10 Movie Facts You Probably Don’t Know
9. Yoda Was Originally Called "Buffy" - The Empire Strikes Back
Though so much is known about the behind-the-scenes of Star Wars, here's something you probably weren't aware of - everyone's favourite green-skinned alien Yoda (Frank Oz) almost had a different name entirely.
In the earliest drafts of the script for The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas conceived the character as a small frog-like creature who went by the name "Buffy."
It was only Lucas' co-writer Leigh Brackett, who sadly passed away before shooting started, who decided to change the name to "Minch Yoda," and then shortened it to merely Yoda.
Now, nobody can say with absolute certainty that Yoda would've flopped as a character if he was called Buffy all the way to release, but it's tough to picture Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) or basically anyone else in the series saying the name. It just doesn't fit.
Needless to say, if Lucas had followed through with Buffy, Sarah Michelle Gallar's subsequent vampire slayer of the same name would've probably been called something else.