Summary

  • Yoda's species has been a mystery since his introduction in The Empire Strikes Back, and creator George Lucas has been cryptic about their origins.
  • Only three members of Yoda's species are known in the Star Wars canon: Yoda, Yaddle, and Grogu (baby Yoda).
  • All known members of Yoda's species have shown strong abilities in the Force, suggesting that they all have the ability to wield it, and they are drawn towards the light side. The Mandalorian may explore more about their origins in future seasons.

Yoda's species is one of the greatest mysteries of Star Wars - but just what do we already know about the alien beings? Thus far, across the vast history of Star Wars’ universe, only three members of the species have been highlighted. This makes the race undoubtedly one of Star Wars’ biggest mysteries, especially considering the abundance of other species within the galaxy that are seen regularly. As it turns out, this mystery stems from Star Wars' creator himself after George Lucas banned Yoda's species from exploration in the franchise, including upcoming Star Wars movies.

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Upon the first episode of The Mandalorian which ended with the unexpected introduction of a baby Yoda - now fittingly named Grogu - viewers were left reeling. Suddenly, The Mandalorian's Yoda species inclusion led to the show becoming essential viewing with the infant's very existence radically altering the canon by hinting at a greater exploration of his origin. As such, many wondered just how deeply Star Wars was going to address one of the franchise's greatest, most enduring mysteries; just what race is Jedi Grand Master Yoda, what the rest of his species like, and will Star Wars' biggest Yoda questions remain unanswered?

Yoda's Race Has Been A Mystery Since The Empire Strikes Back

Luke Skywalker Yoda Dagobah Empire Strikes Back Cropped

Yoda was introduced in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back with George Lucas aiming to fulfill the classic Buddhist trope that wisdom and power are found in the most unlikely beings. Luke Skywalker arrived on Dagobah seeking a powerful warrior, and instead, he found a whimsical, diminutive philosopher who delighted in giving cryptic advice. Amusingly, Lucas has remained every bit as cryptic as the Jedi Master and the franchise itself when it comes to giving an account of Yoda's origins. When questioned about Yoda's species, he once suggested he was really the secret love child of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, only further frustrating fans with the lack of clarification.

After the culmination of the original trilogy in 1983, Star Wars' future was driven by the Expanded Universe. This allowed Lucasfilm to welcome writers and artists to play in George Lucas' sandbox. The one caveat though, was that Lucasfilm actively discouraged anyone from exploring Yoda's backstory including his species.

The company even went so far as to pulp the entire print run of a trading card depicting a group of Yoda-like beings worshiping an idol, likely at Lucas' own insistence. The rules were relaxed a little after Lucas himself introduced another of Yoda's race, Yaddle, in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace with the auteur subsequently allowing the EU to create a couple more Yoda-like beings. Like all the rest of the EU, these were rendered non-canon after the Disney purchase and thereafter dubbed as Star Wars Legends.

Only Three Members Of Yoda's Species Are Known

yaddle jedi powers morichro

Given the frustrating absence of knowledge concerning Yoda’s species, Star Wars fans have taken to calling them "Tridactyls" after the number of toes on their feet. Whatever the aliens are called, though, only three of them currently exist as part of Star Wars’ vast canon. Naturally, Yoda is the most famous of these. The Jedi Grand Master whose Midichlorian count was so high it was exceeded only by Anakin Skywalker, Yoda lived to 900 years old and learned the secret of living on in the Force after death. Since then, Yoda has been manifesting as a Force Ghost decades after his passing as shown in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Upon her introduction, precious little was known about Yaddle, another of Yoda's species who served on the Jedi Council in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. During the 10-year time jump between this film and its sequel, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Yaddle had disappeared which only further dented the possibility of learning about hers and Yoda’s species. That said, 2022’s Tales of the Jedi finally offered a long-awaited insight into Yaddle’s life, specifically why the Jedi disappeared between the first two prequel films.

Tales of the Jedi was an anthology series set during the prequel era, with one of the episodes exploring Count Dooku's fall to the dark side of the Force shortly after The Phantom Menace. During the episode, Yaddle begins to suspect Dooku and attempts to reason with him, pleading with him to come back to the light side. Unsuccessful, Yaddle then had to face the fallen Jedi in combat in the presence of Darth Sidious. Dooku eventually defeats Yaddle, killing her to prove his loyalty to the Sith and explaining her mysterious disappearance between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.

Finally, there is The Mandalorian's baby Yoda, now named Grogu. The infant was introduced as somewhat of an anomaly; a nameless, mysterious being slotted into Star Wars canon. Through Grogu’s journey in The Mandalorian, smaller aspects of his species have been revealed. It seems that these aliens aren't just long-lived; rather, they age at a slower rate than other species meaning the baby is actually 50 years old. Also, the species is confirmed to have an inherent strength in the Force. From his

training under Luke Skywalker, Grogu’s Force powers significantly increased before he opted to walk the path of the Mandalorians like his adoptive father Din Djarin.

Do All Of Yoda's Species Have The Force?

Yoda Levitating Using the Force

It is surely no coincidence that, thus far, all known members of Yoda's species have been shown to be strong in the Force. Both Yoda and Yaddle became prominent members of the Jedi Council, with Yoda becoming the Jedi Grand Master whose Midichlorian count has only been bested by the Chosen One of the Force. Likewise, Grogu seems to be remarkably powerful, instinctively drawn towards Force healing, and capable of levitating massive beasts, diverting explosions, and having connections with animals such as Rancors.

This is also true of the old Expanded Universe. Lucas allowed the creation of three more members of Yoda's race in the Knights of the Old Republic era, set several millennia before the classic Star Wars trilogy. Significantly, all three were Jedi Masters, powerful Force users, and associated with the light side of the Force. This suggests that Lucas envisioned every member of Yoda's species having the ability to wield the Force. Notice also that every one of these beings has been drawn towards the light side, which may well be a natural predilection.

Could The Mandalorian Feature More Of Yoda's Species?

Star Wars Baby Yoda

As of the end of The Mandalorian season 1, the titular bounty hunter vowed to return Grogu to his own species leading many to excitedly theorize that the show will explore the history of Yoda, Yaddle, and Grogu’s race of origin. That said, The Mandalorian season 2 revealed that Din simply meant the Jedi rather than Grogu’s specific species. This meant that little has been released about the latter even as of the end of The Mandalorian season 3, with The Mandalorian season 4 unlikely to focus on much else besides Din's conflict with Imperial remnants in the galaxy.

This all begs the question of whether future Mandalorian seasons will explore Yoda’s species. Naturally, the option is certainly always open given Grogu’s involvement. It is unclear where his story will end, but it could culminate with him reuniting with his own kind. Realistically, the only other option would be the reveal that Yoda and Yaddle are Grogu’s parents, as is often theorized. If this was the case, more could be revealed about all three characters’ backstories in one fell swoop. Until then though, Yoda’s species remains one of the single biggest mysteries in the entirety of the Star Wars saga.