Although Yoda is known as one of the Star Wars franchise’s most powerful Jedi, another member of his species, Yaddle, has a Force ability that even he never used. In both the canon and Legends Star Wars continuities, Yoda’s unnamed species is shrouded in mystery, but its members tend to be wise and powerful Force users. Yaddle is no exception to this, as she is a renowned Jedi Master and council member who has a particular affinity for a unique and controversial Force ability.
Yaddle debuted as a background member of the Jedi Council in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and is one of the first named members of Yoda’s species to appear in the franchise after Yoda himself. Yaddle soon became a somewhat prominent prequel-era Jedi Master, appearing in numerous Legends-continuity books and comics, though her story tragically ends before the onset of the Clone Wars. In the Jedi Quest book series, Yaddle sacrifices herself to protect the populace of the Core World Mawan, though she is remembered as one of the Jedi Order’s finest members.
Yaddle was a master of the power known as Morichro, a Jedi ability that slows the body functions of another being. Morichro, if not used carefully, can easily kill its target, making it potentially an extremely dangerous power. However, no Force users, even dark side practitioners like Sith Lords, are known to use the power other than Jedi. As the best-known user of Morichro, Yaddle might have used the ability on herself to limited degrees during the events of “Yaddle's Tale: The One Below,” a story by Dean Motter and Jesús Saiz in issue #5 of Star Wars Tales.
Yaddle's Hidden Force Power Helped Her Survive Extreme Conditions
In “The One Below,” Yaddle is imprisoned and nearly forgotten on the Mid Rim world Koba for roughly a century, surviving on minimal food and water. Her experience helps her attain Jedi Knighthood, but it might also contribute to her mastery of Morichro, as total control over her body would allow Yaddle to endure her century of confinement. In other Legends-era material, Yaddle speaks of Morichro, explaining why it is intrinsically not a dark side ability, despite its extremely dangerous potential.
The dark side is an unnatural corruption of the Force, and Morichro is an intrinsically benevolent ability, despite its potential danger. Dark side abilities are typically used to injure or kill others, but Morichro, if mastered, is only meant to temporarily incapacitate another being. The sheer difficulty of properly using Morichro renders it a forbidden power for most Jedi, so Yaddle’s mastery of it makes her one of the Star Wars prequel era’s most noteworthy Jedi, alongside Yoda himself.