AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: YODA AND THE FORCE

 

Not able to raise the X-wing fighter from the swamp water, Luke fails to grasp the natural power of the Force.

With the characters continual evolution, Lucas thinks that the new Jedi Master, whom he describes as a “withered old space creature,” should be the perfect incarnation of the Force, but, at the same, has to reflect the idea that depth of spirituality goes beyond physical appearance and the limitations of the body. As George Lucas explained in an interview from 1981: “I wanted for him to be the kind of character you can find in fairy tales and mythology. A character that is usually a frog or a needy old man. In his path the hero sees this poor, insignificant person. The lesson the hero must learn is that he had to respect everybody beyond their physical appearance, since there may be the key to his success.” From the beginning, Lucas knows that the character will be a strange alien, following the oriental philosophy of a Zen master, someone who was very old and emitted wisdom and intelligence, whilst at the same time displaying a satisfied mind. He would be first described as “a weird creature with a froggish look, half a meter tall.” The unusual way in which the Jedi Master first introduces himself to Luke might have been thought to damage the credibility of such a wise character. This too had been carefully thought out, however. “I wanted the public to see him as a funny creature, not as the most powerful of all the Jedi,” says Lucas, “I was looking for the opposite of anyone you would expect, since the Jedi based their beliefs in a philosophical idea, instead of a physical concept.” 

Full presentation of the classic Yoda shot used in the film's after-release marketing campaign- the character's visual look having been kept as secret as possible in the prior run-up.

Oz additionally recalled to Star Wars Insider magazine issue 42: “I have always likened Yoda to a powerful figure like Winston Churchill who might be having to make great decisions about the war, and yet while he's doing it, he's wondering if he should take that last candy in the dish or not, because he wants it really bad. It's that paradox. I think it makes him more human.” 

Discussing Yoda’s language, Lawrence Kasdan recalled to The Annotated Screenplays: “I remember that George had a feeling about the kind of speech he wanted Yoda to have. It had to do with inversion and with a kind of medieval feeling with religious overtones. Once we figured that out, it became very logical to have Yoda say things like 'Good it will be...' Inverting everything did the trick.”