Tutaminis to dissipate concentrated energy such as blasterbolts or lightsaber blades.
 * Force vision: Yoda utilized Force vision, to have visions of the past, the present and the future; however, like all Force users, his visions were not always clear or sometimes had visions even when he was not utilizing this power at will.
 * Force sense: Yoda utilized Force sense, to sense another sentient being's emotions, the future, ripples in the Force caused by momentous or traumatic events, or impending danger and the presence of the dark side.
 * Force Jump: Yoda utilized Force Jump, to jump or leap at great distances.
 * Force speed: Yoda utilized Force speed, to move at amazing speed.
 * Force valor: Yoda utilized Force valor to increased his accuracy and speed or the accuracy and speed of his allies.
 * Longevity: Like many of his kind, Yoda could live to be nine hundred years old.

Abilities

 * Lightsaber Skills: Despite his advanced age and small size, Yoda was extremely skilled in lightsaber combat and an extremely gifted duelist. He was one of the greatest lightsaber duelists in the history of the galaxy. The few known individuals who could fight Yoda as an equal were Palpatine, Count Dooku, Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn. Despite Yoda's masterful dueling skills, he was ultimately unable to defeat Palpatine; they fought to a draw and Yoda then fled, knowing it would be pointless to continue the fight.
 * Form I: Yoda was highly skilled in Shii Cho.
 * Form IV: Yoda was a master of Ataru; he was one of the most proficient practitioners of Ataru and it appeared to be his preferred and strongest style.
 * Form VI: Yoda was extremely skilled in Niman.
 * Genius-Level Intellect/Master Tactician/Leader: Being over eight hundred years old, Yoda was amazingly intelligent; his intelligence and wisdom was rivalled only by Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Palpatine. As a Jedi General and the leader of the Jedi Order, Yoda was a highly skilled tactician and a very capable leader.

Lightsaber
Yoda's valued weapon and possession was his green lightsaber.
 * Lightsaber: Yoda had built a green lightsaber and used it throughout her Jedi career and the entirety of the Clone Wars. At one point, he was disarmed of the weapon by Palpatine; how he got it back is unknown. It would remain in his possession until his death, but it is unknown what happened to it after Yoda's death.

The Phantom Menace
Yoda was a seasoned member of the Jedi Council at the time Qui-Gon Jinn reported that he encountered a Sith on Tatooine and he also brought Anakin Skywalker to the Council because he wanted to train him as a Jedi. Yoda tried Anakin, but he refused, saying there was too much fear in his future. He later attended the funeral of Qui-Gon, who died at the hands of the Sith Darth Maul at the hanger's refinery complex chamber after Obi-Wan was separated from the duel due to one of the laser gate shields that leads to the chamber. He talks with Mace Windu about the return of the Sith, with Yoda saying that there are always a Sith master and a Sith apprentice. Mace agrees but wonders which one Maul was and which one remains. Yoda is also present at the Naboo victory celebration.

Attack of the Clones
Ten years after Qui-Gon's death, Yoda is still a member of the Jedi Council and he and the Jedi are dealing with a Separatist movement led by Jedi turned Sith Count Dooku. Former Queen of Naboo Padmé Amidala has been the victim of many assassination attempts and the Council sends Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker to guard her. After a failed assassination attempt by Zam Wesell, Yoda and the Council send Obi-Wan to track down the mysterious killer of Wesell and sends Anakin to protect Senator Amidala on Naboo. Later on, he was in a private cell with Mace Windu when Obi-Wan contacted them from the planet Kamino, where he found that a dead Jedi named Sifo-Dyas had a Clone Army made and their genetic template was a man named Jango Fett, who lived there with his son Boba. They tell him to arrest Jango. When Anakin kills the entire Tusken Raider who killed his mother, he feels it and explains it to Mace Windu. They are later contacted by Obi-Wan, who had landed on Geonosis and found that Jango was associated with Count Dooku and Viceroy Nute Gunray was behind of the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala, but he was captured before he could finish. Anakin got the message and asked if he could go to rescue him, but he was denied by Yoda and Mace Windu. Windu led a strike team of Jedi to rescue Obi-Wan while Yoda went to pick up the Clone Army.

At Geonosis, all of the Jedi (including Anakin and Padmé, who disobeyed their orders) are surrounded by droids when Yoda and the Clone Army arrive in gunships, saving the Jedi and Senator. Later, after Dooku defeats Obi-Wan and Anakin in a private hangar but Yoda arrives and Dooku telekinetically assaults him; however, Yoda deflects the attack. Dooku then begins to shoot Force lightning at him, but he utilizies tutatuminis, allowing him to reflect it back at him. Too evenly matched to win with Force powers, the two turn to their lightsabers and begin to duel. Despite Dooku's Form II mastery, Yoda dodges his attacks and seizes the offensive, doing in many flips as he spins and twists around his opponent. Yoda nearly wins, but Dooku causes a huge crane to fall on Obi-Wan and Anakin, prompting Yoda to hold it up with the Force, which allows Dooku to escape. He later converses with Obi-Wan and Mace, where he reveals the Clone Wars have officially begun. The Clone Army becomes soldiers for the Republic and Yoda becomes a general in the Clone Wars.

Revenge of the Sith
Three years after the start of the Clone Wars, Yoda is now the leader of the Jedi Order, and head of the Jedi Council. The Council has become suspicious of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was captive on board General Grievous' ship. Obi-Wan and Anakin are sent to rescue him, and return after Anakin kills Dooku at Palpatine's urging. Palpatine then asks Anakin to be his representative on the Council. Anakin asks if he could be a Jedi master, but they deny it and ask Anakin to spy on Palpatine. They send Obi-Wan to Utapau to apprehend Grievous and Yoda travels to Kashyyyk to assist the Wookiees in the war.

After Order 66 is initiated by Palpatine, Yoda feels a disturbance in the Force as two Clone Troopers sneak up behind him and prepare to shoot him when he jumps up and decapitated them - he and Chewbacca then travel into the forests and Yoda remains in a ship so he could go meet Senator Bail Organa. They go to rescue Obi-Wan, who killed Grievous but was also betrayed by his soldiers. Yoda and Obi-Wan enter the Jedi Temple where they find out that Anakin had turned to the Dark Side and become Darth Sidious's apprentice, Darth Vader. Obi-Wan asks if he could face Sidious so he would not have to kill Anakin, but Yoda says that he would be no match for him and goes to confront Sidious.

Yoda arrives at Sidious' throne room and knocks his guards out. Sidious zaps him with Force lightning, but Yoda gets up quickly and the two begin to duel. They battle in the Senate room, wrecking the entire room. During the battle, Yoda realizes Palpatine's power is growing, while his is leaving him. The fight ends in a stalemate and Yoda, realizing that he cannot win, flees into the vents and crawls through them. He leaves with Bail and they travel to Mustafar to pick up Obi-Wan. They arrive and find Obi-Wan (who had supposedly killed Anakin) and Padmé (who was pregnant with Anakin's children) and take them off the planet. Padmé gives birth to twins who she names Luke and Leia just before dying. Yoda says that they would have to hide the twins from the Empire, so Obi-Wan takes Luke to his uncle and aunt on Tatooine, and would watch over him from afar, while Bail and his wife take Leia to Alderaan. Yoda goes into exile on the swamp planet Dagobah.

The Empire Strikes Back
Twenty-two years later, Yoda is the only Jedi left, as Obi-Wan Kenobi had been killed three years prior by Darth Vader. Obi-Wan was training Anakin's son Luke Skywalker, but never told him that Darth Vader was his father. Luke travels to Dagobah after the ghost of Obi-Wan visits him on Hoth, telling him to seek out Yoda to finish his training. When Luke arrives, Yoda pretends to be an uncivilized small creature who knows Yoda, and offers to take him to him. Later on, while they are in Yoda's hut, Luke snaps, saying that they were wasting time. Yoda begins to talk to Obi-Wan through the Force, saying that Luke is impatient, causing Luke to deduce him as Yoda. Luke convinces Yoda to train him, but Luke gets frustrated when he asks him to move his sunken ship, and furiously asks him to try. Yoda is able to do it, and says there is no try, you do or you do not. Later on, Luke has a vision of his friends in pain and goes to rescue them while abandoning his training, to Yoda and Obi-Wan's disapproval. When Luke leaves, Yoda and Obi-Wan talk, with Obi-Wan saying he is their only hope, but Yoda says there is another (referring to Leia).

Return of the Jedi
By the time of Return of the Jedi, Yoda has become gravely ill, and Luke returns to Dagobah while in his last moments. On his death bed, he tells Luke that his Jedi training is nearly complete with only one last thing remaining: to confront Darth Vader. However, after learning that Vader is his father, Luke does not have the heart to kill him. As Yoda slowly begins to lose the will to live, he gives him one last warning about the Dark Side and not to underestimate the powers of the Emperor, otherwise he would suffer the same fate as his father did. In his last words, he tries to tell Luke that there is another Skywalker (referring to Leia being his twin sister) before dying quietly and becoming one with the Force.

Yoda is last seen in spirit at the end of the film alongside the spirits of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the reformed Anakin Skywalker, watching the Rebels celebrate their victory over the Empire. He was 900 years old when he passed away.

Star Wars Rebels
Yoda makes a vocal appearance in the episode "Path of the Jedi" where he, through the force, guides Kanan's padawan Ezra Bridger through the Jedi Temple on Lothal. In "Shroud of Darkness", Yoda makes a visual appearance.

Disney INFINITY
Yoda appears in Disney INFINITY ' s third installment as a playable character.

Mace Windu
Yoda trained Mace and held him in high esteem. Mace also deeply respected Yoda and obeyed him, though he didn't always agree with his decisions.

Obi-Wan Kenobi
Like virtually all Jedi, Obi-Wan deeply respected Yoda and was trained by him as a young boy; prior to Obi-Wan becoming Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice. He obeyed Yoda usually without question. Yoda held Obi-Wan in high esteem.

After Obi-Wan died, he entrusted Luke's training to a reluctant Yoda.

Qui-Gon Jinn
Though Yoda and Qui-Gon highly respected each other, they often disagreed with their respective beliefs; Yoda focused mainly on the future while Qui-Gon lived in the moment. After he failed to defeat the Emperor, Qui-Gon's spirit taught Yoda the Shaman of the Willis.

Ahsoka Tano
Like all Jedi, Ahsoka deeply respected Yoda and would usually go to him for guidance when Anakin or Obi-Wan weren't around. Yoda seemed to have a mild fondness for Ahsoka and assigned her to be Anakin's apprentice.

However, when Ahsoka was accused of treason, Yoda, like most of the Jedi, believed she was guilty and sent Anakin and Plo Koon to capture her. When Tarkin demanded Ahsoka to be expelled from the Jedi Order and turned over to the Republic military for her so-called treason, Yoda seemed unsure about doing so, mainly because it was against Jedi tradition to expel one of their own without a fair trial, but ultimately agreed and had the young Togruta stripped of her status as a Jedi.

Like many of the Jedi, Yoda was present during Ahsoka's trial as presided over by Chancellor Palpatine and during Barriss Offee's confession, proving Ahsoka to be innocent. He was surprised that Ahsoka had been innocent the entire time.

Along with the rest of the Jedi Council, Yoda personally invited Ahsoka to rejoin the Jedi Order, even offering to promote her to the rank of Jedi Knight. However, feeling betrayed because the Council never believed in her and believing she could not trust them any-more, Ahsoka refused reinstatement and walked away from the Jedi Order, a decision that surprised all members of the Order, including Yoda.

Ahsoka's departure haunted Yoda for sometime afterwards; he felt extremely guilty and remorseful, partly for refusing to stand by her and partly for placing her on the path that led to her departure from the Jedi Order. In fact, his guilt was so great that the Dark side tried to use it against him, but failed.

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Yoda first met Anakin when Qui-Gon Jinn brought him to the Jedi Temple. Though he was sympathetic with the nine year old, he refused to allow Qui-Gon to train him due to the fear that he was vulnerable to the Dark side. Even after the Invasion of Naboo was lifted, Yoda was reluctant about Anakin being made Obi-Wan's apprentice, but agreed.

Over the years, Anakin came to highly respect Yoda, while Yoda gradually outgrew his mild fear of Anakin and came to have faith in him. However, Yoda was aware of Anakin's fear of loss and after promoting him to the rank of Jedi Knight, assigned him an apprentice of his own; Ahsoka Tano, as he believed that by becoming a teacher Anakin would mature emotionally and understand that his excessive bonding to those he cared about was unnecessary once Ahsoka would be ready to go.

Unfortunately, that plan backfired when Yoda and the rest of Jedi Council expelled Ahsoka from the Jedi Order and turned her over to the Republic for a crime she did not commit. Although Anakin ultimately succeeded in proving Ahsoka's innocence, she refused to rejoin the Jedi Order due to their lack of trust and support. The event left Anakin's trust and respect for Yoda severely shaken.

As the Clone War dragged on, Yoda secretly became wary of Anakin, sensing his fear of loss was increasing. Meanwhile, Anakin's faith in Yoda was further diminished when the latter denied him the rank of Jedi Master when Anakin was placed on the Jedi Council, something Anakin perceived as an insult. Yoda also ordered him, via Obi-Wan, to spy on Palpatine, whom Anakin considered a friend and mentor, further fuelling Anakin's anger.

When Anakin fell to the Dark side and became Darth Vader, Yoda firmly believed he was beyond redemption and ordered Obi-Wan to hunt down and kill him.

Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Yoda initially respected Palpatine for his clean slate. When Dooku revealed the existance of Darth Sidious and that hundreds of Senators were now under his control, Yoda accepted Sidious's existence, but dismissed the possibility that Sidious was controlling the Galactic Senate, stating that Dooku was a Sith Lord now and couldn't be trusted. When the CIS invaded Corosaunt, he began to suspect that Dooku was telling the truth. After the Execution of Order 66 and the Declaration of a New Order, Yoda learned that the now Emperor Palpatine and Darth Sidious were one and the same. Yoda vowed to kill the new Emperor, but failed.

Trivia

 * In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, during the trick-or-treat scene, Yoda was included as a child's Halloween costume.
 * Yoda is also the second name of Gabe Duncan.
 * Prior to his death, Yoda was the oldest Force user, and oldest Jedi in the Star Wars universe.