Now that Disney+'s Mandalorian has introduced a mysterious new character that bears more
than a passing resemblance to the Jedi master Yoda, it got us thinking: What's up with this
species of pint-sized, pointy-eared aliens?
What makes them so special, and what have we learned about them over the years?
In a Moviefone interview between George Lucas and Hayden Christensen where they answered
fan questions, Lucas was asked about Yoda's species and his off-screen history.
Lucas described Yoda as:
"A mystery character, a magical character, he has no background, he comes and he goes,
he's the subversive, secret, mysterious stranger."
As the years went on and the Expanded Universe was created, Lucas still didn't want anyone
to give Yoda any kind of backstory.
He eventually added another character of Yoda's species to The Phantom Menace more on her
in a bit and let creators in the Expanded Universe invent a couple more of the same
species.
But when Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, everything in the Expanded Universe was considered non-canon,
leaving only three Yoda-like characters in the Star Wars universe.
While there have been several of Yoda's species, including those from the Extended Universe
and the Knights of the Old Republic video game, at this point in time, there are only
three in the official Star Wars canon: Yoda, Yaddle, and this new "Child" character colloquially
known to fans as "Baby Yoda."
Yoda, of course, is the most visible of his species, appearing in six films, as well as
in the animated shows Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
"Last time, I couldn't see you."
"Ahh, growing, your abilities are."
Yaddle, a female of the Yoda species, was seen in The Phantom Menace.
She was a Jedi Master and a member of the Jedi High Council alongside Yoda.
Yaddle was there when Qui-Gon Jinn brought a young Anakin Skywalker to be evaluated by
the Jedi High Council.
However, after the Battle of Naboo, Yaddle wanted a break from the Jedi Council, and
she was already gone when The Clone Wars began to air.
As the Child has only recently been introduced to us in The Mandalorian, there's very little
information known about it.
We know it's approximately 50 years old, and that it's strong with the Force.
We also know it tried to help the bounty hunter heal his wounds.
The only other thing we know about baby Yoda right now is that it has captured our hearts,
and it must be protected at all costs.
According to StarWars.com, the Force is, quote, "a mysterious energy field created by life
that binds the galaxy together."
The Jedi, the Sith, and other Force-sensitive beings "harness the power of the Force," giving
them amazing abilities such as "levitating objects, tricking minds, and seeing things
before they happen."
And as you probably guessed, the Yoda species is strong with the Force.
Yoda is seen using it several times throughout the Star Wars franchise.
The first time we see him use it is in The Empire Strikes Back when training Luke.
After Skywalker fails to lift his X-wing out of the bottom of the swamp, Yoda shows him
that it is indeed possible to use the Force to lift something so heavy.
We were also blessed to see Baby Yoda use the Force in the second episode of The Mandalorian.
In the scene, the bounty hunter is being attacked by a giant alien after stealing an egg from
the creature's cave.
Just when it looks like he's done for, Baby Yoda reaches out and lifts the monster into
the air, allowing the bounty hunter to grab his knife and kill it.
Lifting that monster took everything out of Baby Yoda, though, and he went night-night
for a long while afterwards.
In The Mandalorian, when the title hero and IG-11 realize the target they're looking for
is actually Baby Yoda, the bounty hunter says, quote, "Wait.
They said 50 years old."
IG-11 then tells him, quote, "Species age differently.
Perhaps it could live many centuries."
So if baby Yoda is 50 years old, that would place him being born around the same time
as Anakin Skywalker.
After all, The Mandalorian takes place five years after Return of the Jedi, the film in
which Yoda dies.
We know that Yoda was approximately 900 years old at the time of his death.
Around the age of 100, Yoda had already become a Jedi Master and had begun training apprentices.
When he died, it was thought Yoda had taught over 20,000 Jedi, including Count Dooku and,
of course, Luke Skywalker.
There still is a bit of mystery when it comes to just how long Yoda's species lives because
both Yoda and Yaddle who, in the non-canon Expanded Universe, was 483 years old at the
time of her death were Jedi, and it's thought they could live longer than an average member
of the species.
In case there was any doubt, Baby Yoda made it perfectly clear in episode two of The Mandalorian
that his species definitely eats meat.
He catches a rather large, frog-like creature and swallows it whole.
Although we don't really see Yoda eating during any of his appearances well, other than stealing
a bite of Luke's dinner it was thought his species were carnivores due to the shape of
their teeth.
"Ooh!"
"Put that down.
We — Hey!
That's my dinner!"
Yoda's chompers are super sharp, like razors, which can make quick work of ripping and chewing
the skin of an animal.
Those large claws on the end of their three fingers also come into play, making it easy
to stab their potential meal.
We know Yoda was eating vegetables while living on Dagobah, though.
On the day Luke came to the swamp planet, the tiny alien was making something called
rootleaf stew.
Made of yarum and galla seeds, with some mushroom spores tossed in for good measure, this was
part of Yoda's diet while exiled.
Whether all of the Yoda species also eat vegetables isn't known, but this makes Yoda himself an
omnivore.
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