10 Things You Didn't Know About Yoda

Ooooookay, first off, the elephant in the room. Or in this case, maybe it's the bantha in the room. The zillo beast in the room? I don't know, there are more options here.

I haven't posted since the end of last year (if you haven't read that post go do it here, as that was quite an undertaking). This semester has been super busy, and with so much going on in my life it's been tough to get around to writing. But I've been working on quite a few ideas, including a new fan-fiction plot that I'm very excited to start on! I'm planning to post as much as possible over the summer, so here goes.

Yoda is one of the most well-known and well-loved characters in the Star Wars franchise. Here are ten things you probably didn't know about him. I know, you're going to read some of these and say, "Hey, I knew that!" But if you can say that about any of these, then congratulations, because most people don't know it.

(Also, I'm going to write more of these kinds of posts, so if there are any specific characters you'd like me to highlight, let me know!)

1. He was the only Jedi to leave his robe on during combat

You may not have realized this, but virtually all Jedi would remove their Jedi robes before engaging in combat with a lightsaber-wielding opponent. However, Yoda was the exception. We don't exactly know why (perhaps the robe didn't inhibit him like it would most Jedi), but whatever the case, he sure looked cool enough without dramatically tossing it off.

2. The stick

Yoda carried a cane, called a gimer stick, with him wherever he went, and it was useful for quite a few things. Not only was it a walking stick, but the juices inside of it could provide nutrients and help guide meditation, and could be used as a natural anesthetic. The age-old question is, did Yoda actually need the stick, and if so, why could he fight so well against Dooku, Sidious, etc? It's kind of a yes and no. He did need the stick for all its uses, but, since "the Force" is the Sunday School answer of Star Wars, he was empowered by the Force while in combat.

3. He used Form IV of lightsaber combat

There are 7 unique forms of lightsaber combat used in the Star Wars universe (it's not quite that basic, but for our purposes we'll just put it that way. Maybe an idea for another post, hmm?). Yoda was a master at Form IV, also known as Ataru. This form was characterized by agility, speed, and acrobatics, and Yoda used it to compensate for his lack of size. Other notable practitioners of this form were Qui-Gon Jinn, Ezra Bridger, and Aayla Secura.

4. His species is unknown

There are very few characters of Yoda's species known in the Star Wars universe; one would be Yaddle the Jedi Master, and Grogu, wherever he came from. But the name of this species is unknown, and George Lucas intentionally kept it that way. There has been a lot of speculation that The Mandalorian will eventually reveal this, but for now? Nobody knows.

5. Yoda wasn't his original name

As ridiculous as this sounds, Yoda was supposed to be called Buffy. Then it was changed to Minch, and then Minch Yoda, before landing on Yoda alone.

Just imagine.

6. He was the most powerful light side Force user

Yoda is widely considered the most powerful Jedi to ever exist. His midichlorian count was higher than nearly all other Jedi. He was the only one who could take on Sidious in a 1v1 (Rey doesn't count, ahem). You may also remember Anakin saying that he wanted to be "even more powerful than Master Yoda," suggesting that he considered Yoda to be at the top. Yoda had powers that many other Force users could not attain (one of which I'll talk about in a moment), which is why he never lost a battle and survived for 900 years.

7. He had an evil Force twin

Season 6 of The Clone Wars gets overlooked a lot (sadly, because it has a lot to offer), but in the final arc, Yoda goes on a journey to obtain consciousness after death, guided by Qui-Gon Jinn. On his journey he goes to Dagobah, Moraband, and an unknown planet that contains the "Wellspring of Life," where it is believed the Force itself and the midichlorians originate. While he is on this planet he meets a dark side shadow of himself, which he is told he must defeat to overcome the darkness inside of him. He ultimately learns that he must accept the darkness inside of him but not let it go, and then he is able to defeat the shadow.

8. He was a master at tutaminis

Tutaminis was a general word that referred to the Force powers of energy absorption. This included diffusing energy into one's body, deflecting energy, absorbing blaster bolts, force lightning, etc. While all Jedi were taught tutaminis techniques during the time of the Republic, it was very rare for a Jedi to be able to perform feats like deflecting lightsabers and blasters and absorbing force lightning. Yet Yoda's connection with the Force was so strong that he could do so: case in point, absorbing and deflecting Count Dooku's force lightning in Attack of the Clones. Darth Vader could do this as well (such as dissolving blaster bolts in Rogue One), but as a Jedi, Yoda's ability was very unique.

9. When 900 years old you are, trained a lot of people, you will have

Yoda lived a lot longer than most Jedi, and that combined with his exceptional skill and experience resulted in his training quite a few apprentices. It is estimated that Yoda trained approximately 20,000 Jedi in his lifetime. That's...a lot. Notable apprentices of his include Dooku, Mace Windu, and to some extent, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.

10. Finally, Baby Yoda is NOT Yoda, people

Okay, I'm sure most of you know this, but it's amazing how many people still use the name "baby Yoda" as though he is actually Yoda as a child. Obviously, given the timeline of The Mandalorian, it's impossible anyway, and to clear things up further, The Child is given the name Grogu in Season 2, and it is revealed that he was trained in the Jedi Temple around the time of the Clone Wars. I suppose it was fun to call him baby Yoda before the reveal, simply because he looked like a smaller and cuter version of Yoda, and maybe now it's just instinct for some people. But I can't help laughing a bit inside when people use the term entirely seriously.

So that's 10, though there are a lot more interesting facts that I could have mentioned. I hope you learned a thing or two from this! Do let me know what you'd like to see next, as I will be posting a lot more over the next few months. Aaaand until next time, may the Force be with you.