BACK TO ASK YODA


ARCHIVED QUESTIONS
Some answers may be out of date. This page is intended as a record of previous answers, not a living reference.

Is there a book of Episode III? - UPDATED

Yes, it's coming out on April 2, and it's written by Matthew Stover. There will also be a junior novelization and a graphic novel (comic book) coming out the same day, along with many other Episode III-related books.


Does Darth Sidious have a lightsaber? - UPDATED

Yes. Check out the Revenge of the Sith trailer at www.starwars.com.


Can you show me a map of the Star Wars galaxy?

Yes. There is an excellent Star Wars galaxy map at www.nav-computer.com [Note: This site is no longer online; it may come back online at some point, but at this time the site's author is not able to say when that might happen.]. This is by far the most accurate and most extensive galaxy map on the web. It is compiled entirely from official sources, primarily the galaxy maps on the endpages of the New Jedi Order series of novels, as well as a map that was included with a recent issue of Star Wars Insider magazine.


Are there any video games where I can fight Darth Vader?

Not any recent ones. The only video games I know of where you can fight Darth Vader are The Empire Strikes Back for the original Nintendo system, Super Empire Strikes Back and Super Return of the Jedi for Super Nintendo, and maybe Masters of Teräs Käsi for Playstation.


What species is Darth Maul?

Darth Maul is a Zabrak, from the planet Iridonia. All Zabraks have horns like Maul's, but the red and black pattern is a tattoo. Another notable member of the Zabrak species is Eeth Koth, who is a member of the Jedi Council in Episodes I and II.


Why did the Trade Federation bockade Naboo in Episode I?

The Trade Federation blockaded Naboo because Darth Sidious convinced Viceroy Nute Gunray that it would be a good move for the Federation. In reality, it was a bad move, and Darth Sidious probably wanted them to do it because he knew it would lead to Palpatine being voted in as Supreme Chancellor.


Is Yaddle your girlfriend?

No. Yaddle, the female member of my species who appears on the Jedi Council in Episode I is only a colleague and a friend.


What happens to Sith spirits when they die?

It is hard to say what happens to Sith souls after they die. I would think that they would become one with the Force, like Jedi do, because the dark side is still a part of the Force. However, it is said that some of the ancient Sith lords returned as ghosts. I am learning that we (the Jedi) may not know as much about the Force as we thought we did.


Does Luke ever turn to the dark side?

Yes. In the comic book series Dark Empire, which takes place six years after Return of the Jedi, Luke attempted to defeat the reborn Emperor from within, by becoming his servant. Luke ended up turning to the dark side, and it was only his sister, Leia, who was able to turn him back.


Why did only me (Yoda), Obi-Wan, and Anakin return as ghosts?

Before I heard Qui-Gon's voice in Attack of the Clones, the Jedi believed that it was impossible for a Jedi to come back as a ghost, because they become one with the Force, and therefore can't retain their identities after death. I know that doesn't really answer your question, but that is all I can tell you for now. Episode III will explain this.


Why did Obi-Wan let Vader cut him down?

Obi-Wan knew that if Luke waited for him, Darth Vader and his stormtroopers would prevent the Millennium Falcon from escaping. When Obi-Wan was killed by Darth Vader, Luke no longer had to wait for him, so the heroes were able to escape in the Falcon. Also, as illustrated by the line "If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can ever imagine", Obi-Wan may have believed that he would be more useful as a spirit, giving Luke guidance, although since Obi-Wan is dead, it is impossible to know exactly what was going through his head at the time.


Did Vader kill all of the Jedi except for me (Yoda) and Obi-Wan?

Vader and other servants of Emperor Palpatine nearly exterminated the Jedi. However, there were a few who escaped. most of them were in remote locations and/or unusual situations, so they survived mainly by luck (or the will of the Force, depending on your point of view). When I told Luke he was the last of the Jedi, I didn't know about all of these Jedi escapees, and they didn't really count anyway, since the situations that prevented their deaths also prevented them from actively doing their duty as Jedi. Also, a few Jedi were turned to the Dark Side by the Emperor and his servants.


Who was the first Jedi?

The Jedi Order has been in existence so long that no one really knows the details of how it started. All we know is that roughly 25,000 years before the events of the Star Wars movies, the Jedi Order was founded by Force-sensitive people who wished to use their knowledge and power to protect the people of the newly founded Galactic Republic, and early on some Jedi turned to the Dark Side and formed the Sith Order. That's all we know for sure, although some speculate that the order was founded on the planet Ossus, which was once a great center of Jedi knowledge.


Why did the Emperor tell Luke to kill him to complete his journey to the Dark Side?

The Emperor knew that if Luke tried to kill him, Vader would block him from doing this. Palpatine believed that once Luke gave in to his anger and tried to kill him, he would be too far into the Dark Side to come back to the light. At one point Luke actually did try to kill the Emperor, but Vader did block him with his lightsaber. However, Luke still managed to resist the Dark Side. Also, even if Vader had failed to block Luke's lightsaber, the Emperor is a lot more powerful than he looks, and he probably could have defended himself effectively if he had to.


Why did Vader listen to the one guy who told him to stop choking the other guy in Star Wars: A New Hope?

The one guy was Grand Moff Tarkin, a very powerful Imperial governor of a lot of sectors in the Outer Rim of the galaxy. He reported directly to the Emperor, and he was in charge of the Death Star, so he outranked Vader, at least at that time and place. By the way, the "other guy" Vader was choking is named Admiral Motti.


Why is Mace Windu's lightsaber purple, when all the other Jedi's are blue or green?

This question doesn't really have a clear answer, but if you read some of the Star Wars books and comics you will see that lightsabers can be a variety of colors, which don't necessarily signify the holder's allegiance. Many Jedi lightsabers (and all of the Jedi lightsabers in the movies, besides Windu's) are blue or green, and this is because the kinds of crystals that produce blue and green blades are the most commonly used, but they are not the only ones. Mace Windu just happens to be the only Jedi who shows a purple saber in the movies. Sith, on the other hand, pretty much always have red lightsabers. This is because Sith traditionally use a certain kind of crystals (which sometimes can be more powerful than Jedi ones), and this kind produces a red blade.


How did Mace Windu die?

Wait until Episode III!


Why didn't I (Yoda) and the other Jedi see the Dark Side in Palpatine?

You must understand that Palpatine was an extremely powerful Force user, rivaling even myself in power. There are Force techniques for Force users to hide themselves from other Force users, and it is a credit to Palpatine's power that he was able to fool the entire Jedi Council. It was also just generally harder for us Jedi to sense things in the Force when there was so much Dark Side around at the time of the Clone Wars. Also, although the Senate and pretty much all of the Jedi trusted Palpatine, I was the only person who was a little skeptical. So even though I didn't actually figure it out in time, I could tell that something wasn't right. You might notice some of this sentiment if you watch Attack of the Clones carefully.


Is Darth Sidious the same person as Emperor Palpatine?

Although no official sources have actually confirmed it, it seems pretty safe to assume that Sidious and Palpatine are one and the same. George Lucas has actually given it away in the Episode I DVD audio commentary, in which he says that he wanted to introduce Sidious as a hologram in Episode I, because that's what he did in The Empire Strikes Back. There are also countless clues, the most obvious being that they look alike.


When Darth Vader cuts down Obi-Wan in Episode IV, does he die?

When Vader cut him down, Obi-Wan became one with the Force. In other words, his body disappeared, so yes, technically he died. However the Jedi Code says that "There is no death; there is the Force," so we Jedi would say that he is not dead....from a certain point of view.


In A New Hope, in Leia's distress signal in R2-D2 she says Obi-Wan served her father in the Clone Wars. How is this if Anakin was Obi-Wan's apprentice?

At the time, Leia didn't know that Anakin was her father. When she said "my father," she meant her adopted father, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. Bail Organa was a loyal representative of the Republic, which the Jedi were fighting for in the Clone Wars, and he was also a friend of Kenobi. So it can be said that Obi-Wan served Bail Organa during the Clone Wars.

Note: Bail Organa can be seen in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. He is the human senator with dark hair who is often around Chancellor Palpatine.


Does Han have a son, and if so what is his name?

Short answer: Yes, he has two. Their names are Jacen Solo and Anakin Solo.

Long answer: According to the novels and comics, Han Solo marries Princess Leia four years after Return of the Jedi, and they eventually have three children. The first two are twins (a son and a daughter), born five years after Return of the Jedi, and are named Jacen and Jaina. They have a third child about a year and a half later, and they name him Anakin, after his grandfather (Leia's father).


Are there any more Sith after Vader?

Short answer: No, not so far, but there are dark Jedi.

Long answer: The Sith are a cult of dark Force users who split off from the Jedi thousands of years prior to the Star Wars movies. However, not all dark Force users are Sith. If a Jedi goes bad but is not trained by a Sith lord, he or she is a dark Jedi, but not a Sith. Darth Vader appears to be the last Sith (he didn't train an apprentice), but there are still dark Jedi in the galaxy after his fall.


In what order did the Star Wars movies originally come out?

Here is a list of their release dates, in order:
  • Episode 4 - Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
  • Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  • Episode 6 - Return of the Jedi (1983)
  • Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999)
  • Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones (2002)
  • Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith (coming May 2005)
Note: Episode 4, which was originally just titled Star Wars, was re-released in 1979, 1981, and 1982. Also, special enhanced editions of the original trilogy (Episodes 4-6) were released to theaters in 1997.

BACK TO ASK YODA



Use of the name "Yoda" as a staff member of this site is meant in a tongue-in-cheek manner. This site makes no actual claim of affiliation with the real Yoda or any person involved in his portrayal in the Star Wars movies.

Star Wars and its derivative media is property of Lucasfilm Ltd. Yoda's Datapad is not in any way approved, licensed, or promoted by Lucasfilm or any of its affiliates. If you have any questions or comments regarding this website, visit the e-mail us page for contact information.