Former Jedi Grand Master Yoda was among the most respected Jedi in Star Wars Canon and Legends. For over 800 years, he trained prominent Jedi and despite his old age, he never lost a step in combat.
Yoda came across as an insane hermit the first time Luke Skywalker met him on Dagobah. However, Yoda only acted crazy as a test to Luke.
Despite his strength, Yoda had a weakness that came in the form of a Force Bond with a pupil-turned-Sith Lord.
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Was Yoda Fully Sane on Dagobah?
When The Empire Strikes Back hit theaters in 1980, everyone’s first impression of Yoda matched that of Luke Skywalker’s. The aged Jedi was insane.
Fans who started their Star Wars journey with the Prequel Trilogy would think the same. Especially after meeting a wise Yoda whose wisdom and lightsaber skills few rivaled.
Come The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda’s mannerisms made him come off as though he spent too many years in exile, like trying to steal Luke’s food and breaking into machinery.
Yoda Played the Typical Role of a Mentor
Despite his antics, Yoda was fully sane. If you look back into mythology throughout the last two-thousand-plus years, you will find mentors who act similarly upon meeting the hero.
Here are a few more common denominators between these mentors and Yoda:
- They’re among the story’s oldest characters.
- They live a reclusive lifestyle.
- Each possesses mastery in some form of magic.
- Nobody else matches their wisdom, and they come across as insane early in their meeting with the hero.
Common examples include Merlin from the Arthurian Legends, Philoctetes, who mentored Heracles in Greek Mythology, and for a more recent example, Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter.
Let’s compare Yoda to Dumbledore, since many are familiar with both characters. For one, they’re among the oldest characters in their respective franchises. In Star Wars Canon, Yoda lived to be 900, and Dumbledore, 116.
Both lived as recluses.
Yoda went into exile on Dagobah following the Republic’s fall in Revenge of the Sith. Dumbledore spent most of his time locked in his office and avoided human contact, torturing himself for believing he fired a curse that killed his sister.
Yoda, the most powerful Jedi in the Order, served as Grand Master while Dumbledore, the greatest wizard in the world, served as Headmaster.
Additionally, they were also wise characters who the hero didn’t think to be fully sane upon their first encounter. Yoda acted like he was insane and in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry questioned Dumbledore’s sanity to Percy Weasley.
Why Does Yoda Act Crazy When He Meets Luke?
Yoda was testing Luke to frustrate him and gauge his reaction.
When Yoda found Luke, the latter was irritated to be lost on the swamp planet.
Luke’s impatience grew and Yoda revealed his identity when he sighed and said, “I cannot teach him,” failing Luke before Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Force Ghost convinced him otherwise.
Whether the test was part of the Jedi training, or just to gauge how much Luke was like Anakin, remains up for debate. But Yoda knew Luke would find him, given his actions toward the end of Revenge of the Sith.
While serving as a self-imposed punishment for failing the Jedi Order, Yoda also knew he needed to go into exile to avoid detection from the Empire.
He also knew that following the events of Revenge of the Sith, the time would come for Luke or Leia to challenge the Empire and perhaps even bring balance to the Force.
What is Yoda’s Weakness?
Yoda was one of the most powerful Jedi in existence. He defeated Count Dooku multiple times while he was one of few Jedi that Darth Sidious deemed a legitimate threat.
But that doesn’t mean Yoda did not possess a weakness. This weakness is a familiar one to Star Wars fans, as they have seen it multiple times throughout the Canon and Legends.
Yoda had a Force Bond, which served as a link between two Force-sensitive beings.
This link allowed them to influence one another, even if the two stood on opposite ends of the galaxy, in the form of images, feelings, and thoughts.
Force Bonds allowed for an advantage when two Jedi engaged in battle with adversaries. However, Yoda had a Force Bond with Sith Lord Count Dooku.
Since the Force Bond remained active following Dooku’s turn to the dark side, it also allowed Darth Sidious to tap into Yoda’s feelings and even see the same things the Jedi Grand Master saw. What’s more, Yoda would not have known when Sidious tuned in.
Darth Sidious initially wanted to use the Force Bond to find and kill Yoda before the Clone Wars ended, ideally before Order 66. He further implies he knew about the Force Bond when he told Yoda in Revenge of the Sith, “Master Yoda, you survived?”
But, he also knew Yoda was too strong to kill. By using the Force Bond, he hoped to suppress Yoda to the point where he questioned his status as a light side wielder.
While Sidious failed, it kept Yoda from fully asserting himself within the light side during the Clone Wars.
The Bond should have severed following Count Dooku’s death. However, Darth Sidious uncovered a Sith ritual with Dooku that allowed him to see into Yoda.
Conclusion
Yoda was fully sane on Dagobah, and his role in Star Wars followed that of prominent mentor archetypes throughout fiction and mythology for millennia.
Playing the role of the crazy, aged hermit, Yoda tested and failed Luke Skywalker. However, he still took him on as an apprentice.
While Yoda appeared to be the all-powerful, all-wise Jedi, he still came with great weakness. That is, the Force Bond he shared with Count Dooku, that Darth Sidious was also able to tap into.