Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Episodes 1 and 2 of The Acolyte.
The Jedi have existed for millennia inStar Wars, and, during the last one, Master Yoda’s (Frank Oz) wisdom was a constant. So now, withThe Acolytehaving just hit Disney+, it may seem strange not to see our little green friend out and about around the Jedi Temple in Coruscant. As it turns out,Yoda will not be showing up in the new series, so we can’t help but wonder: where is he? AJedi-killing assassinon the loose sounds like a huge issue for the Order, and he is the very best around, so shouldn’t he be more involved?
The Acolyte
The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
Where Was Yoda Around the Time of the High Republic?
The Acolyteis set inthe High Republic era, a period that lasted centuries and had the Jedi at the peak of their power and influence in the galaxy. The first episodes show how the Order is everywhere, with outposts and temples even on faraway planets in the Outer Rim. Their reach is inescapable, and they would be involved in pretty much everything, from big planetary disputes to the most mundane skirmishes among regular people. But Yoda himself is never around, andthis is likely tied to the events of the Nihil Crisis, which took place around a century before the new series.
The Nihil Crisis is a major conflict depicted intheHigh Republiccomics and novelsand gave us some of the best Star Wars stories ever. It started when the leader of the Nihil pirates, Marchion Ro, declared war on the Jedi and the Republic, and nearly brought it all down. Yoda was a big part of what made Ro despise the Jedi — a century earlier,Yoda took part in exterminating the Path of the Open Hand, an anti-Jedi groupled by Ro’s forebear, Marda Ro. The Path contested theJedi’s monopoly over the Force, and, eventually, grew bigger than the Jedi thought safe. They also used a living weapon called the Nameless, which reduced to dust everyone who was Force-sensitive. It was Yoda himself who opted not to include the Nameless in the Jedi Archives, to not shake the Jedi’s faith in themselves.
During the Nihil Crisis itself, Yoda’s presence was never constant. Before it started,he decided to take a leave from the Jedi Counciland “go on a sabbatical” to focus on training younglings. He spent the first half of the crisis aboard the Jedi ship Star Hopper, and, when the Nihil caused the Great Hyperspace Disaster, he led his students to save the planet Trymant. After that, he joined the fight in multiple field missions, until, in one of them, he simply went missing in action, returning only some time later without explanation. When he was present, though, he did help toguide the Order through the crisis. But he always manifested his passion in training younglings and Padawans, and, in a time of peace like the one inThe Acolyte, that’s probably what he is doing.
The Star Wars Prequels Were a Personal Affair for Yoda
Another period ofStar Warshistory that depicts a time of war is the Prequel Trilogy. InThe Phantom Menace, there is still no conflict, but the Jedi Council understands it’s under threat when Darth Maul (Ray Park) shows up.War only beginsinAttack of the Clones, when Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) reveals himself as another Sith Lord. It’s only inRevenge of the Siththat the Jedi realize they have been played with.By now, Yoda is almost two centuries older than he was inThe Acolyte, so why does he take a more active part in the Prequels, when he was already older and more tired, than in the new series?
The answer is pretty objective: because, in the Prequel Trilogy, it’s personal. Over the centuries, Yoda has taught almost every Jedi in the Order and taken some of those as Padawans, including Count Dooku. InThe Phantom Menace,his part is much smallerthan in the other two movies; he appears in Council scenes and, in the end, to personally discuss with the newly-knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) what will become of young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). One could argue that Obi-Wan should get closer attention from Yoda since they belong to the sameJedi lineage, but Obi-Wan is two generations below.What actually demands his full attention is a former Padawan threatening the galaxy with war, as Dooku does.
The same thing happens inThe Acolyte.Master Vernestra Rwoh(Rebecca Henderson) is hesitant at first about Master Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) intention of personally investigating his former Padawan Osha’s (Amandla Stenberg) connection to the murder of Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss). Personal feelings can get in the way and cloud even a master’s judgment, but, ultimately, it’s Sol’s burden to deal with.The same thing happens with Yoda and Dooku in the Prequel Trilogy. Later, when Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) reveals himself as the Sith Lord the Jedi have been looking for, it’s an all-hands-on-deck sort of moment, which demands Yoda to face him. Still, as powerful and experienced as Yoda is inThe Acolyte, the Order is so huge, it isn’t really necessary for him to be involved. In the end, neither the Nihil norThe Acolyteare his fights.
Yoda Showing Up Would Complicate ‘The Acolyte’s Story
Unfortunately for Star Wars fans, Yoda’s presence inThe Acolytehas beenall but ruled outby series creatorLeslye Headland. Perhaps we can hope for a small cameo in a Jedi Council scene, or even a mention by one of the characters, but nothing related to the overall plot of the season. Anything more than that seems highly unlikely — and this is for the best, frankly.
Star Wars is filled with iconic characters who have had a lot of time to shine over the eleven franchise movies. Yoda is among them, playing a pivotal part in the Original Trilogy, being a main character in the Prequels, and even showing up to teach Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) one final lesson inThe Last Jedi. His presence alone is enough to overpower any plot points inThe Acolyte, as well as overshadow any character. He is a rock star, andhis presence would draw pretty much all the audience’s attention. Instead of focusing on whatever Master Sol, Mae, or even Vernestra is doing, all eyes would be on Yoda, and that wouldn’t be good for the series.
The Acolytehas an interesting shift in tone from the rest of the franchise, with a serious plot that focuses on action and investigation in its first episodes. More than that, the characters are all interesting in themselves, sothere is no need to reintroduce a legacy character like Yodato make anything more compelling than it already is. Of course, every fan would love to see him every chance we get — we all freaked out when Luke Skywalker showed up inThe Mandalorian, but what did thatactually amount to? So here’s hoping Yoda does get a nod, but nothing more, hm?
The first two episodes ofThe Acolyteare available on Disney+. New episodes air weekly on Wednesdays.
