Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced viewers to Yaddle, the first new member of Yoda’s mysterious species to appear on-screen. Yoda made his debut in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, and it’s always been clear George Lucas intended to keep his origins a secret; Lucasfilm even went so far as to pulp the entire print run for a trading card showing Yoda-like beings worshiping an idol, likely at Lucas’ insistence. But all that changed in 1999, when viewers were delighted to see a new member of Yoda’s race on-screen.
Jedi Master Yaddle is a member of the Jedi Council, which immediately singled her out as one of the wisest of the Jedi. Although Yaddle did originally have a line of dialogue in the scene where Anakin Skywalker stood before the Council, this was unfortunately cut, and its nature has never been revealed. Still, canon has done a great job of fleshing Yaddle’s story out ever since, and she played a particularly important role in the Tales of the Jedi animated series.
How Old Was Yaddle By The Phantom Menace?
Yoda’s species clearly have unusually long lifespans; Yoda himself was 900 years old when he died in Return of the Jedi. Yaddle was a mere youngling compared to Yoda, a sprightly 477 years old in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Still, she was a long-serving and much-respected member of the Jedi Council, with experience both as a teacher and in the field.
Everything We Know About Yaddle’s History
Yaddle’s origin is as mysterious as Yoda’s. A scholar by nature, she nevertheless served on the front lines during the High Republic Era, the golden age of the Jedi and the Republic. She’s known to have trained several Padawans over the centuries, including fellow Council member Oppo Rancisis and Jaro Tapal – which technically makes her Cal Kestis’ grandmaster. The few glimpses we’ve seen of Yaddle in action have stressed both her wisdom and her power.
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Star Wars novels featuring Yaddle |
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Cataclysm by Lydia Kang |
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Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland |
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The Living Force by John Jackson Miller |
Yaddle’s Force Powers Explained
According to the Star Wars: Alien Archive, Yaddle “is known for being very kind and quiet, but on the other hand possesses some of the deadliest Force powers.” She’s one of the few Jedi to have mastered an ancient Force power called Morichro, which allows a Jedi to slow down the bodily functions of an opponent almost to the point of death. This power was so rare that, by the time of the High Republic Era, it was generally considered a myth – suggesting it was an ability Yaddle chose not to pass on to her students.
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Yaddle was extraordinarily sensitive to the will of the Force, aware of its subtlest guidance and willing to follow wherever it led – including into the gravest danger. She demonstrated standard Jedi Force powers, including the Jedi mind trick and telekinesis, and like Yoda she learned the lightsaber form Ataro. This form requires use of the Force to boost a being’s natural speed and agility, and it was the perfect form to compensate for Yaddle’s small size.
Yaddle’s Death Shortly After The Phantom Menace
Yaddle made her debut in The Phantom Menace, but was mysteriously absent in the Jedi Council scenes in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. There were initial reports that she’d simply disappeared, following the will of the Force into the shadows, but the tragic truth was eventually revealed in Tales of the Jedi. Yaddle sensed something odd about Count Dooku’s reaction to the resurgence of the Sith in The Phantom Menace, and followed him to a meeting with Darth Sidious. She unwisely confronted the pair.
Sidious’ apprentice Darth Maul had died on Naboo, and he was seeking a replacement. It is traditional for a Sith Acolyte to prove themselves by killing a Jedi in combat and claiming the kyber crystal from the fallen Jedi’s lightsaber as their own, “bleeding” it red. Palpatine chose Yaddle as Dooku’s Sith sacrifice, and the two dueled to the death. Yaddle put up a ferocious fight, but she was ultimately overpowered, and Count Dooku killed her.
Yoda wouldn’t learn about Yaddle’s death until shortly before Luke Skywalker’s arrival on Dagobah, decades later. As told in Cavan Scott and Ibraim Roberson’s Star Wars: Yoda #10, he entered the Dagobah cave – a powerful dark side nexus – to prepare himself for the task ahead of him. There, Yoda experienced a vision of Dooku, and learned he had killed Yaddle shortly after The Phantom Menace. As Dooku’s former mentor, Yoda blamed himself.