10 Saddest Deaths In Star Wars

Yoda's passing in Return of the Jedi is rather sudden, since the last time we saw the little green Jedi in The Empire Strikes Back, there was no hint at all that his end was nearing. Still, when he does die, Yoda bestows onto Luke his destiny of becoming a Jedi, that of destroying Darth Vader, and revealing that the young Jedi has a long-lost sister, Leia.

What makes Yoda's peaceful death so heavy-hitting is that it marks the final passing of the old Jedi Order, leaving only Luke to carry on the Jedi way alone. Whilst Yoda's death was sad for Return of the Jedi's original 1983 release, it is far more depressing in hindsight, now that the prequels have given the character a wider story. The prequels portray Yoda as a near-omniscient Jedi, who was arguably the strongest Jedi of the era, yet had been manipulated by Palpatine throughout the Clone Wars, until it was far too late for the Jedi to see how deeply they had failed.

Now, lying on his deathbed, a weak Yoda can finally rest, knowing that he has imparted all of his wisdom to Luke, hoping that he can rectify the mistakes he made, in which he allowed the seamless eradication of his order, and the creation of the Empire.