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Yoda (896 BBY–4 ABY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. The name "Yoda" is derived from Yoddha, the Sanskrit word for "warrior."
History
Yoda, standing only 2' 1" (0.66 m) tall, is one of the lifetime members of the Jedi Council and arguably the wisest and most powerful Jedi Master in the Star Wars universe. In his career as a Jedi Master, Yoda has trained several notable Jedi, including Count Dooku, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.
George Lucas has intentionally kept Yoda's race a secret. (Yoda and Yaddle are sometimes referred to as Whills, but this species designation has not been pronounced canonical.) In fact, very little is known of Yoda's life before the events of Episode I. It is known that he was one of the Jedi Masters who ran the mobile academy aboard the starship Chu'unthor, and that he left the ship's data tapes in the care of one of the natives when the ship crashed on Dathomir.
At the climax of the Battle of Geonosis (in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones), Yoda dueled Count Dooku and saved Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kenobi's Padawan Anakin Skywalker. Though seemingly frail, Yoda demonstrated a mastery of Form IV lightsaber combat, known for drawing heavily on the Force to acheive extreme acrobatics (see the seven forms of lightsaber combat).
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the great warrior Yoda battled Darth Sidious but was unable to defeat him due to his advanced age, and the Senate was destroyed by the Sith Lord.
During the Great Jedi Purge that launched the Galactic Civil War, Yoda escaped to Dagobah where he awaited the arrival of Luke Skywalker. When Luke arrived, Yoda — after some reluctance — agreed to teach him in the ways of the Force. Prior to finishing his instruction, however, Luke chose to leave Dagobah in order to confront Darth Vader and save his friends. Luke promised to return to complete his training, but upon his arrival, Yoda, greatly weakened by old age, informed Luke that he was a Jedi and his training was complete, and all that remained was for Luke to face Vader. Yoda then died at the age of 900 and became one with the Force.
Personality and traits
To his students, the elfin Yoda could appear as either very strict or like a grandfatherly figure, testing them to mental and physical extremes one moment and showing warmth the next. (In the beginning of their training, students may not see eye-to-eye with him, but eventually come to see the significance of his teachings.) Among his colleagues on the Jedi Council, he is known to have a penchant for mischief and practical jokes. To all of them, the humble Yoda epitomizes the ideals of the Jedi Order; the grandmaster of that august body is widely known as a sage instructor.
Yoda speaks English (known as "Galactic Basic" in Star Wars) in a distinctive manner by placing verbs (and more frequently, auxiliary verbs) after the object and subject. In linguistic typology this is the "Object Subject Verb" format. A typical example of Yoda's speech pattern is from the Return of the Jedi: "When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not." The speech pattern has been the source of much parody humor.
When not actively using the Force, the elderly Yoda walks with a cane.
Bringing the character to life
Yoda is voiced by Frank Oz. In the original Star Wars trilogy and The Phantom Menace, he was realized as a Muppet (controlled by Oz). Rendered with computer animation in Attack of the Clones, Yoda appeared in ways not previously possible, including his participation in an elaborate fight scene.
Parody songs
The comedy musician "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song "Lola" by the Kinks with a remake titled "Yoda", included on the album Dare To Be Stupid (1985). More recently, the Great Luke Ski parodied the song "YMCA" by the Village People with a version titled "Y.O.D.A." included on the albums Fanboys ‘n Da Hood (1996) and Carpe Dementia (1999).
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