Despite being one of the greatest warriors to ever wield a lightsaber, Star Wars‘ Yoda ended his life using a totally different weapon. After fleeing his battle with Darth Sidious and going into exile on Dagobah, Yoda swore he’d never lift a lightsaber again, but that didn’t mean he was done fighting.
Yoda Became an Archer After Giving Up His Lightsaber
The Former Jedi Master Swore Never to Lift a Lightsaber Again
In Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Special #1‘s ‘The Trial of Dagobah’ – from Marc Guggenheim, Andrea Broccardo, Dono Sánchez-Almara and Travis Lanham – Yoda sets out to get some meat for his supper. The former Jedi Master reveals that in an acknowledgment of how deeply he failed the Order, he has vowed never to pick up a lightsaber again, instead training in the use of a bow to get the meat he needs.
As any Star Wars fan might expect, Yoda was a master with the bow and arrow, with his first shot being an immediate kill. It’s ironic that Yoda is such a great shot, since the whole reason he swore off being able to use a lightsaber was to punish himself for the “blindness” that led to the fall of the Jedi order. This is something that Palpatine repeated in Cavan Scott and Ibraim Roberson’s Star Wars: Yoda #10, when Yoda encountered him in a Force vision.
As fans know, Yoda lost one of his lightsabers in his iconic battle against Emperor Palpatine, portrayed in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. This weapon was later destroyed in a ceremony on Coruscant carried out by Mas Amedda. Despite this, Yoda took another lightsaber into exile on Dagobah, never using it but eventually passing it on to Luke Skywalker.
Yoda’s Opinion on Lightsabers Explained
After Failing the Jedi, Yoda Quit the Iconic Weapon, But Not the Force
Interestingly, Yoda says that vow or not, he would never have used a lightsaber “in the pursuit of filling his belly.” Not every Jedi felt the same – in Legends canon, Jedi Master Zao made his lightsaber part of every aspect of his life, using it as weapon, walking stick and soup stirrer. Thanks to this fusion of Jedi and weapon, Zao was able to cook a soup that tasted different depending on the Force connection of the person eating it, revealing their spiritual nature by how they reacted.
Notably, while Yoda kept his vow of not using a lightsaber ever again, he still used the Force constantly. Indeed, the issue sees him caught in an avalanche, renewing his connection to the Force in the hours before Luke arrives on Dagobah looking for his help and training. It’s an interesting example of how Yoda saw his connection to the Force as separate to his dedication to the Order, abandoning the latter in shame at his inaction but never considering sacrificing the former, which he considered an essential way of being.
Of course, it’s likely <em>Star Wars</em> fans would enjoy seeing Yoda perform some more spectacular feats with the bow and arrow he used on Dagobah – something that’s entirely possible as Marvel’s comics continue to revisit key eras of the franchise.
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Special #1 is available from Marvel Comics.
- Created by
-
George Lucas
- First Film
-
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- Cast
-
Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
-
The Mandalorian,
Andor,
Obi-Wan Kenobi,
The Book of Boba Fett,
Ahsoka,
The Acolyte,
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,
Lando,
Star Wars: The Clone Wars,
Star Wars Rebels,
Star Wars: The Bad Batch,
Star Wars: Resistance,
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures,
Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi,
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens,
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi,
Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker,
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,
Solo: A Star Wars Story,
Star Wars: The Clone Wars,
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi,
Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
- Luke Skywalker,
Han Solo,
Rey Skywalker,
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious,
Obi-Wan Kenobi,
Ahsoka Tano,
Grand Admiral Thrawn,
Grand Inquisitor,
Reva (The Third Sister),
The Fifth Brother,
The Seventh Sister,
The Eighth Brother,
Yoda,
Din Djarin,
Grogu,
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader,
Leia Organa,
Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
