10 Star Wars Mysteries Explained Outside Of The Films
6. Why Didn't Yoda Recognise R2-D2 In The Empire Strikes Back?
The Mystery:
Perhaps as much a plot hole as it is an unsolved mystery, many fans have questioned over the years why Yoda (Frank Oz) didn't recognise R2-D2 when he came to Dagobah with Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back.
Given that the prequels make it clear that Yoda interacted with R2-D2 and knew who he was, it makes no sense whatsoever for Yoda to just blank the droid like that.
The Answer:
To celebrate the film's 40th anniversary, a new anthology story book, "From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back," was released.
One of the stories chronicles Yoda's first meeting with Luke from the Jedi Master's perspective, which explains his relationship with R2:
"Even though the droid was caked with algae, dirt, and stomach fluid, its appearance and familiar blips were still quite recognizable. R2-D2. Of course the boy had Anakin's old droid with him. Such cycles of fate no longer surprised the nine-hundred-year-old Jedi."
Any way you look at it, it's a pretty shameless retcon/ass-pull, suggesting that Yoda's been reunited with so many old friends over the years that he doesn't even greet them with kindness anymore, apparently. It's true what they say - you really do get grumpier as you get older.