There are popular movie franchises, and then there’s Star Wars. Entire generations grew up on the galaxy far, far away, forming a hardcore fandom in the process. But despite all the space opera content including movies and TV shows on Disney+, there are still a few ongoing mysteries about George Lucas’ beloved universe. And the Star Wars franchise recently explained how Yoda was able to hide on Dagobah without the Empire finding him.
When Yoda was introduced in Empire Strikes Back, he’s a small but surprisingly wise and powerful Jedi living in exile on Dagobah. The prequels revealed how he got there, but some Star Wars fans have been wondering how Vader never sensed him– especially since according to Star Wars’ map, Dagobah is fairly close to the planet Mustafar where Vader’s castle is. A new short story titled "The Light That Falls” was included in From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (via ScreenRant) reveals that the answer is actually connected to the Dark Side Cave from Empire Strikes Back.
When Luke is training at Dagobah in Empire, he enters a cave full of powers from the Dark Side, and has a vision of battling Vader/himself. “The Light That Falls” revealed that Yoda actually held down the the power of the cave with his own Force abilities. And with the Good and Dark finding balance on the planet, Yoda’s power wasn’t able to be sensed by the likes of Palpatine or Darth Vader… even with the latter villain at such a close proximity in Mustafar.
Per this new story, we also learn that the Dark Side power on Dagobah eventually spread across the galaxy after Yoda died in Return of the Jedi. This shows just how powerful Yoda was up until his final days, with Palpatine seemingly never learning of his survival in the decades following their battle in Revenge of the Sith.
Yoda has been a fan favorite character since his introduction, and continues to hold a special place in the hearts of fans and Star Wars actors themselves. Mark Hamill himself got emotional when filming opposite Yoda in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. So these little tidbits about the mysterious Jedi Master are sure to delight fans of the little green hero.
The fandom’s adoration for Yoda has only increased thanks to The Mandalorian, which is available with a Disney+ subscription. Grogu aka Baby Yoda took the internet by storm, with the fandom wanting any information they can get about the little green species. And those Star Wars fans who make their own lightsaber at the Galaxy’s Edge will even get a message from Yoda.
It’s currently unclear when Yoda will return to Star Wars, or when the franchise will return to theaters. But there are three Star Wars movies in development. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movies release dates to plan your next movie experience.
