10 Things You Didn't Know About Jedi Master Yaddle

Did You Know?

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 7 min read

One of the minorly interesting things about The Phantom Menace is the blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance of the Jedi Master Yaddle. She was the first member of Yoda's (still unnamed) species outside of Yoda himself to appear onscreen. Seeing another one, especially a female member, was interesting. We didn't see her in any other film, so we know everything about her just based on the extended media that is, for the most part, "Legends."

Today, we're going to look at the ten most interesting facts about Yaddle that you didn't know, with the knowledge that, since she was only in the films for a total of about two minutes, even her name might make that list for you.

#10: Her initial concept art was meant for Yoda.

Initially, the concept art for the character that would eventually become Yaddle wasn't intended to be a new character. Artist Ian McCaig created the original drawing as concept art for a younger Yoda. Ultimately, the decision was made for The Phantom Menace to make a female version of Yoda's species named Yaddle.

#9: She was the Jedi Master for a member of the Jedi Council.

Yaddle trained many Jedi during her time, but her most notable padawan was the Thisspasian master, Oppo Rancisis. He was widely considered to be one of the wisest members of the council, and was initially trained by Yaddle. It was some time, but he had joined her on the council by the time of the invasion of Naboo.

8. She survived Order 66. (Canon)

Most of the Jedi Order was destroyed when Emperor Palpatine initiated Order 66. Many high-ranking jedi masters such as Plo Koon and Ki Adi-Mundi were killed by their clone troopers. However, Yaddle was not one of the Jedi who suffered this fate. Almost nothing is known about her whereabouts after the Clone Wars, but there are still characters who know of her legacy.

7. Darth Vader killed her in a vision.

While she was not killed in Order 66, that doesn't mean that Darth Vader never ran into her. While traveling through a portal created by Darth Momin in an attempt to resurrect Padme, Vader encountered a vision of several different Jedi masters with lightsabers ignited, ready to fight him, including Yaddle. Vader made quick work of each of them, with Yaddle being one of the last he struck down. It's not unreasonable to think that this fight would have gone the same way in real life.

6. She knew several rare Force powers.

The most notable one was one called "morichro", which allowed her to slow an opponent's bodily functions down to the point of death. She was also one of the few Jedi adept a the power of Force Light, which weakens a darksider's connection to the force.

5. She spent over a century as a prisoner underground (Legends)

During a mission she was sent on with her Jedi Master Polvin Kut, where they were sent to the planet Koba to stop the tyrannical warlord Tulak, her master gave into his rage against Tulak and was slain by Tulak's slaves. Yaddle found herself alone, fighting dozens of enemies, which led to her eventual capture. Tulak repeatedly tortured her for information about the Jedi, but she never gave into him. She only assured him that his defeat would come, and there was nothing he could do about it. She said to him;

"Tell you, I will not. Your hold over these people will end by your own hand. Rule by terror you do. Die by fear you will."

Finally understanding that he'd never break her, he threw her into a pit to live out the rest of her life, thinking that she could possibly be of some use later. Over the decades she became a legend to the people of Koba. She survived on the meager food given to her by the locals, who did it only as a ritual, as they barely believed in her existence. She also learned combat against the predators in the pit. While she was there, she reflected on her master's lessons, and eventually achieved unity with the Force.

4. She had compassion for the people of Koba, even after more than a century of imprisonment.

After more than a century, she escaped the pit she had been thrown into after several earthquakes allowed her to escape. She was given an offer to go straight back to Coruscant to finish her Jedi training, but stayed to help the people of Koba, only returning when she felt her work was done. The son of the warlord who initially imprisoned her came back to rule over Koba, but she defeated him in single combat using only the wooden staff she'd relied on during her imprisonment. Only when Koba was free did she return to the Jedi.

3. She went from Padawan straight to Jedi Master. (Legends)

After telling her story, the council deemed that she didn't need any further training, and she was elevated from a mere Padawan straight to a Jedi Master who held a role on the council. Grand Master Yoda was initially hesitant to give her this promotion, as it was highly irregular and went against many traditions, though he was the only member of the council to oppose the decision. However, he ultimately relented, saying;

"Doubt I will always have, strict Jedi tradition this is not. But the path to the dark side is not one Yaddle will travel, I think. The council speaks with many voices. I am but one. To the fold, you are welcome."

2. She died stopping a powerful bioweapon (Legends)

Twenty-six years before the Battle of Yavin, Yaddle joined Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on a mission to restore peace to the lawless planet of Mawan. The warlord Granta Omega released a bioweapon that would have destroyed the city of Naatan, if it weren't for Yaddle's sacrifice. She absorbed the bioweapon with the help of the force, and was killed instantly. She had no second thoughts about the decision. Obi-Wan later said to Anakin; "Yaddle made the only choice that she could, and she made it freely."

1. She was 483 years old when she died.

Given that Yoda's species is incredibly long-lived, with Yoda dying at 900, and Grogu still being considered an infant at over 50 years of age, dying at 483 would likely be equivalent to a human dying in their forties. Yoda was still over 400 years old when Yaddle was born. It is obviously unknown what Yaddle would have done in Legends during the Clone Wars, as she was killed four years before they began. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened to her in Legends had she survived that long, and who knows what she did after going into hiding after Order 66?

Yaddle is a character that people don't know much about. She only had about thirty seconds of screen time in the prequel trilogy. However, dig a little deeper and you'll see that she has a rich history, both in canon, and especially Legends.

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