10 Things You Didn't Know About Yoda

7. No One Knows What Species He Is

Star Wars Yoda Concept Art
Lucasfilm

Yoda's species is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of the Star Wars universe. The word 'Whill' surfaced among fans as a potential name for the Green One's race, but George Lucas shot this one down with the explanation 'Whills' was a term for the Force, or Force-users, in early versions of the Star Wars draft.

Yoda's species has since been kept deliberately obscure, clearly a decision from on high in a franchise where every last barfly in the Mos Eisley Cantina has an action figure and RPG write-up.

The only indication Yoda isn't the only one of his species comes in The Phantom Menace, where a younger-looking, more hirsute version of Yoda sits on the Jedi Council. Material surrounding the movie gives this creature the name 'Yaddle' and suggests it is a female of Yoda's species. She dies in one of the follow-up novels set in the universe of the prequels, never to trouble the galaxy again with the possibility of learning what she is.

In this post: 
Star Wars
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Ben Counter is a fantasy and science fiction writer, gaming enthusiast, wrestling fan and miniature painting guru. He was raised on Warhammer, Star Wars and 1980s cartoons that, in retrospect, were't that good. Whoever you are, he is nerdier than you.