If you’re new to Star Wars, you probably have questions about the different planets and creatures presented in the franchise.
Jedi Grand Master Yoda is one of the most recognizable faces in Star Wars. His powers and abilities in the Force are incredible, especially given his small size and advanced age.
You only have to see Yoda once to know that he’s not human. So, is Yoda an alien? What species does he belong to, and where does he come from?
Keep reading as we explore the answers to these and other questions.
Table of Contents
Is Yoda an Alien?
Yes, Yoda is an alien, meaning he is a non-human character of Star Wars. He is very short, standing just over two feet tall and weighing about 37 pounds.
His most obvious physical features that set him apart from humans are his green skin, long, pointed ears, three-fingered hands and three- or four-fingered toes. He also has green blood.
Yoda was nearly 900 years old during the events of the Prequel Trilogy and The Clone Wars, and rapidly failing health eventually led to his death at age 900, shortly before the battle of Endor.
This long lifespan indicates his status as an alien, as even Force-sensitive humans could not live so long. Yoda’s long life was as much a characteristic of his species as it resulted from his connection to the Force.
Is Baby Yoda an Alien?
Grogu, also known affectionately as Baby Yoda, was introduced in The Mandalorian and shares a striking resemblance with Yoda. That said, Grogu is not related to Yoda except that they are members of the same species.
Considering Yoda belongs to an alien species, we must also conclude that Grogu, like Yoda, is an alien.
Grogu shares many of the same physical features as Yoda. Though he is much younger than Yoda, he has the characteristic green skin, pointed ears, and three-fingered hands inherent in his species.
Also like Yoda, Grogu is highly Force-sensitive. In two seasons of The Mandalorian, he has shown himself capable of using many complex Force powers despite having very little training as a Jedi.
Though he is called Baby Yoda and appears very young, Grogu is 50 years old at the start of The Mandalorian. This shows that the species Yoda and Grogu age slowly and have an incredibly long lifespan.
What Species are Yoda and Baby Yoda?
We keep referring to the species of Yoda and Grogu, but we haven’t named that species, have we?
The reason for this is that the species is unknown.
Yoda never revealed his species in any Star Wars movies or The Clone Wars series; therefore, we don’t have much information about the species.
It is unclear whether Yoda is not aware of the name and history of his species or whether he chooses not to say, but the question of his species naturally leads to other questions.
- Is Yoda’s species naturally Force-sensitive? Considering the impressive powers both Yoda and Grogu display, it is easy to wonder whether abilities in the Force come more easily to them because of their species.
- How many other members of the species exist in the Galaxy? Besides Yoda and Grogu, a few other similar aliens have been introduced to the Star Wars universe, most notably Yaddle. So, one might wonder how many more of Yoda’s species are out there.
- What is the history of the species? So little is known about Yoda and Grogu’s species simply because we don’t know anything about their history. This lack of history perhaps makes the characters, and their species, so mysterious.
Where is Yoda’s Species From?
Like so many other aspects of Yoda’s species, where they come from is also unknown. It is unclear whether they originated on a single planet or system and what part of the Galaxy they are native to.
Again, this leads to whether Yoda knew and chose to conceal information about his kind, or whether he, too, was in the dark.
Considering he was very young when he was taken to the Jedi Temple as a Youngling, it’s possible he doesn’t remember anything about his homeworld or species.
It’s also unclear whether Yoda lived with other members of his kind before being taken to the Jedi Temple or whether he lived elsewhere in the Galaxy, mingled with other species.
We know from The Mandalorian that Grogu was found hiding on Arvala-7, but he was the only member of his species there. Where he came from originally, like Yoda, remains unknown.
With so many questions surrounding not only Yoda and Grogu’s past but their species as a whole, it’s unlikely we’ll ever get all the answers we would like.
But maybe that’s part of the fun.
Since both Yoda and Grogu remain shrouded in mystery, our curiosity is piqued and it makes us want to know more. And what could be more intriguing and captivating than a question that goes unanswered?
Conclusion
Yoda is a powerful Jedi whose species is unknown. He is a small green humanoid creature with large, pointed ears and three-fingered hands and feet.
Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda, is a young character belonging to the same species as Yoda. He was a Jedi Youngling at the time of the Great Jedi Purge and, more than 30 years later, was found on the planet Arvala-7 by the Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin.
Sarah Hood is a freelance content writer and editor with a love for all things Star Wars. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time in the great outdoors.