Star Wars Clone Wars data 3: Yoda

YODA


Yoda is a fictional character of an unknown tridactyl species from the Star Wars universe, who appeared in all the Star Wars films except Episode IV: A New Hope. Yoda was one of the most renowned and powerful Jedi Masters in galactic history, who was known for his legendary wisdom, mastery of the Force and skills in lightsaber combat. Yoda served as a member of the Jedi High Council in the last centuries of the Galactic Republic and reigned as Grand Master of the Jedi Order before, during and after the devastating Clone Wars. In his centuries of service to the galaxy and the Force, Grand Master Yoda had a hand in the training of nearly all the Jedi in the Order, including such luminaries as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Oppo Rancisis; all of which would come to serve on the Jedi Council along with him.

CLONE WARS TIMELINE

During the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, Yoda was made a General, like many of the Jedi Knights and Masters. Yoda escorted Padmé on their journey to an unspecified planet, but Yoda senses several Jedi in distress on Illum. Using the Jedi mind trick to convince Captain Typho to take them to Illum, Yoda saved two Jedi Knights and found a message from Count Dooku giving orders to destroy the Jedi Temple.

In the series' final episode, Yoda fights alongside Mace Windu to defend Coruscant, which is under attack from the Separatists. The two Jedi Masters realize that the battle is a distraction; Separatist leader General Grievous truly intends to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. Windu went onto a Clone Hangar to try and prevent the kidnapping, but is too late. Obi-Wan and Anakin later suceeded in rescuing Palpatine from the clutches of Grievous.

AFTERMATH

During the closing moments of the Clone Wars, Yoda travelled to Kashyyyk to oversee the battle between the Separatist forces and a combined command of clone troopers and Wookiees. Through the Force, he feels the deaths of each of the Jedi as they fell vctim to Order 66. After swiftly killing the clone troopers instructed to kill him, he escaped from Kashyyyk with the help of Wookiee leaders Tarfful and Chewbacca, and returned to Coruscant, where he and Obi-Wan fought their way into the Jedi Temple to deploy a new code to warn any surviving Jedi to refrain from returning to the Temple. Inside, they discovered that every Jedi inside, younglings included, have been slaughtered. Via a holographic recording, they found out the truth that Palpatine was the Sith Lord they had been looking for, and that Anakin had become his new apprentice. Yoda decided to face Palpatine, sending Obi-Wan to battle his former Padawan on the planet Mustafar.

Though Yoda was, arguably, the most highly Force-attuned member of the Order, he was not flawless. It was partially due to his lack of vision and failure to recognize that Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was actually responsible for the outbreak of the Clone Wars, and was in fact the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, that the Republic was overthrown and the Jedi Order decimated. Subsequently, Yoda battled Palpatine in an epic lightsaber duel that wrecked the Senate Rotunda. The fight ended in stalemate, in which Yoda was forced to retreat and go into exile so that he may hide from the Empire and wait for another opportunity to destroy the Sith.

Yoda was also instrumental in deciding the fate of the Skywalker children after Padmé died in childbirth, recommending that Luke and Leia be hidden from Vader and Palpatine in remote locations. About 22 years later, Anakin's son Luke Skywalker would arrive on Dagobah and begin training under the tutelage of Yoda. The year after, Yoda told Luke that his training would only be complete if he faced off against Vader one last time, before becoming one with the Force.